Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

くじ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

くじ

く

じ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

lottery; raffle; drawing lots

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a system of random selection, such as a lottery, raffle, or drawing lots. Can be used for both physical and digital draws.

お祭まつりでくじを引ひいたら、一いっ等とうが当あたった。
I drew a lottery ticket at the festival and won first prize.
席せきはくじで決きめましょう。
Let's decide the seats by drawing lots.

Written forms

くじUsage70%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 籤, 鬮, 籖 are rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
クジUsage23%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
籤くじUsage5%
Rare kanji form; not commonly used in modern writing.

鬮くじ

Usage2%

rarely-used kanji form

籖くじ

rarely-used kanji form

Kanji

籤lottery, raffle
鬮lottery, lot, raffle
籖lottery, raffle

Similar words

抽ちゅう選せん
抽選 is a more formal term for a drawing or lottery, often used in official contexts, while くじ is the common, everyday word.
宝たからくじ
宝くじ specifically means a public lottery with cash prizes, whereas くじ is a general term for any kind of lot or raffle.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it may be related to the verb くじる (to draw lots) or derived from a mimetic word. The kanji 籤 is a Chinese character used for bamboo slips used in ancient Chinese divination, later applied to lots in Japanese.