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道Nihongo Path
寿

寿·longevity, congratulations

On-yomi
ジュ
Kun-yomi
ことぶき

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

7 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
寿命じゅみょうlifespan
長寿ちょうじゅlongevity
寿司すしsushi
寿ことぶきcongratulations, felicitations

Example sentences

  1. この電池は寿命が長い。

    このでんちはじゅみょうがながい。

    This battery has a long life.

  2. この村は長寿で知られている。

    このむらはちょうじゅでしられている。

    This village is famous for its long-lived residents.

  3. お祝いの袋に寿と書いてある。

    おいわいのふくろにことぶきとかいてある。

    "Kotobuki" is written on the gift envelope.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 寿命 as じゅめい — it is じゅみょう
  • Reading 寿司 character by character — すし is an ateji spelling, not じゅし

Memory aid

Picture it

Long horizontal strokes stacked up like the years of a life, closed off by the hand 寸 — a long life, worth congratulating.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 寿 mean?