Skip to content
道Nihongo Path
腎

腎·kidney

On-yomi
ジン
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
腎臓じんぞうkidney
腎不全じんふぜんrenal failure
肝腎かんじんessential, crucial (variant of 肝心)
腎結石じんけっせきkidney stone

Example sentences

  1. 腎臓は血液をきれいにする働きをする。

    じんぞうはけつえきをきれいにするはたらきをする。

    The kidneys work to clean the blood.

  2. 祖父は腎不全で入院した。

    そふはじんふぜんでにゅういんした。

    My grandfather was hospitalized with renal failure.

  3. 塩分の取りすぎは腎臓に負担をかける。

    えんぶんのとりすぎはじんぞうにふたんをかける。

    Too much salt puts a strain on the kidneys.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 腎臓 as しんぞう — that is 心臓 (the heart); the kidney is じんぞう
  • Writing 賢 for 腎 because of the shared top half

Memory aid

Picture it

The hard-working servant (臣 + 又, a hand) over flesh (月) — the quiet organ that labors all day filtering.

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 腎 mean?