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道Nihongo Path
賊

賊·thief, rebel

On-yomi
ゾク
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
海賊かいぞくpirate
盗賊とうぞくthief, bandit
山賊さんぞくmountain bandit, brigand
賊軍ぞくぐんrebel army

Example sentences

  1. 子供は海賊の映画が大好きだ。

    こどもはかいぞくのえいががだいすきだ。

    Kids love pirate movies.

  2. 昔この峠には山賊が出たという。

    むかしこのとうげにはさんぞくがでたという。

    They say bandits used to appear at this pass.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing the right half as 戒 instead of 戎.
  • 賊 never stands alone as a word — it lives in compounds like 海賊 and 盗賊.

Memory aid

Picture it

貝 (money, a shell) with a weapon 戎 beside it — someone taking your money at blade-point.

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 賊 mean?