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道Nihongo Path
壱

壱·one (formal, used on documents)

On-yomi
イチ
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
壱いちone (formal form of 一 used on cheques and contracts)
壱万円いちまんえんten thousand yen (formal written form)
金壱万円きんいちまんえんthe sum of ten thousand yen (on a receipt)
壱岐いきIki (island and old province in Nagasaki)

Example sentences

  1. 領収書に金壱万円と書いた。

    りょうしゅうしょにきんいちまんえんとかいた。

    I wrote 'the sum of ten thousand yen' on the receipt.

  2. 契約書では一を壱と書く。

    けいやくしょではいちをいちとかく。

    On a contract, 'one' is written with the formal character.

  3. 壱岐へは船で渡った。

    いきへはふねでわたった。

    We crossed over to Iki by boat.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 壱 as いつ in money amounts — on receipts it is いち
  • Using 壱 in ordinary writing — it belongs to receipts, contracts and banknotes only

Memory aid

Picture it

The anti-fraud form of 一: one stroke is far too easy to turn into 二 or 三, so contracts use this crowded character instead.

Quick check

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What does the kanji 壱 mean?