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道Nihongo Path
祭

祭·festival

On-yomi
サイ
Kun-yomi
まつ(り)まつ(る)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
祭りまつりfestival
文化祭ぶんかさいschool culture festival
祭日さいじつnational holiday, festival day
夏祭りなつまつりsummer festival

Example sentences

  1. 夏祭りで花火を見た。

    なつまつりではなびをみた。

    We watched fireworks at the summer festival.

  2. 学校の文化祭でクラスが劇をした。

    がっこうのぶんかさいでクラスがげきをした。

    Our class put on a play at the school festival.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 祭日 as まつりび — in compounds it is さい
  • Writing 際り for 祭り

Memory aid

Picture it

A hand (又) laying meat (the 月 shape) on an altar (示) — the offering rite that grew into the village festival.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 祭 mean?