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道Nihongo Path
兆

兆·trillion, sign, omen

On-yomi
チョウ
Kun-yomi
きざ(し)きざ(す)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
兆候ちょうこうsign, symptom
一兆いっちょうone trillion
前兆ぜんちょうomen, precursor
兆しきざしsign, indication

Example sentences

  1. 景気回復の兆しが見えてきた。

    けいきかいふくのきざしがみえてきた。

    Signs of an economic recovery have begun to appear.

  2. 医者は病気の兆候を見逃さなかった。

    いしゃはびょうきのちょうこうをみのがさなかった。

    The doctor did not miss the symptoms of the illness.

  3. 国の借金は一兆円を超えている。

    くにのしゃっきんはいっちょうえんをこえている。

    The national debt exceeds a trillion yen.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 兆し as ちょうし — the kun reading is きざし
  • Reading 一兆 as いちちょう; the sound doubles to いっちょう

Memory aid

Picture it

The cracks that split a heated tortoise shell, read by ancient diviners as an omen — and cracks that multiply into an enormous number.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 兆 mean?