year, counter for years
Came from Chinese. It usually shows up when the kanji is joined to another, forming a compound word.
It is Japanese. It usually shows up when the kanji stands alone or is followed by hiragana.
The order matters: it is what makes handwriting come out legible, and it is how dictionaries index the character.
Visual decomposition, for recognising and comparing — not always the character's origin.
Where it appears is highlighted — the translation doesn't always make that visible.
今年は敬老の日と秋分の日が近いのよ。最初のほうは、おばあちゃんみたいなお年寄りに感謝する日なの。
Kotoshi wa Keirou no Hi to Shuubun no Hi ga chikai no yo. Saisho no hou wa, obaachan mitai na otoshiyori ni kansha suru hi na no.
This year, Keiro no Hi and the autumn equinox holiday landed close together. The first one is about showing respect for our elders, like Grandma.
さて、去年のが何か残ってるかな…
Sate, kyonen no ga nanika nokotteru kana...
Let's see what survived from last year...
学校の時から。だいたい八年くらい。
Gakkou no toki kara. Daitai hachinen kurai.
Since school. About eight years, more or less.
今年は敬老の日と秋分の日が近いのよ。最初のほうは、おばあちゃんみたいなお年寄りに感謝する日なの。
Kotoshi wa Keirou no Hi to Shuubun no Hi ga chikai no yo. Saisho no hou wa, obaachan mitai na otoshiyori ni kansha suru hi na no.
This year, Keiro no Hi and the autumn equinox holiday landed close together. The first one is about showing respect for our elders, like Grandma.
そうだね。来年また買い直すより、一度でちゃんとしたものを買うのがいいよ。
Sou da ne. Rainen mata kainaosu yori, ichido de chanto shita mono wo kau no ga ii yo.
True. I'd rather spend once and get it right than buy again next year.
何年も前、日本での生活が始まったばかりの頃、ラファエルは終電を逃しました。
Nan-nen mo mae, Nihon de no seikatsu ga hajimatta bakari no koro, Rafaeru wa shuuden o nogashimashita.
Years ago, back when he'd just started his life in Japan, Rafael missed the last train.
何十年も前、店主にラーメンの作り方を教えた師匠から受け継いだものでした。
Nanjuunen mo mae, tenshu ni raamen no tsukurikata o oshieta shishou kara uketsuida mono deshita.
It came from the master who taught the owner how to make ramen, decades ago.
毎年、この時期になるとこのお菓子を作るのよ。
Maitoshi, kono jiki ni naru to kono okashi wo tsukuru no yo.
Every year, around this time, I make this sweet.
お母さんが毎年秋に作ってくれたの。
Okaasan ga maitoshi aki ni tsukutte kureta no.
My mom made it every autumn.
Readings and meanings: KANJIDIC2 · Decomposition: KRADFILE · Both from Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, CC BY-SA 4.0 · data from 2026-10-22 · Strokes: KanjiVG, Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0