自 · self, oneself

JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.

自 means self, oneself. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 6 strokes, read みずから or じ. It is a pictograph: the character began as a picture of the thing itself, so it does not break down into smaller parts. It appears in 自分 (myself / oneself) and 自転車 (bicycle).

筆順 · Stroke order

自 is written in 6 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.

解字 · What it is made of

自 breaks into 1 part.

• 目 other eye, class component

Words that use 自

Word	Reading	Meaning
自分	じぶん	myself / oneself
自転車	じてんしゃ	bicycle
自動車	じどうしゃ	automobile

Built from the same parts

These use 目 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.

• 着to wear
• 直to fix

Practise 自

Sumi teaches the character before it tests you: stroke order animated, the breakdown above shown as a pull-apart X-ray, then spaced review. Free, in your browser, no signup.

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