JLPT N5 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
西 means west. It is a JLPT N5 kanji written in 6 strokes, read にし or せい. 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 西洋 (the West / Western countries) and 関西 (south-western half of Japan / including Osaka).
西 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.
西 is a pictograph. It is not built from smaller parts: the character is a picture of the thing itself, which is why it cannot be broken down further.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 西 | にし | west |
| 西洋 | せいよう | the West / Western countries |
| 関西 | かんさい | south-western half of Japan / including Osaka |
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