生: the kanji for life and birth
生 is a JLPT N5 kanji that means life, birth. Below are its readings, 23 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
生 is written in 5 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
生 has 12 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 21 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
セイ (sei)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 先生せんせい · sensei | teacher |
| 学生がくせい · gakusei | student |
| 生活せいかつ · seikatsu | daily life |
| 人生じんせい · jinsei | life |
| 生産せいさん · seisan | production |
| 発生はっせい · hassei | occurrence |
| 生年月日せいねんがっぴ · seinengappi | date of birth |
| 生徒せいと · seito | (school) student |
| 衛生えいせい · eisei | hygiene |
ショウ (shou)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 一生いっしょう · isshō | one's whole life |
| 誕生日たんじょうび · tanjōbi | birthday |
| 生涯しょうがい · shōgai | lifetime |
いきる (ikiru)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生きるいきる · ikiru | to live |
いかす (ikasu)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生かすいかす · ikasu | to make use of |
うまれる (umareru)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生まれるうまれる · umareru | to be born |
うむ (umu)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生むうむ · umu | to produce; to give birth to |
はえる (haeru)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生えるはえる · haeru | to grow (plants or hair) |
き (ki)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生地きじ · kiji | fabric; dough |
なま (nama)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 生なま · nama | raw; live |
| 生ビールなまビール · namabīru | draft beer |
| 生放送なまほうそう · namahōsō | live broadcast |
Special readings to learn as whole words
These words use 生, but their readings do not follow the readings above. The Jōyō Kanji Table lists them as special readings. Learn each one as a whole word.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 芝生しばふ · shibafu | lawn |
| 弥生やよい · Yayoi | Yayoi (the old name for the third month) |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 生年月日をご記入ください。Seinengappi o gokinyū kudasai.Please fill in your date of birth.
- これまでの経験を仕事に生かしたいです。Kore made no keiken o shigoto ni ikashitai desu.I want to make use of my experience in my work.
- ニューヨークで生まれました。Nyūyōku de umaremashita.I was born in New York.
- とりあえず生ビールをお願いします。Toriaezu namabīru o onegai shimasu.A draft beer to start with, please.
- 日本の生活にも慣れました。Nihon no seikatsu ni mo naremashita.I've gotten used to life in Japan.
- お誕生日おめでとうございます。Otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu.Happy birthday.
Questions about 生
How many strokes does 生 have?
生 is written in 5 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 生?
The on readings are sei (セイ), shou (ショウ). The kun readings are ikiru (いきる), ikasu (いかす), ikeru (いける), umareru (うまれる), umu (うむ), ou (おう), haeru (はえる), hayasu (はやす), ki (き), nama (なま).
Which readings of 生 should I learn first?
Start with sei in 先生 (sensei, teacher), shō in 一生 (isshō, one's whole life), umareru in 生まれる (to be born) and nama in 生 (raw).
What JLPT level is 生?
N5. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.
About the JLPT level
The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N5 is designed to match the former Level 4.
More JLPT N5 kanji
People
Executive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.
Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 生
- JLPT Frequently Asked Questions, The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services: how current levels match the former levels
- Stroke order diagrams are based on KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are shared under the same license.