島: the kanji for island
島 is a JLPT N2 kanji that means island. Below are its readings, 5 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
島 is written in 10 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
島 has 2 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 5 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
トウ (tou)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 半島はんとう · hantō | peninsula |
| 列島れっとう · rettō | chain of islands |
| 無人島むじんとう · mujintō | uninhabited island |
しま (shima)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 島しま · shima | island |
| 島国しまぐに · shimaguni | island country |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 日本は島国だ。Nihon wa shimaguni da.Japan is an island country.
- 船で小さな島に渡った。Fune de chiisana shima ni watatta.We went over to a small island by boat.
- 日本列島は南北に長い。Nihon rettō wa nanboku ni nagai.The Japanese archipelago is long from north to south.
- 週末は半島の先まで車で行った。Shūmatsu wa hantō no saki made kuruma de itta.On the weekend, I drove to the tip of the peninsula.
- 無人島に一つだけ持っていくなら何にしますか。Mujintō ni hitotsu dake motte iku nara nani ni shimasu ka.If you could take only one thing to a desert island, what would it be?
Questions about 島
How many strokes does 島 have?
島 is written in 10 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 島?
The on readings are tou (トウ). The kun readings are shima (しま).
What JLPT level is 島?
N2. 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 N2 is designed to match the former Level 2.
More JLPT N2 kanji
Nature, weather and animals
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 島
- 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.