英: the kanji for English and excellent
英 is a JLPT N4 kanji that means English, excellent. Below are its readings, 8 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
英 is written in 8 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
英 has 1 reading in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 8 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
エイ (ei)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 英語えいご · eigo | English |
| 英会話えいかいわ · eikaiwa | English conversation |
| 英国えいこく · eikoku | United Kingdom |
| 英文えいぶん · eibun | English text |
| 英字新聞えいじしんぶん · eiji shinbun | English-language newspaper |
| 英単語えいたんご · eitango | English word |
| 英雄えいゆう · eiyū | hero |
| 和英わえい · waei | Japanese-English |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 英語の資料もありますか。Eigo no shiryō mo arimasu ka.Do you also have materials in English?
- 会議は英語で行います。Kaigi wa Eigo de okonaimasu.The meeting will be held in English.
- 契約書の英文を確認してください。Keiyakusho no eibun o kakunin shite kudasai.Please check the English text of the contract.
- 和英辞典で言葉を調べました。Waei jiten de kotoba o shirabemashita.I looked up the word in a Japanese-English dictionary.
- 同僚に英会話を教えています。Dōryō ni eikaiwa o oshiete imasu.I teach English conversation to my coworkers.
- 駅で英字新聞を買いました。Eki de eiji shinbun o kaimashita.I bought an English-language newspaper at the station.
Questions about 英
How many strokes does 英 have?
英 is written in 8 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 英?
The on readings are ei (エイ). 英 has no kun reading in the Jōyō Kanji Table.
How do you ask if someone speaks English in Japanese?
Ask 英語を話せますか (Eigo o hanasemasu ka), "Can you speak English?" At a store or office, 英語が話せる方はいますか (Eigo ga hanaseru kata wa imasu ka) asks if anyone there speaks English.
What JLPT level is 英?
N4. 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 N4 is designed to match the former Level 3.
More JLPT N4 kanji
Study and thinking
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 英
- 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.