茨: the kanji for briar; thorn
茨 is a Jōyō kanji that means briar; thorn. Below are its readings, 3 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
茨 is written in 9 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
茨 has 1 reading in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 3 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
いばら (ibara)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 茨いばら · ibara | thorny bush; briar |
| 茨の道いばらのみち · ibara no michi | a hard road (lit. thorny path) |
| 茨城県いばらきけん · Ibaraki-ken | Ibaraki Prefecture |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 茨城県は東京の北にあります。Ibaraki-ken wa Tōkyō no kita ni arimasu.Ibaraki Prefecture is north of Tokyo.
- 夢への道は茨の道だった。Yume e no michi wa ibara no michi datta.The road to my dream was a hard one.
- 庭の茨に服が引っかかった。Niwa no ibara ni fuku ga hikkakatta.My clothes got caught on the briars in the garden.
- 週末に茨城の海へ行きました。Shūmatsu ni Ibaraki no umi e ikimashita.I went to the sea in Ibaraki on the weekend.
- 茨城県の納豆は有名です。Ibaraki-ken no nattō wa yūmei desu.Natto from Ibaraki Prefecture is famous.
Questions about 茨
How many strokes does 茨 have?
茨 is written in 9 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 茨?
茨 has no on reading in the Jōyō Kanji Table. The kun readings are ibara (いばら).
What JLPT level is 茨?
茨 is a Jōyō kanji, but it is not in the N5–N1 kanji lists on this site. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so other study materials may place 茨 at a JLPT level.
About the JLPT level
茨 is one of the 2,136 kanji in the official Jōyō Kanji Table, but it is not in the N5–N1 kanji lists on this site. The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. Our lists are a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009 and on the levels that several learning sites agree on, so other study materials may place 茨 at a JLPT level. See the list of Jōyō kanji outside our JLPT lists.
More Jōyō kanji
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Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 茨
- 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.