街: the kanji for street; town
街 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means street; town. Below are its readings, 6 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
街 is written in 12 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
街 has 3 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 6 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
ガイ (gai)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 商店街しょうてんがい · shōtengai | shopping street |
| 街頭がいとう · gaitō | street; on the street |
| 住宅街じゅうたくがい · jūtakugai | residential area |
カイ (kai)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 街道かいどう · kaidō | highway; old road |
まち (machi)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 街まち · machi | town; streets |
| 街角まちかど · machikado | street corner |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 駅前の商店街で買い物をした。Ekimae no shōtengai de kaimono o shita.I went shopping on the street in front of the station.
- 街頭でインタビューを受けた。Gaitō de intabyū o uketa.I was interviewed on the street.
- 古い街道を歩いた。Furui kaidō o aruita.I walked along an old highway.
- 夜の街はにぎやかだ。Yoru no machi wa nigiyaka da.The town is lively at night.
- 街角で昔の友達に会った。Machikado de mukashi no tomodachi ni atta.I ran into an old friend on a street corner.
Questions about 街
How many strokes does 街 have?
街 is written in 12 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 街?
The on readings are gai (ガイ), kai (カイ). The kun readings are machi (まち).
What JLPT level is 街?
N1. 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 N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.
More JLPT N1 kanji
Places, land and buildings
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 街
- 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.