Japanese kanji 隅: corners and every nook

The idea

隅 has 12 strokes; follow the linked diagram. Read 隅 as すみ and 隅々 as すみずみ. The repetition mark 々 repeats the preceding kanji; the second reading is voiced.

Examples

• 部屋へやの隅すみに机つくえを置おきました。I put a desk in the corner of the room.
• 猫ねこが庭にわの隅すみで寝ねています。A cat is sleeping in a corner of the garden.
• 紙かみの隅すみに名前なまえを書かいてください。Please write your name in the corner of the paper.
• 隅々すみずみまで丁寧ていねいに掃除そうじしました。I cleaned carefully into every corner.
• 心こころの隅すみにその言葉ことばが残のこっています。Those words remain in a corner of my heart.
• 彼女かのじょは教室きょうしつの隅すみに座すわっています。She is sitting in a corner of the classroom.

Watch out

隅 is a corner or nook, while 角（かど） often refers to an angle or a street corner. In 心の隅 the corner is figurative.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 隅 in hiragana.

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   すみ

   隅 is すみ: 部屋の隅 is a corner of a room.

2. Write the reading of 隅々 in hiragana.

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   すみずみ

   隅々 is すみずみ; the repeated reading becomes voiced and means every nook.

3. Choose the missing kanji: 部屋の＿（すみ）［隅／偶］.

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   隅

   隅 completes 部屋の隅, a corner of the room. 偶 is a different character.

Use it today

Write 隅 using the diagram, then cover the table and make a sentence with 隅々まで.