Explore 雑 in words for mixed things, noise and complexity. Learn each reading in a complete word.

The idea

雑 has 14 strokes; follow the linked diagram. Its common on-reading is ざつ, as in 雑音（ざつおん） and 複雑（ふくざつ）. Before し or か it can become ざっ, as in 雑誌（ざっし） and 雑貨（ざっか）.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
雑誌ざっしI bought a magazine at the station.
雑音ざつおんThere is a lot of noise in this room.
複雑ふくざつThis problem is complicated.
雑貨ざっかAssorted household goods are arranged on the desk.
雑ざつThe work looks careless.
雑談ざつだんWe chatted after the meeting.

Examples

  • 駅えきで雑誌ざっしを買かいました。I bought a magazine at the station.
  • この部屋へやには雑音ざつおんが多おおいです。There is a lot of noise in this room.
  • この問題もんだいは複雑ふくざつです。This problem is complicated.
  • 机つくえの上うえに雑貨ざっかが並ならんでいます。Assorted household goods are arranged on the desk.
  • 仕事しごとが雑ざつに見みえます。The work looks careless.
  • 会議かいぎの後あとで雑談ざつだんをしました。We chatted after the meeting.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

雑 can mean assorted or mixed, but 雑な work is careless; it does not simply mean miscellaneous. The small っ in 雑誌 marks a consonant pause.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 雑誌 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    ざっし

    雑誌 is ざっし: the small っ precedes し. The sentence describes buying a magazine.

  2. Write the reading of 雑音 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    ざつおん

    雑音 is ざつおん, with a full つ. It refers to unwanted noise in the room.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 複＿（ふくざつ）［雑／集］.

    Show answer or example answer

    雑

    雑 completes 複雑（ふくざつ）, meaning complicated; 集 does not form this word.

Use it today

Write 雑 with the diagram, cover the readings, and read 雑誌 and 雑音. Then make a sentence with 複雑.