Japanese kanji 六: the number 6

The idea

六 has 4 strokes. Write the top dot, the horizontal, the left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke. Read the table aloud: the independent number is ろく, but the reading changes with the word. For example, 六月 is ろくがつ, while 六日 as a calendar date is むいか.

Examples

• 今いまは六時ろくじです。It is 6 o’clock now.
• りんごを六むっつ買かいます。I buy 6 apples.
• 店みせに六人ろくにんいます。There are 6 people in the shop.
• 今日きょうは六日むいかです。Today is the 6th of the month.
• 六月ろくがつに旅行りょこうします。I travel in June.
• 鉛筆えんぴつを六本ろっぽん使つかいます。I use 6 pencils.

Watch out

Do not guess every reading from the number alone: 六人 is ろくにん and 六本 is ろっぽん. Compare the shape of 六 with 八; check the source for stroke order.

Try it yourself

1. Write the number 6 as a kanji.

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   六

   The number 6 is written 六; compare its shape with 八.

2. Write the reading of day 6 of the month in hiragana.

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   むいか

   For the day of the month, 六日 is read むいか; it is a complete date word.

3. Write the reading for 6 people in hiragana.

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   ろくにん

   For people, 六人 is read ろくにん; learn the counter as a whole.

4. Write the reading for 6 pencils in hiragana.

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   ろっぽん

   For long objects, 六本 is read ろっぽん; 本 is the counter used for pencils.

Use it today

Write 六 three times in stroke order. Then say a date, a time and a quantity using this character; check each full reading in the table.