Japanese kanji 者: person; someone

The idea

Kanji may have native Japanese readings (kun) and readings borrowed through Chinese (on); learn a reading with its word. Learn complete words: 医者 (いしゃ) means a doctor, and 若者 (わかもの) means a young person. 者 has 8 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Examples

• 私わたしの母ははは医者いしゃです。My mother is a doctor.
• 医者いしゃに体からだのことを相談そうだんします。I consult a doctor about my health.
• 町まちの若者わかものが駅えきに集あつまりました。The town’s young people gathered at the station.
• あの若者わかものはよく走はしります。That young person often runs.
• 姉あねは大学だいがくで学者がくしゃとして働はたらいています。My older sister works as a scholar at a university.
• その学者がくしゃは日本にほんの歴史れきしを研究けんきゅうしています。That scholar studies Japanese history.

Watch out

者 often forms words for a kind of person; 若者 is read わかもの, not with しゃ. Do not guess a word’s reading or meaning from the character alone: compare 医者 and 若者. Also compare the shapes of 者 and 著; they are different characters. Compare the components: 者／著：艹＋者.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 医者 in hiragana.

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   いしゃ

   医者 is read いしゃ and means a doctor.

2. Write the reading of 若者 in hiragana.

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   わかもの

   若者 is read わかもの and means a young person.

3. Fill in the missing kanji: 学＿（がくしゃ）.

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   者

   者 completes 学者, read がくしゃ; the word means a scholar.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 者 from memory, read 医者 and 若者 aloud, and make a sentence with one of them.