The world’s fewest: A collection of one-stroke kanji. Learn them in a quiz format!
Kanji we’re familiar with in everyday life.
Among them, we’ve focused on the world’s simplest characters—those made with just one stroke.
As you’re reading this article, which kanji come to mind?
In addition to the kanji you commonly see, there are plenty of rare ones you hardly ever encounter.
We’ve put it together in a quiz format, so feel free to have fun while answering!
It might come in handy when you want to pose slightly nerdy questions, or you may find it useful somewhere down the line!
The world’s fewest: A collection of one-stroke kanji. Learn them in a quiz format!
one
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClbYjrsJcNl- one
- to
- One!
See the answer
one
I imagine many of you first thought of this kanji. Besides being a number, it also conveys the idea of something being first, order, or excellence. Truly a one and only.
dot
- smooch
- Tch
- cho
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smooch
As a mark that indicates the end of a sentence, it overlaps with the familiar period used in writing. However, its reading is unique... It's surprising that it exists independently as a kanji character!
|
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSv7Gvhhkxc- vertical
- kon
- sen
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kon
It carries the meaning of being connected to up and down, such as moving forward and backward. It’s like a vertical version of “one,” and very simple, isn’t it? It is not included in the official Kanji Proficiency Test allocations.
Good job
- Oh./Yep./Hey.
- Thanks for your hard work.
- Oh!
See the answer
Thanks for your hard work.
You sometimes see it as “A” and “B” (Kō and Otsu), or in family names, right? Besides meanings like youthfulness and beauty, it’s also used to convey a stylish, refined vibe, as in expressions like “an otsu kind of ___.”
乀
- to/toward
- normal
- Phew.
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normal
It looks similar to the character 乁, which is read as “i,” but here the first stroke rises diagonally to the right. It seems to depict a sweeping motion from the upper left to the lower right, as well as a curve.
The character ‘乁’ does not form a standard Japanese word by itself. It is a rare or archaic Chinese character, or a decorative symbol, and does not have a direct English translation.
- i
- topic marker 'wa'; is/as for
- and/or; such as; or (used to list examples)
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i
It has the meanings “to flow” and “to transfer.” Since it isn’t included in the Kanji Kentei allocations and also can’t be used in given names, it’s a character you rarely encounter.
vertical hook
- jay
- jo
- butt
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butt
It means a curved tool used for catching or hooking things. This character, which can also be read as “kagi” or “hanebō,” is not included in the Kanji Proficiency Test. It kind of looks like a letter of the alphabet, doesn’t it?
slash
- of
- hetsu
- Hey
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hetsu
This one ends up looking like the katakana character “ノ.” It seems to carry the meaning of a leftward sweep. It can also be read as “hechi.” Kanji really are profound, aren’t they?
The character shown is a variant/abbreviated form often used as a radical or shorthand in calligraphy, resembling the lower part of the kanji for “person” or used as a component. It does not have a standalone English translation.
- Oof
- woof
- Thanks for your hard work.
See the answer
Thanks for your hard work.
Also read as “itsu,” “in,” and “on.” It is said to share the same meaning as “otsu” and to carry the nuance of ‘to hide,’ as in the character “隠.”
In conclusion
I introduced the kanji with the fewest strokes in the world. Since they only have one stroke, there were inevitably not many of them, and many were characters you don’t usually see. I learned a lot myself. I’d be happy if this could serve as a small opportunity for you to appreciate the depth of kanji.