独 means “alone, independent, Germany”

どく · doku

Also: single, spontaneously

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ひとり

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ドク, トク

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 5 · 9 strokes

The story

A dog (犭) beside 虫: the oldest dictionary notes that sheep keep to flocks but dogs go alone. 独 is being on your own: 独身 is single, 独り暮らし living by yourself, and in headlines 独 is short for Germany.

Used in 独身 (dokushin, single/unmarried), 独特 (dokutoku, unique/peculiar), and 独立 (dokuritsu, independence)

More from Apart & Together

• 離 separate
• 従 follow
• 伴 accompany
• 属 belong
• 併 combine
• 兼 double as
• 孤 solitary
• 唯 only
• 遇 meet
• 隔 separate
• 随 follow along
• 添 add

Learn 独 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.