市 means “city, market”

し · shi

Also: town

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いち

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シ

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 2 · 5 strokes

The story

Originally a picture of a marketplace: where people gather to trade, the seed of every city. Japan has 792 市, each with its own character. From fishing towns to neon metropolises, every 市 began as a place where strangers met to exchange.

Used in 市場 (shijou, market) and 市民 (shimin, city residents)

More from Society & Government

• 町 town
• 村 village
• 会 meeting
• 社 company
• 官 government official
• 軍 army
• 公 public
• 私 private
• 世 world
• 界 world
• 国 country
• 王 king

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

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