四 means “four”

し · shi

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

よ, よつ, よっつ, よん

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シ

JLPT N5 · Taught in grade 1 · 5 strokes

The story

Four seasons shape Japanese life: spring blossoms, summer festivals, autumn leaves, winter silence.

The sound "shi" also means death, so four is sometimes avoided in Japan

Its parts

• 囗 Enclosure · Enclosure
• 八 Eight/divide · Inside

An enclosed (囗) space divided (八): four

Words with 四

• 四角 (しかく, shikaku): square / rectangle

More from Ancient Counting

• 五 five
• 六 six
• 七 seven
• 八 eight
• 九 nine
• 十 ten
• 百 hundred
• 千 thousand
• 万 ten thousand
• 半 half
• 零 zero
• 数 number

Learn 四 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

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