性 means “nature, gender”

せい · sei

Also: sex

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

さが

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

セイ, ショウ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 5 · 8 strokes

The story

The heart (忄) you are born (生) with: your nature. 性格 is personality, 女性 and 男性 are woman and man, and on the end of a word 性 adds "-ness": 可能性 is possibility, 安全性 is safety.

Used in 女性 (josei, woman), 性格 (seikaku, personality), and 可能性 (kanousei, possibility)

More from Cause & Reason

• 的 target
• 要 need
• 直 straight
• 果 fruit
• 必 certain
• 無 nothing
• 常 usual
• 由 reason
• 例 example
• 然 so
• 限 limit
• 非 not

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

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