親 means “parent”

おや · oya

Also: intimacy, relative, familiarity

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

おや, したしい, したしむ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シン

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 2 · 16 strokes

The story

Standing (立) on a tree (木) to see (見) far: a parent watches over their children from a height of experience. In Japanese culture, 親孝行 (oyakōkō, filial piety) is a deeply held virtue: honoring parents is honoring life itself.

Used in 両親 (ryoushin, both parents), 親切 (shinsetsu, kind), and 親友 (shin'yuu, close friend)

Where it comes from

Compound Ideographic (会意文字): Standing on a tree to see: watching over children.

The left side combines standing (立) on a tree (木), while the right side means seeing (見). A parent is someone who climbs high to keep watch over their family, a beautiful image of protective love.

To remember it: Standing (立) in a tree (木) to see (見) your children. That's a parent!

Words with 親

• 両親 (りょうしん, ryoushin): both parents
• 親切 (しんせつ, shinsetsu): kind / friendly

Example sentences

• 両親に手紙を書きました。 I wrote a letter to my parents.
• 親切な人に会いました。 I met a kind person.

More from Family & Home

• 弟 younger brother
• 妹 younger sister
• 夫 husband
• 妻 wife
• 孫 grandchild
• 婚 marriage
• 育 raise
• 戸 door
• 寝 sleep
• 窓 window
• 屋 roof
• 床 floor

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

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