串 means “skewer”

くし · kushi

Also: spit

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

くし, つらぬく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カン, ケン, セン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 7 strokes

The story

Two pieces threaded on a stick: 串 looks just like what it is, a skewer. 串 holds 焼き鳥 and 串カツ, and at Osaka's 串カツ counters a sign warns 二度漬け禁止, no double-dipping in the shared sauce.

Used in 串 (kushi, skewer), 串カツ (kushikatsu, fried skewers), and 串焼き (kushiyaki, grilled skewers)

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