井 means “well”

い · i

Also: well crib, town, community

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

い

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

セイ, ショウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 4 · 4 strokes

The story

Four logs laid in a square: the wooden frame around a well's mouth, seen from above. 井戸 is a well and 天井 the ceiling, 井 fills surnames like 井上 and 石井, and 市井, market and well, means ordinary street life.

Used in 井戸 (ido, well), 天井 (tenjou, ceiling), and 市井 (shisei, the streets/ordinary people)

More from Streams & Springs

• 漏 leak
• 没 sink
• 浸 soak
• 滝 waterfall
• 潤 moisten
• 堤 embankment
• 澄 become clear
• 溝 ditch
• 渦 whirlpool
• 泡 bubble
• 濁 muddy
• 渇 thirst

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

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