若 means “young”

わかい · wakai

Also: if, perhaps, possibly

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

わかい, わか-, もしくわ, もし, もしくは

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ジャク, ニャク, ニャ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 6 · 8 strokes

The story

Grass (艹) above a right hand (右): picture a hand reaching for the first green shoots of spring. 若い means young, 若者 are young people, and the green and yellow 若葉 mark, "young leaf", is the sticker every new driver in Japan must display.

Used in 若い (wakai, young), 若者 (wakamono, young people), and 若葉 (wakaba, fresh leaves)

More from Life & Breath

• 命 life
• 亡 pass away
• 老 old age
• 抱 hug
• 息 breath
• 吸 inhale
• 祖 ancestor
• 腹 belly
• 眠 sleep
• 活 lively
• 歳 age
• 身 body

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