๐ Meaning & Origin
The ๆ radical is a pictogram of an open hand with five fingers. As the variant ๆ on the left side of kanji, it signals hand-related actions: holding, throwing, operating, or manipulating.
๐ Kanji by JLPT Level
โ๏ธ Where it appears & how it changes shape
ๆ stands alone, but on the left it becomes ๆ, called ใฆใธใ. This side form is everywhere in verbs: ๆ, ๆ, ๆผ, ๆ, ๆ, ๆ, ๆพ, ๆข. Learning to see ๆ instantly is one of the fastest wins available in kanji study.
๐ Don't confuse it with
Almost identical to ๆ at a glance, but it is a standalone kanji meaning talent or age (ไธๆ). The difference is the angle and length of the final stroke.
Also a three-to-four stroke shape on the left. ๆ has a hook on the vertical stroke; ๆจ does not.
๐ Beyond N5 โ what comes next
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๆ | ใ / ใใค | to hold, to have | N4 |
| ๆ | ใ / ใใค | to hit, to strike | N3 |
| ๆ | ใ / ใใณ | finger, to point | N3 |
| ๆผ | ใใ / ใใ | to push | N3 |
JLPT does not publish official kanji lists by level. These levels follow the commonly used reference lists and are a guide, not a guarantee.
๐ฃ๏ธ Words you will actually meet
Irregular. Note it is a na-adjective: ไธๆใช.
Also irregular, and also a na-adjective.
๐ฏ How to use this radical in JLPT study
ใฆใธใ marks physical actions performed with the hands, which in practice means it marks verbs. If a kanji you do not know carries ๆ and appears with ใ in a sentence, treating it as 'do something to this object by hand' will usually get you close enough to answer a reading question.
โ ๏ธ The mistake I see most often
Learning ๆ as an isolated kanji and never connecting it to ๆ. Learners who make that connection late find that a whole block of N3 verbs suddenly becomes readable at once.
๐ Quick Recognition Test: ๆ vs ๆ vs ๆจ
All three can appear as a compact three-to-four stroke shape on the left of a kanji, and mixing them up is one of the most common radical-recognition slips. ๆ (from ๆ) has a distinct hook at the bottom of its vertical stroke, since it is a compressed hand with fingers. ๆ is a standalone kanji in its own right (meaning talent, or used for counting age: ไธๆ), and the giveaway is the angle and length of its final stroke rather than a hook. ๆจ is the widest of the three, keeping its tree-like cross shape even when compressed on the left.
A fast way to check yourself: cover the rest of the kanji and look only at the left component. If it has a clear hook, guess ๆ and expect a hand-related verb. If it looks like a tidy standalone character on its own, it is more likely ๆ. If it still resembles a small tree, it is ๆจ.
๐ก Teacher's Memory Tip
Five fingers of a hand. When you see ๆ on the left side of a kanji, think 'someone is doing something with their hands.' Almost all ๆ kanji are action verbs.
โ Frequently Asked Questions
The ๆ radical means 'hand.' As the ๆ variant, it appears in dozens of action verbs, because hands are how we interact with the world.
N5 kanji: ๆ (hand). As you advance to N4/N3, you'll encounter ๆ (hold), ๆ (finger/point), ๆ (strike) and many more action verbs with ๆ.
Imagine a hand reaching out. The ๆ variant looks like a simplified hand. Whenever you see it on the left, think: 'a hand is doing this action.'
Other N5 Radicals
Practice ใๆใ kanji with AI
Nihongo Pass uses spaced repetition to help you master all N5 kanji.