Kanji Study
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Kanji Information Sheet for 最 ( 
PDF version )
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| English: utmost most extreme | On-Yomi: サイ シュ | Kun-Yomi: もっと.も つま も |
Bushu (Radical) Info:
日 (にち) – sun
曰 (にち) – sun
日 (にち) – sun
曰 (にち) – sun
Henshall Mnemonic: take most sun when it's at its highest point
Levels: JLPT N3 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 4
Frequency: #82 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers
Frequency: #82 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers
Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:
Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.
JLPT N4 Words
- 最初 [さいしょ]
(adj-no,n-adv,n-t) beginning; outset; first; onset [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最近 [さいきん]
(adj-no,n-adv,n-t) latest; most recent; nowadays [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最後 [さいご]
(n) last; end; conclusion [K] [D] [Jisho]
JLPT N3 Words
- 最中 [さいちゅう]
(n-adv,n) in the middle of; height of; in course of; midst [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最低 [さいてい]
(adj-na,adv,n) (1) least; lowest; worst; (2) nasty; disgusting; horrible; yuck! [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最も [もっとも]
(adv) most; extremely [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最高 [さいこう]
(adj-na,n) highest; supreme; the most [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最終 [さいしゅう]
(n) last; final; closing [K] [D] [Jisho]
JLPT N1 Words
Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT
- 最終的 [さいしゅうてき]
(adj-na) finally [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最重点 [さいじゅうてん]
very important point [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最小 [さいしょう]
(n) smallest; least [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最小限 [さいしょうげん]
(n) minimum; lowest [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最少 [さいしょう]
(n) smallest; minimum; least [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最上 [さいじょう]
(adj-na,n) best [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最新 [さいしん]
(n) latest; newest [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最盛期 [さいせいき]
(n) golden age; best time for [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最先端 [さいせんたん]
(adj-no,n) ultra-fine [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最前線 [さいぜんせん]
(n) foremost line [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最前列 [さいぜんれつ]
front row [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最多 [さいた]
(n) the most [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最大 [さいだい]
(n) greatest; largest; maximum [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最大限 [さいだいげん]
(n) maximum [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最短 [さいたん]
(n) shortest [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最長 [さいちょう]
(n) the longest; the oldest [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最低限 [さいていげん]
(n) minimum [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最適 [さいてき]
(adj-na,n) optimum; the most suitable [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最年少 [さいねんしょう]
(adj-no) youngest [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最優遇 [さいゆうぐう]
most favourable treatment; very warm reception [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最良 [さいりょう]
(adj-na,n) the best; ideal [K] [D] [Jisho] - 真っ最中 [まっさいちゅう]
(n-adv,n) midst; middle of; height of [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最悪 [さいあく]
(adj-na,n) the worst [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最下 [さいか]
(adj-na,n) the lowest; the worst [K] [D] [Jisho] - 最寄り [もより]
(adj-no,n) nearest; neighbouring; nearby [K] [D] [Jisho]
Acknowledgments
The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.
The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.
Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.
The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.
If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.