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Kanji Detail for 手 - "hand, arm"

手

  • Meaning

    手 means "hand, arm." Also associated with method.

    1. Hand - The wrist and the part beyond it.

    2. Arm - The part from the shoulder downward.

    3. To hold - To take in one's hand; to grasp.

    4. Personally - By oneself; with one's own hands.

    5. Expert - A person with excellent skill or ability.

    6. Method - A way of doing things; an approach.

    7. Direction - The way something faces; orientation.

    8. Penmanship - Writing style; how one writes.

    9. Relationship - Connections with people; bonds.

  • Words using 手

    • 大手 おおて Listen major company; big company; front castle gate
    • 投手 とうしゅ Listen pitcher
    • 相手 あいて Listen companion; partner; company
    • 選手 せんしゅ Listen player (of a sport); athlete; team member
    • 選手権 せんしゅけん Listen championship; title (of champion); championship game
    • 若手 わかて Listen young person
    • 手続き てつづき Listen procedure; process; proceedings
    • 手段 しゅだん Listen means; way; measure

  • Four-character idioms with 手

    • 常套手段 じょうとうしゅだん Listen one's habitual practice; usual measure; old trick
    • 手練手管 てれんてくだ Listen wiles; art of coaxing
    • 自分勝手 じぶんかって Listen selfishness; egotism; egoism
    • 仏心鬼手 ぶっしんきしゅ Listen compassionate ruthlessness; merciless scalpel of a merciful surgeon
    • 先手必勝 せんてひっしょう Listen victory goes to the one who makes the first move; being quick to take action leads to victory; the early bird gets the worm
    • 強硬手段 きょうこうしゅだん Listen tough measure; firm step; strong measure

  • Origin of 手

    A pictograph of the open hand — palm, five fingers spread. As a radical (扌) it reaches into hundreds of characters that grab, strike, push and hold.

    How to remember it: Five fingers open on one wrist — the hand, ready for all the verbs it powers.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 手

    • Verified meaning: hand, arm
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read たかで, たそめ, てさき, てざき)
    • Also carries these associations: method

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 手

    Surnames 手(たかで)Listen 手(たそめ)Listen 手(てさき)Listen 手(てざき)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    hand

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    hand

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    hand

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    The general name for the human upper limb. | People use hands for action, hence all action-related meanings are 手. Such as 入手, 下手, 藉手, 得手. | One skilled in a craft is 手. Such as 國手, 能手. | One practicing a craft is 手. Such as 畫手, 書手. | Something done personally is 手. Such as 手書, 手植.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    shu(シュ) シュ

    zu(ズ) ズ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    ta(た) た

    te(て) て

  • Strokes

    tip

    4 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    手 扌 (te・tehen)

  • Related Keywords

    hand arm method to hold direction expert penmanship personally relationship writing style dexterity finger gesture grasp grip manipulate manual palm sign language skill touch

Sentences including 手

  • You need not answer the letter.

  • Mr smith had his letter typed.

  • Do you think it will work?

  • If you will help me , we will soon finish.

  • She will cope with all the work.

  • I've never had such a large sum of money.

  • I helped my father water the flowers.

  • I am poor at tennis.

  • You have to have an operation.

  • She boasts that she can swim well.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 手 扌 (te・tehen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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