Kanji 千 - thousand
Kanji 千 means thousand. Onyomi readings are セン (sen) . Kunyomi readings are ち (chi).
JLPT N5Grade 1
Stroke order animation (3 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 千
音On'yomi (音読み)
セン(sen)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
ち(chi)
千 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 千
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousand | sen | 千 | せん |
Common words containing the kanji 千
More Information about 千
Common words with 千 (sen)
- 千円 (sen'en)（せんえん）: 1,000 yen; 千円札 (sen'en satsu): 1,000-yen banknote
- 千年 (sennen)（せんねん）: a thousand years; 千年代 (sennendai): the 1st millennium
- 千里 (senri)（せんり）: a great distance; figuratively “far away”
- 千代 (chiyo)（ちよ）: long life; also a female given name
- 千羽鶴 (senbazuru)（せんばづる）: a thousand origami cranes
- 千客万来 (senkyaku banrai)（せんきゃくばんらい）: “customers come in great numbers” (set phrase; also an idiom below)
Pronunciation tips with 千 (sen)
In compounds, some numbers cause sound changes:
- 三千 (sanzen) → さんぜん (sanzen) (z-sound)
- 八千 (hassen) → はっせん (hassen) (small っ) Others are regular: 二千 (nisen)（にせん）, 四千 (yonsen)（よんせん）, 五千 (gosen)（ごせん）, 六千 (rokusen)（ろくせん）, 七千 (nanasen)（ななせん）, 九千 (kyūsen)（きゅうせん）.
Cultural notes: 千羽鶴 (senbazuru) and 千歳飴 (chitose ame)
- 千羽鶴 (senbazuru)（せんばづる）: People fold 1,000 cranes to pray for health, peace, or recovery; you may see them at shrines or memorials.
- 千歳飴 (chitose ame)（ちとせあめ）: Long, thin “thousand-year candy” given to children at 七五三 (shichigosan)（しちごさん） for long life and good luck.
Cultural/official form: what is 阡／仟 (sen)?
In formal money writing, Japanese sometimes use special number forms (大字・だいじ (daiji)) to prevent tampering. For 千 (sen), the daiji is 阡 (sen) (also seen as 仟 (sen)). These more complex forms are harder to alter than 千 (sen). Example: 阡万円 (sen man'en) (10,000,000 yen).
Idioms and expressions with 千 (sen)
- 千差万別 (sensa banbetsu)（せんさばんべつ）: all kinds; a great variety
- 千載一遇 (senzai ichigū)（せんざいいちぐう）: a once-in-a-thousand-years chance; a rare opportunity
- 千客万来 (senkyaku banrai)（せんきゃくばんらい）: many customers keep coming; thriving business
- 千里の道も一歩から (senri no michi mo ippo kara)（せんりのみちもいっぽから）: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
