Kanji 四 - four
Kanji 四 means four. Onyomi readings are シ (shi) . Kunyomi readings are よん (yon), よ (yo).
Stroke order animation (5 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 四
音On'yomi (音読み)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
四 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 四
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| four | yon | 四 | よん | |
| April | shigatsu | 四月 | しがつ |
More Information about 四
Common words with 四 (yon/shi)
- 四つ (yottsu)（よっつ）: four (general counter)
- 四人 (yonin)（よにん）: four people (note the special reading よにん (yonin), not しにん (shinin))
- 四月 (shigatsu)（しがつ）: April (onyomi し (shi))
- 四日 (yokka)（よっか）: the 4th day; four days
- 四角 (shikaku)（しかく）: square; quadrilateral
- 四季 (shiki)（しき）: the four seasons
Cultural note: why do some people avoid 4?
The reading し (shi) of 四 (shi) sounds like 死 (shi, death) in Japanese. Because of this, some hospitals, hotels, and apartments skip the 4th floor or room number 4, and people avoid gift sets of four. In daily life, よん (yon) is often preferred over し (shi).
Cultural/official form: what is 肆 (shi)?
In formal money writing, Japan sometimes uses special number forms (大字・だいじ (daiji)) to prevent tampering. The daiji for 四 (shi) is 肆 (shi). It’s complex and hard to alter, so it’s used on receipts, invoices, and contracts. Example: 肆万円 (yon man'en) (40,000 yen).
