Readings: キョウ (Onyomi), はさ-む, はさ-まる, はざ-ま (Kunyomi)
Meaning: pinch, hold between, insert, sandwich
形声 (Keisei – Phono-semantic compound). The left part 手 (hand) indicates meaning, and the right part 夾 (kyō, originally meaning “to hold between” or “to hold under the arm”) indicates sound.
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 挟 (hasamu) is composed of 9 strokes. It begins with the 手 (hand) radical on the left, followed by the 夾 component on the right. Pay close attention to the order and direction of each stroke for proper writing.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 手 (て) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | Unassigned |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- キョウ (Kyou)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- はさむ (hasamu)
- はさまる (hasamaru)
- はざま (hazama)
Common Words Using 挟
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挟撃 | きょうげき | pincer attack |
| 挟持 | きょうじ | holding between |
| 挟間 | きょうかん | narrow interval (rare compound) |
| 挟雑 | きょうざつ | impurities (often written as 夾雑) |
| 挟隘 | きょうあい | narrowness, constriction |
| 挟制 | きょうせい | restriction, control (rare usage) |
| 挟小 | きょうしょう | small and narrow (rare usage) |
| 挟気 | きょうき | feeling oppressed (rare usage) |
| 挟束 | きょうそく | to bind, restrict (rare usage) |
| 挟攻 | きょうこう | pincer attack (variant of 挟撃) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挟む | はさむ | to hold between, to pinch, to put between |
| 挟まる | はさまる | to get caught in, to be caught between |
| 挟み撃ち | はさみうち | pincer movement, sandwich attack |
| 挟み込む | はさみこむ | to insert, to tuck in, to put between |
| 挟みつける | はさみつける | to pinch tightly |
| 挟間 | はざま | interval, space between, gorge, ravine |
| 口を挟む | くちをはさむ | to interrupt (literally “to insert one’s mouth”) |
| 間に挟む | あいだにはさむ | to put between, to interpose |
| 指を挟む | ゆびをはさむ | to pinch one’s finger |
| 疑問を挟む | ぎもんをはさむ | to interject a question, to harbor doubts |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 箸で食べ物を挟む。
Kana: はしでたべものにはさむ。
Romaji: Hashi de tabemono o hasamu.
English: I pick up food with chopsticks.
Japanese: ドアに指を挟んでしまった。
Kana: ドアにゆびをはさんでしまった。
Romaji: Doa ni yubi o hasande shimatta.
English: I accidentally pinched my finger in the door.
Japanese: 彼の発言に疑問を挟む余地はない。
Kana: かれのはつげんにぎもんをはさむよちはない。
Romaji: Kare no hatsugen ni gimon o hasamu yochi wa nai.
English: There’s no room to question his statement.
Japanese: 本の間にしおりを挟む。
Kana: ほんのあいだにしおりをはさむ。
Romaji: Hon no aida ni shiori o hasamu.
English: I put a bookmark between the pages of the book.
Japanese: 満員電車で体が挟まれた。
Kana: まんいんでんしゃでからだがはさまれた。
Romaji: Man’in densha de karada ga hasamareta.
English: My body was squeezed in the crowded train.
Japanese: 口を挟まないで！
Kana: くちをはさまないで！
Romaji: Kuchi o hasamanaide!
English: Don’t interrupt!
Japanese: この山には深い挟間がある。
Kana: このやまにはふかいはざまがある。
Romaji: Kono yama ni wa fukai hazama ga aru.
English: This mountain has deep ravines.
Japanese: 彼はいつも会話に冗談を挟む。
Kana: かれはいつもかいわにじょうだんをはさむ。
Romaji: Kare wa itsumo kaiwa ni jōdan o hasamu.
English: He always interjects jokes into the conversation.
Japanese: 敵を挟み撃ちにする作戦だ。
Kana: てきをはさみうちににするさくせんだ。
Romaji: Teki o hasamiuchi ni suru sakusen da.
English: It’s a strategy to launch a pincer attack on the enemy.
Japanese: ファイルに書類を挟んでください。
Kana: ファイルにしょるいをはさんでください。
Romaji: Fairu ni shorui o hasande kudasai.
English: Please put the documents in the file.
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