Readings: シュウ (Onyomi), あつ.める, あつ.まる, つど.う (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Gather, Collect, Assemble
The kanji 集 (shū) is a phono-semantic compound. It is composed of 隹 (sui), meaning “bird,” and 木 (moku), meaning “tree.” The original meaning was “birds gathering on a tree,” which evolved to mean “gather” or “collect.”
View JLPT N4 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 集 has 12 strokes. It is composed of the radical 木 (tree) on top and 隹 (bird) at the bottom. First, write the four strokes of 木 (horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling). Then, write the eight strokes of 隹, starting with the vertical stroke on the left, followed by the horizontal, the left-falling stroke, the right-falling hook, and finally the four small strokes at the bottom representing the bird’s feet/tail.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 隹 (ふるとり) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 12 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
| Grade | 3 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- シュウ (Shū)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- あつ.める (atsu.meru)
- あつ.まる (atsu.maru)
- つど.う (tsudo.u)
Common Words Using 集
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 集中 | しゅうちゅう | concentration |
| 収集 | しゅうしゅう | collection |
| 集団 | しゅうだん | group |
| 集合 | しゅうごう | gathering, assembly |
| 集計 | しゅうけい | tabulation, totalization |
| 編集 | へんしゅう | editing |
| 募集 | ぼしゅう | recruitment |
| 特集 | とくしゅう | feature (article) |
| 集会 | しゅうかい | meeting, assembly |
| 密集 | みっしゅう | density, close-packed |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 集める | あつめる | to collect (transitive) |
| 集まる | あつまる | to gather (intransitive) |
| 集まり | あつまり | gathering, collection (noun) |
| 集い | つどい | gathering, assembly (noun) |
| 人集り | ひとだかり | crowd of people |
| 落ち葉集め | おちばあつめ | fallen leaf gathering |
| 情報の集め方 | じょうほうのあつめかた | how to gather information |
| 掻き集める | かきあつめる | to scrape together, rake together |
| 集めやすい | あつめやすい | easy to collect |
| 集められる | あつめられる | can be collected |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 本を集めるのが好きです。
Kana: ほんをあつめるのがすきです。
Romaji: Hon o atsumeru no ga suki desu.
English: I like collecting books.
Japanese: 駅前に人がたくさん集まっています。
Kana: えきまえにひとがたくさんあつまっています。
Romaji: Ekimae ni hito ga takusan atsumatte imasu.
English: Many people are gathering in front of the station.
Japanese: 今度の集会はどこですか。
Kana: こんどのしゅうかいはどこですか。
Romaji: Kondo no shūkai wa doko desu ka.
English: Where is the next meeting?
Japanese: 彼は資料を集中して読んでいます。
Kana: かれはしりょうをしゅうちゅうしてよんでいます。
Romaji: Kare wa shiryō o shūchū shite yonde imasu.
English: He is concentrating on reading the materials.
Japanese: みんなで公園に集まろう。
Kana: みんなでこうえんにあつまろう。
Romaji: Minna de kōen ni atsumarō.
English: Let’s all gather in the park.
Japanese: 趣味は切手収集です。
Kana: しゅみはきってしゅうしゅうです。
Romaji: Shumi wa kitte shūshū desu.
English: My hobby is stamp collecting.
Japanese: ゴミはここに集めてください。
Kana: ごみはここにまとめてください。
Romaji: Gomi wa koko ni atsumete kudasai.
English: Please gather the trash here.
Japanese: 学生たちは図書館に集合した。
Kana: がくせいとしょかんにしゅうごうした。
Romaji: Gakusei-tachi wa toshokan ni shūgō shita.
English: The students assembled at the library.
Japanese: この本は色々な国の民話を集めたものです。
Kana: このほんはいろいろなくにのみんわをあつめたものです。
Romaji: Kono hon wa iroiro na kuni no minwa o atsumeta mono desu.
English: This book is a collection of folk tales from various countries.
Japanese: イベントの参加者を募集しています。
Kana: イベントのさんかしゃをぼしゅうしています。
Romaji: Ivento no sankasha o boshū shite imasu.
English: We are recruiting participants for the event.
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