Readings: シン (Onyomi), から.い, つら.い (Kunyomi)
Meaning: spicy, hot; bitter, harsh, painful
The character 辛 (shīn) is an ideogram depicting a tattooing or cutting tool, possibly a chisel or needle, used in ancient China for marking criminals or slaves. This association with punishment and hardship gave rise to its meanings of ‘bitter’, ‘painful’, ‘harsh’, and by extension, ‘spicy’ (referring to a burning sensation).
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 辛 is written with 7 strokes. It starts with two vertical strokes, followed by a horizontal, then a cross, and finally the bottom horizontal stroke. Imagine a cross on top of a “立” like shape. The stroke order is generally top-to-bottom, left-to-right.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 辛 (からい) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 7 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | S |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- シン (SHIN)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- からい (karai)
- つらい (tsurai)
Common Words Using 辛
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辛抱 | しんぼう | patience, perseverance |
| 辛口 | しんくち | dry (sake/wine), outspoken (criticism) |
| 辛辣 | しんらつ | biting, sharp, severe (criticism, words) |
| 辛勝 | しんしょう | narrow victory |
| 辛党 | しんとう | person who likes salty/spicy food or alcohol |
| 辛酸 | しんさん | hardships, bitter experience |
| 辛抱強い | しんぼうづよい | patient, persevering |
| 辛気臭い | しんきくさい | gloomy, depressing, tiresome |
| 辛労 | しんろう | toil, hardships |
| 辛抱する | しんぼうする | to endure, to bear |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辛い | からい | spicy, hot (taste) |
| 辛い | つらい | painful, bitter, hard (experience/feeling) |
| 辛うじて | かろうじて | barely, narrowly, with difficulty |
| 辛み | からみ | spiciness, pungency (noun) |
| 辛さ | からさ | spiciness, pain, bitterness (noun) |
| 辛口 | からくち | dry (sake/wine), salty (food), plain, outspoken |
| 辛い思い | つらいおもい | bitter feelings/thoughts |
| 辛い経験 | つらいけいけん | painful experience |
| 辛い仕事 | つらいしごと | hard/tough work |
| 辛い言葉 | つらいことば | harsh words |
Example Sentences
Japanese: このカレーはとても辛いです。
Kana: このカレーはとてもからいです。
Romaji: Kono karee wa totemo karai desu.
English: This curry is very spicy.
Japanese: 失恋は本当に辛い経験でした。
Kana: しつれんはほんとうにつらいけいけんでした。
Romaji: Shitsuren wa hontou ni tsurai keiken deshita.
English: Heartbreak was truly a painful experience.
Japanese: 彼はどんな困難にも辛抱強く耐える人だ。
Kana: かれはどんなこんなんにもしんぼうづよくたえるひとだ。
Romaji: Kare wa donna konnan ni mo shinbouzuyoku taeru hito da.
English: He is a person who patiently endures any difficulty.
Japanese: その批評は彼にとって辛辣すぎた。
Kana: そのひひょうはかれにとってしんらつすぎた。
Romaji: Sono hihyou wa kare ni totte shinratsu sugita.
English: That criticism was too harsh for him.
Japanese: 練習は辛かったが、優勝できてよかった。
Kana: れんしゅうはつらかったが、ゆうしょうできてよかった。
Romaji: Renshuu wa tsurakatta ga, yuushou dekite yokatta.
English: Practice was tough, but it was good to win the championship.
Japanese: 私は辛いものが大好きです。
Kana: わたしはからいものがだいすきです。
Romaji: Watashi wa karai mono ga daisuki desu.
English: I love spicy food.
Japanese: 辛党なので、甘いデザートよりお酒が好きです。
Kana: しんとうなので、あまいデザートよりおさけがすきです。
Romaji: Shintou nano de, amai dezaato yori osake ga suki desu.
English: Since I prefer dry/salty things, I like alcohol more than sweet desserts.
Japanese: 彼女は辛うじて試験に合格した。
Kana: かのじょはかろうじてしけんにごうかくした。
Romaji: Kanojo wa karoujite shiken ni goukaku shita.
English: She barely passed the exam.
Japanese: このビールは辛口で、食事によく合う。
Kana: このビールはからくちで、しょくじによくあう。
Romaji: Kono biiru wa karakuchi de, shokuji ni yoku au.
English: This beer is dry and goes well with meals.
Japanese: 辛酸をなめるような経験を経て、彼は成長した。
Kana: しんさんをなめるようなけいけんをへて、かれはせいちょうした。
Romaji: Shinsan o nameru you na keiken o hete, kare wa seichou shita.
English: He grew through experiencing such hardships.
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