seven

About this kanji

The kanji 「七」 means "seven" in English. It is primarily used as a number, appearing in both its native Japanese and Sino-Japanese readings. You’ll often see it in compounds like 十七 (じゅうなな), which means "seventeen"; 七夕 (たなばた), referring to the Star Festival celebrated in July or August; and 七つ (ななつ), simply meaning "seven" when counting objects. Another interesting use is in 七七日 (しちしちにち), which represents the 49th day after someone’s death, a significant day in Japanese mourning customs. Keep in mind that in everyday conversation, it's common to use it to count items or describe quantities.

Example sentences

• 七夕は日本の伝統的な行事です。

  Tanabata is a traditional Japanese event.

Meanings across languages

English

seven

Tiếng Việt

bảy

日本語

七

한국어

칠

中文

七

id

tujuh

th

เจ็ด

es

siete

fr

sept

de

sieben

pt

sete

Common compounds

• 十七じゅうななseventeen, 17
• 七七日しちしちにち49th day after death
• 七つななつseven, seven years of age, four o'clock (old time system)
• 七夕たなばたStar Festival (held in July or August), Tanabata, Festival of the Weaver
• 二七日ふたなぬかsecond week's memorial services
• 七草ななくさthe seven spring flowers, the seven fall flowers, the seven autumn flowers
• 七宝しっぽうthe seven treasures (gold, silver, pearls, agate, crystal, coral, lapis lazuli), cloisonne ware, shippō pattern (of overlapping circles)
• 七色なないろseven colours (of the rainbow), prismatic colors, blend of seven spices (cayenne, sesame, Japanese pepper, citrus peel, etc.)