water
On'yomi (音読み)
- スイ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- みず
About this kanji
The kanji 水 means "water" in Japanese, representing something essential for life. It's typically used as a noun, but you may encounter it in verb forms as well, like when talking about drinking or using water. Some common compounds include 水曜日 (すいようび), which means "Wednesday," literally translating to "water day"; 水着 (みずぎ), meaning "swimsuit"; and 飲水 (いんすい), which refers to "drinking water." A fun usage note is that the word for water, みず (mizu), is used widely in everyday conversation, making it one of the first words you might learn as you start your Japanese journey.
Example sentences
水をください。
Please give me water.
Meanings across languages
- English
- water
- Tiếng Việt
- nước
- 日本語
- 水
- 한국어
- 물
- 中文
- 水
- id
- air
- th
- น้ำ
- es
- agua
- fr
- eau
- de
- Wasser
- pt
- água
Common compounds
- 水曜日Wednesday
- 水着swimsuit
- 飲水drinking water
Words using this kanji
Related articles
JLPT N5 Kanji List: All ~100 Characters You Need to Pass
The JLPT N5 tests around 100 kanji. Here's the full list by theme — numbers, time, people, directions — with the readings each appears with on the exam.
Kanji Stroke Order: The 8 Rules That Cover Almost Everything
Stroke order isn't arbitrary — it follows a small set of rules. Learn the 8 core principles and you can write almost any kanji correctly the first time.
Elemental Kanji: Water 水, Fire 火, Earth 土, Wood 木, Metal 金
The five elemental kanji also name the days of the week and dozens of everyday words. Learn 水火土木金 with readings and the words they unlock.
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.