four

About this kanji

The kanji 四, pronounced as "shi" or "yon," means "four" in English. It is primarily used as a number in both spoken and written Japanese. You’ll see it appear in various compounds like 四月 (shigatsu), which means "April," 四人 (yonin), meaning "four people," and 四角 (shikaku), which translates to "square." Additionally, in casual conversation, you can use 四つ (yottsu) to refer to four things. A cultural note is that in some contexts, particularly when counting, you might hear "shishi" for four, but note that this term can have a negative connotation, so it’s often better to use "yon" instead.

Example sentences

• 四つのリンゴがあります。

  There are four apples.

Meanings across languages

English

four

Tiếng Việt

bốn

日本語

四

한국어

네

中文

四

id

empat

th

สี่

es

cuatro

fr

quatre

de

vier

pt

quatro

Common compounds

• 四月しがつApril
• 四人よにんfour people
• 四角しかくsquare, quadrilateral
• 四つよっつfour (things)