Back to dictionary
JLPT N16画 · 6 strokesradical 肉freq #1559

texture, skin, body, grain

On'yomi (音読み)

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • はだ

Mnemonic

Imagine a smooth skin texture like fine grain sand, with the radical 肉 symbolizing the softness of the body beneath.

About this kanji

The kanji 肌 (はだ) primarily means "skin" and refers to the texture and surface of the body. It is commonly used as a noun, and you will see it in various compounds like 肌色 (はだいろ), which means "flesh color"; 肌着 (はだぎ), meaning "underwear"; and 素肌 (すはだ), translating to "bare skin." These words reflect its focus on the body's surface and texture. A usage note: 肌 can also refer to things like the surface of a mountain, as in 山肌 (やまはだ), emphasizing its versatile meaning. This kanji is essential for discussing health and beauty in Japanese.

Example sentences

  • 彼女の肌は美しく輝いている。

    Her skin is beautiful and radiant.

Meanings across languages

English
texture, skin, body, grain
Tiếng Việt
kết cấu
日本語
한국어
피부
中文
肌肤
id
tekstur
th
เนื้อสัมผัส
es
textura
fr
texture
de
Textur
pt
textura

Common compounds

  • 肌色はだいろflesh colour (of a Japanese person), flesh color, pale orange
  • 肌着はだぎunderwear, underclothes, lingerie
  • 山肌やまはだmountain's surface, bare surface of a mountain
  • 素肌すはだbare skin, naked skin
  • 地肌じはだtexture, grain, one's skin (lacking makeup, etc.)
  • 肌身はだみbody
  • 岩肌いわはだbare rock, rock surface, rock face
  • 肌合いはだあいdisposition, temperament, turn of mind

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.