This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

Readings

Kana: シ、さ.す、さ.さる、さ.し、さし、とげ
Romaji: shi, sa.su, sa.saru, sa.shi, sashi, toge
Kana
Romaji

Meanings

thorn, pierce, stab, prick, sting, calling card

Stroke Diagram

12345678

Kanji Info

Stroke Count:  8
Radical Number:  18
Frequency:  1031
Grade:  8
Skip Pattern:  1-6-2
Korean Reading:  cheog
Chinese Reading:  ci4
Unicode:  523a
JIS:  3B49

Indexes

Halpern Index: 1275
Nelson Index: 682
New Nelson Index: 480
Spahn Hadamitzky Index: 2f6.2
Four Corner Index: 5290.0
Guide to Remembering Index: 1314
Gakken Index: 954
Japanese Names Index: 654
Daikanwanjiten Index: 1969
Daikanwanjiten Index and Page: 2.0259
Remembering the kanji Index: 417
Kanji Flashcards Index: 360
Kodansha Compact Index: 192
Kanji in Context Index: 1319
1999 Kanji Learners Index: 855
2013 Kanji Learners Index: 1171
French Remembering the Kanji Index: 424
Remembering the Kanji 6th Index: 446
Essential Kanji Index: 1139
Kodansha Kanji Index: 1625
Roo 2001 Kanji Index: 1543
Tuttle Kanji Cards Index: 1154

Words

(とげ)
thorn; spine; prickle; splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone); biting words
刺激 (しげき)
stimulus; impetus; incentive; encouragement; motivation; provocation; excitement; thrill
刺客 (しかく、しきゃく)
assassin; to assassinate
入れ墨 (いれずみ、しせい、ぶんしん、げい)
tattoo
突き刺す (つきさす)
to stab; to pierce; to thrust
()
calling card
刺す (さす)
to pierce; to stab; to prick; to stick; to thrust; to sting; to bite; to sew; to stitch; to embroider; to pole (a boat); to catch (with a limed pole); to put (a runner) out; to pick off
風刺 (ふうし)
satire; irony; sarcasm
刺繍 (ししゅう)
embroidery
名刺 (めいし)
business card
Find More