人 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
人 simply means "person" / "people". It's a pictograph of a human standing with legs apart, and you'll see it absolutely everywhere — in nationalities (アメリカ人 "an American"), in counting people (三人 "three people"), and standing alone as the plain noun 人 "a person." Whenever you spot 人 in a word, you can safely bet it has something to do with people.
The catch with 人 is that it has three common readings, and which one you use depends on the job the kanji is doing. The good news is that the patterns are very regular once you've seen them a few times.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | ひと | 人 (a person), 人々 (people) |
| on'yomi | ジン | 日本人 (Japanese person), アメリカ人 (American) |
| on'yomi | ニン | 三人 (three people), 何人 (how many people) |
Here's the rule of thumb for 人:
- ひと (kun) when the kanji stands alone as the plain word for "a person."
- ジン (on) for nationalities and types of people — attach it to a country or category: 日本人, アメリカ人, 外国人 ("foreigner").
- ニン (on) for counting people: 三人, 四人, 五人, 何人 ("how many people").
So the same kanji is ジン in 日本人 but ニン in 三人 — the meaning ("person") never changes, only the reading.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 2. Write the long left-falling stroke first (top to bottom-left), then the right-falling stroke that leans against it. Two strokes, and you're done.
- Radical: 人 is its own radical, the "person" radical (ひと). On the left side of other kanji it gets squished into the form 亻 (called ninben) — which is your clue that those kanji relate to people. You'll see it in 休 (to rest — a person 亻 leaning on a tree 木) and 何 (what), among many others.
Recognizing that radical is genuinely useful: meet a new kanji with 亻 on the left and you can already guess it has something to do with people.
Common words using 人
Watch out for three irregular readings hiding in this list. 一人 (ひとり) "one person" and 二人 (ふたり) "two people" do not follow the ニン counting pattern — they're special readings you simply memorize. And 大人 (おとな) "adult" is read in a way you can't predict from either 大 or 人 at all; it's what's called a jukujikgo, a reading attached to the whole word. From 三人 onward, though, counting people switches back to the regular ニン: 三人 (さんにん), 四人 (よにん), 五人 (ごにん).
Example sentences
あの人はヤッタンの先生です。
あの ひとは ヤッタンの せんせいです。
That person is Yattan's teacher.
人 standing alone — the kun'yomi ひと reading.
ヤッタンは日本人で、モチもそうです。
ヤッタンは にほんじんで、モチも そうです。
Yattan is Japanese, and so is Mochi.
日本人 — the on'yomi ジン for a nationality.
弟と先生とヤッタンの三人で食堂に行きました。
おとうとと せんせいと ヤッタンの さんにんで しょくどうに いきました。
The three of them — my little brother, the teacher, and Yattan — went to the cafeteria.
三人 — the on'yomi ニン for counting people.
Quick recap
- 人 = person; just 2 strokes; it's the "person" radical itself.
- ひと alone (人); ジン for nationalities/types (日本人); ニン for counting (三人).
- Memorize the irregulars: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), and 大人 (おとな).
- The squished radical 亻 (ninben) on a kanji's left hints "person" — as in 休 and 何.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 人 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
When is 人 read ジン and when is it ニン?
Use ジン for nationalities and types of people (日本人 = にほんじん, 'Japanese person'). Use ニン for counting people (三人 = さんにん, 'three people'). The meaning is the same — only the reading changes.
Why are 一人 and 二人 read ひとり and ふたり?
These two are irregular special readings you just memorize. They don't follow the ニン counting pattern. From three onward it returns to normal: 三人 = さんにん, 四人 = よにん.
How many strokes does 人 have?
人 has just 2 strokes: the left-falling stroke first, then the right-falling stroke. It's also the 'person' radical, which appears as 亻 (ninben) on the left of kanji like 休 (rest) and 何 (what).
How do you read 大人?
大人 ('adult') is read おとな — an irregular reading attached to the whole word, not predictable from 大 or 人 individually. It's one to memorize as a unit.