生 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
At its core, 生 is about life and being alive — being born, living, growing. From that one idea, the meaning branches out in a few directions: it can mean birth (生まれる, "to be born"), living / a way of life (生活, "daily life"), and even raw or fresh (生, なま, as in 生ビール "draft beer"). The thread connecting all of them is "fresh, living, not yet processed."
Because life touches everything, 生 shows up in a huge range of words — from the very first you'll learn (学生 "student," 先生 "teacher") to everyday ones (生活 "living," 生まれる "to be born"). Whenever you spot it, think "life / fresh / raw" and you'll usually land near the right meaning.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| on'yomi | セイ | 学生 (student), 先生 (teacher), 生活 (daily life) |
| on'yomi | ショウ | 一生 (いっしょう, a whole life), 誕生日 (たんじょうび, birthday) |
| kun'yomi | い.きる | 生きる (to live) |
| kun'yomi | う.まれる | 生まれる (to be born) |
| kun'yomi | なま | 生 (raw / fresh), 生ビール (draft beer) |
Here's the honest truth: 生 has so many readings that even Japanese learners treat it as a special case. The usual "compounds take on'yomi, standalone takes kun'yomi" rule still helps — compounds like 学生 and 生活 use セイ, while standalone verbs like 生きる and 生まれる use the kun readings. But you'll just have to memorize the trickier ones (なま for "raw," ショウ in 誕生日) word by word. Don't be discouraged — these are all extremely common words, so they stick fast with a little practice.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 5, written top to bottom. Start with the slanting top stroke, then the horizontal lines, finishing with the long bottom horizontal that anchors the whole character.
- Radical: 生 is its own radical, the "life" radical (うまれる). It's a clean, simple shape that also works as a building block in other kanji like 性 (nature/gender) and 星 (star) — both of which borrow the セイ sound from 生.
Because 生 is so simple and so frequent, it's worth practicing until you can write it smoothly from memory — you'll be writing it constantly.
Common words using 生
Look at the reading split in action: the compounds 学生, 先生, and 生活 all take セイ, while the standalone verbs 生きる and 生まれる use their kun readings — and 生 on its own as "raw" is the special なま. Three different reading types in one little kanji!
Example sentences
ヤッタンは大学の学生です。
ヤッタンは だいがくの がくせいです。
Yattan is a university student.
学生 — the on'yomi セイ reading, used in a compound.
ヤッタンの弟は春に生まれました。
ヤッタンの おとうとは はるに うまれました。
Yattan's little brother was born in spring.
生まれる — the kun'yomi う.まれる reading.
先生は「これは生のお魚ですよ」と言いました。
せんせいは「これは なまの おさかなですよ」と いいました。
Sensei said, This is raw fish.
Two readings here: 先生 (セイ) and 生 (なま, 'raw') — a great pair to remember the split.
Quick recap
- 生 = life / birth / raw (fresh); just 5 strokes; it's the "life" radical itself.
- セイ in most compounds (学生, 先生, 生活); ショウ in a few (誕生日, 一生).
- Kun verbs use い.きる (生きる) and う.まれる (生まれる); standalone "raw" is なま.
- This is one of the trickiest kanji for readings — learn the common words one by one.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 生 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Why does 生 have so many readings?
生 is one of the most-used kanji in Japanese, and over centuries it picked up several on'yomi (セイ, ショウ) and kun'yomi (い.きる, う.まれる, なま, and more). It's genuinely one of the trickiest kanji for readings, so it's best to learn it word by word.
How do you read 生 in 学生 vs 生きる?
In 学生 it's the on'yomi セイ (学生 = がくせい, 'student'). In 生きる it's the kun'yomi い (生きる = いきる, 'to live'). As a rule, two-kanji compounds usually take the on'yomi.
What does 生 mean when it's read なま?
Read なま, 生 means 'raw' or 'fresh / unprocessed.' You'll see it in 生ビール (なまビール, 'draft beer') and on menus for raw fish or fresh ingredients.
How many strokes does 生 have?
生 has 5 strokes and is its own radical, the 'life' radical. It also appears as a sound component in kanji like 性 and 星, which share its セイ reading.