七 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
七 simply means seven — the number 7. Like the other number kanji, you'll use it constantly: counting, telling time, naming dates and months, and giving quantities of people or things. The one wrinkle is that it has two common readings (なな and シチ) that compete more evenly than most kanji, plus one famous irregular date reading you'll just need to memorize (七日 = なのか, "the 7th"). Learn those three situations and you've got 七 covered.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | なな | 七 (seven), 七人 (ななにん, seven people) |
| kun'yomi | なな.つ | 七つ (ななつ, seven things) |
| kun'yomi | なの | 七日 (なのか, the 7th — irregular) |
| on'yomi | シチ | 七月 (しちがつ, July), 七時 (しちじ, 7 o'clock) |
Numbers are a bit different from most kanji: instead of the usual "kun alone, on in compounds" rule, 七 lets you pick between なな and シチ in many spots. 七月 (July) is firmly シチ, and 七時 (7 o'clock) is usually シチ, but counting people gives you a real choice — both 七人 = しちにん and 七人 = ななにん are correct. When in doubt, なな is the safer spoken choice, because シチ is easy to mishear as いち (one). The big exception to memorize is 七日 = なのか, which uses the special なの reading.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 2. Write the short slanting horizontal stroke first (top-left to lower-right), then the long curving vertical stroke that hooks at the bottom. Two strokes, and you're done.
- Radical: the radical is 一 ("one"). It may feel odd that the "seven" kanji is filed under "one," but radicals are about shape and indexing, not meaning — that first short horizontal line is the 一 the dictionary keys on.
Because 七 is only two strokes, it's a great one to practice early to build clean, confident pen movement.
Common words using 七
Watch the readings flip around: 七月 and 七時 lock in シチ, the standalone number and 七つ use なな, 七人 accepts either, and 七日 takes the irregular なのか. That last one trips up almost every learner, so it's worth drilling on its own.
Example sentences
ヤッタンは七時に起きます。
ヤッタンは しちじに おきます。
Yattan gets up at seven o'clock.
七時 — the on'yomi シチ reading (telling time).
モチは七つのおもちゃを持っています。
モチは ななつの おもちゃを もって います。
Mochi has seven toys.
七つ — the kun'yomi なな.つ reading, used for counting things.
先生は「七日に試験があります」と言いました。
せんせいは「なのかに しけんが あります」と いいました。
Sensei said, 'There is an exam on the 7th.'
七日 = なのか — the irregular date reading. Memorize this one!
Quick recap
- 七 = seven; just 2 strokes; its radical is 一 ("one").
- なな / なな.つ for standalone counting (七つ), シチ for 七月 (July) and 七時 (7 o'clock).
- 七人 (seven people) can be しちにん or ななにん — both are fine.
- Irregular alert: 七日 = なのか ("the 7th"). Say なな aloud when シチ might be misheard as いち.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 七 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is 七 read なな or シチ?
Both are common. As a number on its own, なな is typical (七つ = ななつ). In compounds like 七月 (しちがつ, July) and 七時 (しちじ, 7 o'clock) it's シチ. Speakers often prefer なな out loud because シチ can be misheard as いち (one).
Why is 七日 read なのか and not しちにち?
七日 ('the 7th' of the month) uses a special irregular reading, なのか. It's part of the traditional set of date readings (ついたち, ふつか, みっか…なのか) that you simply memorize.
How many strokes does 七 have?
七 has just 2 strokes: a short slanting horizontal stroke, then a long curved vertical stroke with a hook at the bottom. Its dictionary radical is 一 ('one').
How do you say 'seven people'?
七人 can be read either しちにん or ななにん — both are correct and widely used. ななにん can sound a touch clearer in speech.