Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Shape of '人' with additional stroke. Large number from one to thousand.
Symbolism
Multitude, eternity, prosperity. Celebrates longevity in 'thousand years'.
Component Breakdown
丿 + 十
Words & Expressions
Words written with 千
Four-Character Compounds
一騎当千
いっきとうせん
being a match for a thousand; being a mighty warrior (combatant, player)
一刻千金
いっこくせんきん
every moment is precious; time is money; precious time
一字千金
いちじせんきん
word of great value
一望千里
いちぼうせんり
sweeping view of the eye; boundless expanse
一瀉千里
いっしゃせんり
one swift effort; rush through one's work; fast-talking, writing, etc.
海千山千
うみせんやません
cunning and experienced in the ways of the world; crafty and worldly-wise; sly old (fox)
三千世界
さんぜんせかい
the whole universe (of a billion worlds) that Buddha enlightened; the whole wide world
笑止千万
しょうしせんばん
highly ridiculous; quite absurd
千軍万馬
せんぐんばんば
(having experienced) many battles
千言万語
せんげんばんご
a great many words; huge number of words
千差万別
せんさばんべつ
an infinite variety of; multifarious; being extremely varied and wide-ranging
千載一遇
せんざいいちぐう
once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity); golden (opportunity); one-in-a-million (chance)
千姿万態
せんしばんたい
endless variety
千思万考
せんしばんこう
deep meditation; mature consideration
千状万態
せんじょうばんたい
various forms; various circumstances
千辛万苦
せんしんばんく
many hardships
千態万様
せんたいばんよう
great diversity of form
千変万化
せんぺんばんか
innumerable changes; infinite variety
千万無量
せんまんむりょう
innumerable; unfathomable; unutterable
千両役者
せんりょうやくしゃ
star (actor); prima donna; leading figure
一日千秋
いちじつせんしゅう
(waiting) impatiently; (spending) many a weary day; each moment seeming like an eternity
千客万来
せんきゃくばんらい
flood of customers; roaring business
一攫千金
いっかくせんきん
getting rich quick; making a killing; making a fortune at a single stroke
千編一律
せんぺんいちりつ
monotonous; humdrum; stereotyped
千紫万紅
せんしばんこう
multitude of colors; multitude of colours
悪事千里
あくじせんり
bad news traveling fast; ill news spreading like wildfire
遺憾千万
いかんせんばん
highly regrettable; utterly deplorable
一諾千金
いちだくせんきん
one's word is worth 1,000 pieces of gold; a promise should be kept at all cost
奇怪千万
きかいせんばん
very strange (mysterious, weird); bizarre; monstrous
千古不易
せんこふえき
eternally unchanging
千古不滅
せんこふめつ
everlasting; unchangeable; immortal
不埒千万
ふらちせんばん
very insolent; extremely audacious; reprehensible
迷惑千万
めいわくせんばん
great nuisance; extremely annoying; quite embarrassing
沃野千里
よくやせんり
vast expanse of fertile land
千山万水
せんざんばんすい
many mountains and rivers; a great distance to travel
千慮一失
せんりょいっしつ
mere slip by someone who is usually very careful; simple mistake by a wise person; point overlooked by a cautious person
千慮一得
せんりょいっとく
even a fool may sometimes come up with a good idea
一人当千
いちにんとうせん
being a match for a thousand
一笑千金
いっしょうせんきん
a smile of a beautiful woman is worth a thousand pieces of gold; enchanting smile of a glamorous woman
舳艫千里
じくろせんり
a large number of ships sailing in a long chain-like formation
失敬千万
しっけいせんばん
extremely rude (impertinent, impolite)
失礼千万
しつれいせんばん
extremely rude (impertinent, impolite)
心外千万
しんがいせんばん
being totally upset (by); being completely nonplussed (by); being mortified (at)
千古万古
せんこばんこ
remote antiquity; ancient times; the remote past
千古不磨
せんこふま
permanence; immortality; eternity
千態万状
せんたいばんじょう
an endless variety of forms; multifariousness
千里同風
せんりどうふう
a country being in a state of universal peace; the world being peaceful and uneventful
唐突千万
とうとつせんばん
very sudden; very abrupt
卑怯千万
ひきょうせんばん
very mean (sneaky); extremely unsportsmanlike
無礼千万
ぶれいせんばん
extremely rude (impertinent, impolite)
無念千万
むねんせんばん
being really disappointed; feeling utterly mortified; being deeply vexed
一擲千金
いってきせんきん
being lavish with one's money; spending a huge sum of money at once on a treat
千緒万端
せんしょばんたん
all sorts of things; all manner of affairs
千秋万歳
せんしゅうばんぜい
may you live a thousand years
Proverbs & Idioms
千里の道も一歩から
せんりのみちもいっぽから
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Great achievements start small
Poetry
月みれば 千々に物こそ 悲しけれ 我が身ひとつの 秋にはあらねど
Looking at the moon, a thousand sorrows crowd in, though the autumn is not mine alone.
淡路島 かよふ千鳥の 鳴く声に 幾夜ねざめぬ 須磨の関守
How many nights has the guard at Suma barrier woken to the cries of plovers crossing from Awaji Island?
Anime & Manga
千と千尋の神隠し
Spirited Away
Story where protagonist's name changes from 'Chihiro' to 'Sen ('thousand').' Academy Award winner.
BLEACH 千年血戦篇
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War
A well-known work with 千 in its Japanese title.
千年女優
Millennium Actress
A well-known work with 千 in its Japanese title.
千歳くんはラムネ瓶のなか
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle
A well-known work with 千 in its Japanese title.
我家老婆来自一千年前
My Wife Is from a thousand Years ago
A well-known work with 千 in its Japanese title.
Related Figures & Stories
千利休
Name contains 千
Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the Japanese tea ceremony,…
Wikipedia千姫
Name contains 千
Senhime , or Lady Sen, was the eldest daughter of the samurai, daimyo and shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada and later the wife of Toyotomi Hideyori.
Wikipedia加賀千代女
Name contains 千
Kaga no Chiyo , also known as Chiyo-jo ʑo], lit.
Wikipedia立花誾千代
Name contains 千
Tachibana Ginchiyo was head of the Japanese Tachibana clan and onna-musha during the Sengoku period.
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
“thousand”
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 千 mean in Japanese?
千 means thousand.
How do you read 千?
On'yomi: セン (SEN). Kun'yomi: ち (chi).
How many strokes does 千 have?
千 has 3 strokes. Its radical is 十 (ten).
Is 千 a good kanji for a tattoo?
千 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means thousand. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.
Explore by meaning:thousand