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On'yomi
セン
SEN
Kun'yomi
chi

thousand

nature

Details

Strokes3
Frequency#195
Radicalten(2)

Stroke Order

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Strokes3

Component Breakdown

=
丿

丿 + 十

Cultural Context

Etymology

Shape of '人' with additional stroke. Large number from one to thousand.

Symbolism

Multitude, eternity, prosperity. Celebrates longevity in 'thousand years'.

Anime & Manga

千と千尋の神隠し

Spirited Away(2001)

anime film

Story where protagonist's name changes from 'Chihiro' to 'Sen ('thousand').' Academy Award winner.

View on Amazon →

Words & Expressions

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); being a match for a thousand

一刻千金

いっこくせんきん

every moment is precious; time is money; precious time; every moment is precious

一字千金

いちじせんきん

word of great value; word of great value

一望千里

いちぼうせんり

sweeping view of the eye; boundless expanse; sweeping view of the eye

一瀉千里

いっしゃせんり

one swift effort; rush through one's work; fast-talking, writing, etc.; one swift effort

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); cunning and experienced in the ways of the world

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; the whole universe (of a billion worlds) that Buddha enlightened

笑止千万

しょうしせんばん

highly ridiculous; quite absurd; highly ridiculous

千軍万馬

せんぐんばんば

(having experienced) many battles; (having experienced) many battles

千言万語

せんげんばんご

a great many words; huge number of words; a great many words

千差万別

せんさばんべつ

an infinite variety of; multifarious; being extremely varied and wide-ranging; an infinite variety of

千載一遇

せんざいいちぐう

once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity); golden (opportunity); one-in-a-million (chance); once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity)

千姿万態

せんしばんたい

endless variety; endless variety

千思万考

せんしばんこう

deep meditation; mature consideration; deep meditation

千状万態

せんじょうばんたい

various forms; various circumstances; various forms

千辛万苦

せんしんばんく

many hardships; many hardships

千態万様

せんたいばんよう

great diversity of form; great diversity of form

千変万化

せんぺんばんか

innumerable changes; infinite variety; innumerable changes

千万無量

せんまんむりょう

innumerable; unfathomable; unutterable; innumerable

千両役者

せんりょうやくしゃ

star (actor); prima donna; leading figure; star (actor)

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; (waiting) impatiently

千客万来

せんきゃくばんらい

flood of customers; roaring business; flood of customers

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; getting rich quick

千編一律

せんぺんいちりつ

monotonous; humdrum; stereotyped; monotonous

千紫万紅

せんしばんこう

multitude of colors; multitude of colours; multitude of colors

悪事千里

あくじせんり

bad news traveling fast; ill news spreading like wildfire; bad news traveling fast

遺憾千万

いかんせんばん

highly regrettable; utterly deplorable; highly regrettable

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; one's word is worth 1,000 pieces of gold

奇怪千万

きかいせんばん

very strange (mysterious, weird); bizarre; monstrous; very strange (mysterious, weird)

千古不易

せんこふえき

eternally unchanging; eternally unchanging

千古不滅

せんこふめつ

everlasting; unchangeable; immortal; everlasting

不埒千万

ふらちせんばん

very insolent; extremely audacious; reprehensible; very insolent

迷惑千万

めいわくせんばん

great nuisance; extremely annoying; quite embarrassing; great nuisance

沃野千里

よくやせんり

vast expanse of fertile land; 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; many mountains and rivers

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; mere slip by someone who is usually very careful

千慮一得

せんりょいっとく

even a fool may sometimes come up with a good idea; 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; 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; a smile of a beautiful woman is worth a thousand pieces of gold

舳艫千里

じくろせんり

a large number of ships sailing in a long chain-like formation; 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); extremely rude (impertinent, impolite)

失礼千万

しつれいせんばん

extremely rude (impertinent, impolite); 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); being totally upset (by)

千古万古

せんこばんこ

remote antiquity; ancient times; the remote past; remote antiquity

千古不磨

せんこふま

permanence; immortality; eternity; permanence

千態万状

せんたいばんじょう

an endless variety of forms; multifariousness; an endless variety of forms

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; a country being in a state of universal peace

唐突千万

とうとつせんばん

very sudden; very abrupt; very sudden

卑怯千万

ひきょうせんばん

very mean (sneaky); extremely unsportsmanlike; very mean (sneaky)

無礼千万

ぶれいせんばん

extremely rude (impertinent, impolite); extremely rude (impertinent, impolite)

無念千万

むねんせんばん

being really disappointed; feeling utterly mortified; being deeply vexed; being really disappointed

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; being lavish with one's money

千緒万端

せんしょばんたん

all sorts of things; all manner of affairs; all sorts of things

千秋万歳

せんしゅうばんぜい

may you live a thousand years; 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

和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

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

Poem #23 from Hyakunin Isshu

大江千里Ōe no Chisato
9th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

淡路島 かよふ千鳥の 鳴く声に 幾夜ねざめぬ 須磨の関守

Poem #78 from Hyakunin Isshu

源兼昌源兼昌
Unknown