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千

On'yomi
セン
SEN
Kun'yomi
ち
chi

thousand

Details

Strokes3
Frequency#195
Radical十ten(2)

Stroke Order

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Strokes3

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

千=
丿十

丿 + 十

Words & Expressions

Words written with 千

千葉ちばchiba
千鳥ちどりplover
数千すうせんthousands
千代ちよthousand ages
千島ちしまkuril islands

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

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

Looking at the moon, a thousand sorrows crowd in, though the autumn is not mine alone.

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

How many nights has the guard at Suma barrier woken to the cries of plovers crossing from Awaji Island?

源兼昌源兼昌
Unknown

Anime & Manga

千と千尋の神隠し

Spirited Away

anime film

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

Anime

A well-known work with 千 in its Japanese title.

千年女優

Millennium Actress

Anime

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

Anime

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

Manga

A well-known work with 千 in its Japanese title.

Related Figures & Stories

千利休

Sen no Rikyū1522–1591

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

Senhime1597–1666

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

Fukuda Chiyo-ni1703–1775

Name contains 千

Kaga no Chiyo , also known as Chiyo-jo ʑo], lit.

Wikipedia

立花誾千代

Tachibana Ginchiyo1569–1602

Name contains 千

Tachibana Ginchiyo was head of the Japanese Tachibana clan and onna-musha during the Sengoku period.

Wikipedia

Other kanji with the same meaning

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