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手

On'yomi
シュ・ズ
SHU / ZU
Kun'yomi
て・て-・-て・た-
te / te / te / ta

hand

Details

Strokes4
Frequency#60
Radical手hand(4)

Stroke Order

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Strokes4

Cultural Context

Etymology

Pictograph depicting a hand with five fingers.

Symbolism

Skill, work, assistance. Represents human agency.

Words & Expressions

Words written with 手

手段しゅだんmeans
手当てあてsalary
手紙てがみletter
空手からてkarate
上手じょうずskilled

Four-Character Compounds

自分勝手

じぶんかって

selfishness; egotism; egoism

手前味噌

てまえみそ

self-flattery; singing one's own praises

手練手管

てれんてくだ

wiles; art of coaxing

徒手空拳

としゅくうけん

being empty-handed; being penniless; having no capital (for starting a business)

得手勝手

えてかって

self-willed; (doing or saying things) to suit one's own convenience

拱手傍観

きょうしゅぼうかん

stand idly by and watch

袖手傍観

しゅうしゅぼうかん

looking on with folded arms (with one's hands in one's sleeves); remaining a passive onlooker

拍手喝采

はくしゅかっさい

clapping and cheering; applause

手前勝手

てまえがって

self-centered; self-centred; selfish

常套手段

じょうとうしゅだん

one's habitual practice; usual measure; old trick

眼高手低

がんこうしゅてい

able to criticize but not to create (criticise)

高手小手

たかてこて

bound hands and arms

先手必勝

せんてひっしょう

victory goes to the one who makes the first move; being quick to take action leads to victory; the early bird gets the worm

強硬手段

きょうこうしゅだん

tough measure; firm step; strong measure

赤手空拳

せきしゅくうけん

barehanded; having no wealth or position to rely on (aside from one's own resourcefulness) (when embarking on something)

手枷足枷

てかせあしかせ

manacles; shackles; fetters

無手勝流

むてかつりゅう

winning without fighting; method used to win without fighting; one's own way of doing things (i.e. as different from that of one's instructor)

鬼手仏心

きしゅぶっしん

compassionate ruthlessness; merciless scalpel of a merciful surgeon; a demon's hand and a Buddha's heart

Proverbs & Idioms

手八丁口八丁

てはっちょうくちはっちょう

Skillful hands and skillful mouth

Being clever with both words and actions

手を替え品を替え

てをかえしなをかえ

Trying different hands and different goods

Trying various approaches

Poetry

和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

秋の田の かりほの庵の 苫をあらみ わが衣手は 露にぬれつつ

In the autumn fields the thatch of my makeshift hut is coarsely woven, and my sleeves keep growing wet with dew.

天智天皇Emperor Tenji
7th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

君がため 春の野に出でて 若菜つむ わが衣手に 雪はふりつつ

For your sake I went out to the spring fields to gather young herbs, and the snow kept falling on my sleeves.

光孝天皇Emperor Kōkō
9th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

このたびは ぬさもとりあへず 手向山 紅葉のにしき 神のまにまに

This journey left no time to prepare offerings. Take instead, O gods, the brocade of maple leaves on Mount Tamuke.

菅家Sugawara no Michizane
9th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

春の夜の 夢ばかりなる 手枕に かひなく立たむ 名こそ惜しけれ

For an arm pillow no more real than a spring night's dream, I would hate to lose my name for nothing.

周防内侍Suō no Naishi
11th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

世の中は つねにもがもな 渚こぐ あまの小舟の 綱手かなしも

If only the world could stay as it is. The tow-rope of a fisherman's small boat along the shore moves me so.

鎌倉右大臣Kamakura no Udaijin
13th century

Anime & Manga

ヴァニタスの手記

The Case Study of Vanitas

Anime

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

からかい上手の高木さん

Teasing Master Takagi-san

Anime

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

異世界でチート能力を手にした俺は、現実世界をも無双する ~レベルアップは人生を変えた~

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too

Anime

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

ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン 外伝~永遠と自動手記人形~

Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll

Anime

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

本好きの下剋上 司書になるためには手段を選んでいられません

Ascendance of a Bookworm

Anime

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

Related Figures & Stories

平手政秀

Hirate Masahide1492–1553

Name contains 手

Hirate Masahide was a Japanese samurai who served the Oda clan for two generations.

Wikipedia

Other kanji with the same meaning

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 手 mean in Japanese?

手 means hand.

How do you read 手?

On'yomi: シュ、ズ (SHU, ZU). Kun'yomi: て、て-、-て、た- (te, te, te, ta).

How many strokes does 手 have?

手 has 4 strokes. Its radical is 手 (hand).

Is 手 a good kanji for a tattoo?

手 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means hand. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.

Explore by meaning:hand