๐ Meaning & Origin
The ็ฐ radical depicts a bird's-eye view of a rice paddy divided into sections by irrigation paths. Rice fields were central to ancient Japanese life, so ็ฐ appears in many kanji about land, work, and agriculture.
๐ Kanji by JLPT Level
โ๏ธ Where it appears & how it changes shape
็ฐ stands alone and appears on the left in ็บ, on top in ็ท and ๆ, and inside ็ and ็ฅ. Its shape is stable: a square divided into four.
๐ Don't confuse it with
No vertical stroke crossing the middle. ๆฅ is divided into two, ็ฐ into four.
The vertical stroke pushes out of the top. ็ฑ means reason or origin.
The vertical stroke pushes out of both top and bottom. ็ณ is the humble form of 'to say'.
The vertical stroke pushes out of the bottom only. Together with ็ฑ and ็ณ these four are a classic set to practise as a group.
๐ Beyond N5 โ what comes next
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ็บ | ใกใใ / ใพใก | town | N4 |
| ็ | ใใ | world, boundary | N3 |
| ็ | ใฏใ / ใฏใใ | dry field | N2 |
JLPT does not publish official kanji lists by level. These levels follow the commonly used reference lists and are a guide, not a guarantee.
๐ฃ๏ธ Words you will actually meet
Irregular. A jukujikun, and neither kanji contributes its usual reading.
One of the most common Japanese surnames.
๐ฏ How to use this radical in JLPT study
็ฐ points to land and the way land is divided: fields, towns, boundaries. It is also a useful reminder that a component can be borrowed for its shape rather than its sense: in ๆ the ็ฐ on top does not mean a rice field, and in ็ท it does. Reading a kanji as a picture works often enough to be useful and not often enough to be a rule.
โ ๏ธ The mistake I see most often
Blurring ็ฐ, ็ฑ, ็ณ and ็ฒ in handwriting. The only difference is where the vertical stroke stops, and examiners' answer sheets are machine-read.
๐ก Teacher's Memory Tip
A grid with four sections: the neat rows of a rice paddy seen from above. Think of the dividing paths between rice field sections. ็ฐ = neatly organized land.
โ Frequently Asked Questions
The ็ฐ radical means 'rice field.' Rice cultivation shaped Japanese civilization, so ็ฐ appears in kanji about land (็ฐ), strength in the field (็ท), and even deep thought (ๆ).
N5 kanji with ็ฐ: ็ฐ (rice field), ็ท (man, field ็ฐ + power ๅ = farmer), ๆ (think, field ็ฐ + heart ๅฟ = deep thought).
Imagine a rice field divided into four squares by water channels, and that's ็ฐ. A neat grid of organized cultivation.
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