📖 Meaning & Origin
The 田 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 田 appears in many kanji about land, work, and agriculture.
📚 Kanji by JLPT Level
✍️ Where it appears & how it changes shape
田 stands alone and appears on the left in 町, on top in 男 and 思, and inside 界 and 略. Its shape is stable: a square divided into four.
🔍 Don't confuse it with
No vertical stroke crossing the middle. 日 is divided into two, 田 into four.
The vertical stroke pushes out of the top. 由 means reason or origin.
The vertical stroke pushes out of both top and bottom. 申 is the humble form of 'to say'.
The vertical stroke pushes out of the bottom only. Together with 由 and 申 these four are a classic set to practise as a group.
📈 Beyond N5 — what comes next
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 町 | ちょう / まち | town | N4 |
| 界 | かい | world, boundary | N3 |
| 畑 | はた / はたけ | 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.
🗣️ Words you will actually meet
Irregular. A jukujikun, and neither kanji contributes its usual reading.
One of the most common Japanese surnames.
🎯 How to use this radical in JLPT study
田 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 思 the 田 on top does not mean a rice field, and in 男 it does. Reading a kanji as a picture works often enough to be useful and not often enough to be a rule.
⚠️ The mistake I see most often
Blurring 田, 由, 申 and 甲 in handwriting. The only difference is where the vertical stroke stops, and examiners' answer sheets are machine-read.
💡 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. 田 = neatly organized land.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
The 田 radical means 'rice field.' Rice cultivation shaped Japanese civilization, so 田 appears in kanji about land (田), strength in the field (男), and even deep thought (思).
N5 kanji with 田: 田 (rice field), 男 (man — field 田 + power 力 = farmer), 思 (think — field 田 + heart 心 = deep thought).
Imagine a rice field divided into four squares by water channels — that's 田. A neat grid of organized cultivation.
Practice 「田」 kanji with AI
Nihongo Pass uses spaced repetition to help you master all N5 kanji.