一 — “one” in Japanese

Grade 1いち, いつ, ひと

Radical ⼀ · radical 1 The building block this kanji is filed under

“one” in Japanese is 一, read ichi, itsu, hito (いち, いつ, ひと). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 一つ (one thing).

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What does 一 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	一
Meaning	one
Readings	いち, いつ, ひと
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	一つ (one thing)

How to read 一

一 is read ichi (いち) or itsu (いつ) or hito (ひと) depending on the word.

Words with 一

一時いちじ
一部いちぶ
一戦いっせん
一万いちまん
一年いちねん
一日いちにち
一度いちど
一生いっしょう
一回いっかい
一番いちばん

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Kanji read the same way as 一

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28