三 — “three” in Japanese

Grade 1さん, み

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

“three” in Japanese is 三, read san, mi (さん, み). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 三つ (three things).

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What does 三 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	三
Meaning	three
Readings	さん, み
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	三つ (three things)

How to read 三

三 is read san (さん) or mi (み) depending on the word.

Words with 三

三十さんじゅう
三点さんてん
十三日じゅうさんにち
三十八さんじゅうはち
三対一さんたいいち
三大祭さんだいまつ
三百四十さんびゃくよんじゅう
二千三十年にせんさんじゅうねん
三百八十三日さんびゃくはちじゅうさんにち
二千三十一年にせんさんじゅういちねん

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Kanji read the same way as 三

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28