新 — “new” in Japanese

Grade 2しん, あたら, にい

Radical ⽄ · radical 69 The building block this kanji is filed under

“new” in Japanese is 新, read shin, atara, nii (しん, あたら, にい). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 新聞 (newspaper).

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What does 新 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	新
Meaning	new
Readings	しん, あたら, にい
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	新聞 (newspaper)

How to read 新

新 is read shin (しん) or atara (あたら) or nii (にい) depending on the word.

Words with 新

新型しんがた
新聞しんぶん
最新さいしん
新幹線しんかんせん
最新型さいしんがた
新芽
新潟
新鮮
新郎
更新

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Kanji read the same way as 新

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28