紙 — “paper” in Japanese

Grade 2し, かみ

Radical ⽷ · radical 120 The building block this kanji is filed under

“paper” in Japanese is 紙, read shi, kami (し, かみ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 手紙 (letter).

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What does 紙 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	紙
Meaning	paper
Readings	し, かみ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	手紙 (letter)

How to read 紙

紙 is read shi (し) or kami (かみ) depending on the word.

Words with 紙

手紙
厚紙
紙幣

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Kanji read the same way as 紙

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28