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Instant

On’yomiそく
Kun’yomiつ.く・つ.ける・すなわ.ち
MeaningsInstant, Namely, As Is, Conform, Agree, Adapt
JLPT N1 7 strokes #1142 most common Secondary school Radical seal
書き順 · Stroke order

How to write 即

Stroke order is not decoration — it determines how the character looks handwritten and how dictionaries index it.

7 strokes
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分解 · What it is made of

The parts of 即

Almost every kanji is built from a small set of reusable parts. Learn the parts once and you stop memorising thousands of unrelated shapes.

部首 · Radical

The radical of 即

Radical 26 of 214
Seal

The radical is the part a paper dictionary files a kanji under, and it usually hints at meaning. 即 is filed under (seal) — radical number 26 of the 214 in the Kangxi system.

Other kanji built on 卩

練習 · Practice

Drill 即 right now

Three quick games built from this character's real data. Your streak is kept in this browser.

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Instant そく つ.く・つ.ける・すなわ.ち
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熟語 · In real words

Words that use 即

Kanji are almost never met alone. These are the most common words built from this character, ordered by how often they actually appear in Japanese.

即時 そくじ prompt; immediate; in real time
即日 そくじつ (on) the same day
即座 そくざ immediate; right there on the spot; impromptu
即する そくする to conform to; to agree with; to be adapted to
即位 そくい accession to the throne; enthronement
即効 そっこう immediate effect; instant effect
即功 そっこう immediate effect; instant effect
即興 そっきょう improvisation; improvised; impromptu
即刻 そっこく immediately; at once; instantly
即席 そくせき impromptu; improvised; extempore
同音 · Sound-alikes

Kanji that sound like 即

Japanese has far more kanji than syllables, so one reading is shared by many characters. These are the ones you will confuse with 即 — learn them together, not separately.

画数 · 7 strokes

Other 7-stroke kanji

Useful when looking a character up by stroke count — and a common source of visual mix-ups.

頻度 · Frequency

Next in the frequency list

即 is the 1142nd most common kanji in written Japanese. Learning in frequency order is the fastest route to reading real text.

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質問 · Questions

About the kanji 即

What does the kanji 即 mean?

即 means Instant, Namely, As Is, Conform, Agree, Adapt. It is the 1142nd most common kanji in written Japanese.

How do you read the kanji 即?

即 is read on'yomi (Chinese-derived) そく; kun'yomi (native Japanese) つ.く、つ.ける、すなわ.ち.

How many strokes does 即 have?

即 is written with 7 strokes. The animated diagram on this page shows the correct order.

What level is the kanji 即?

It appears at JLPT level N1, and Japanese schoolchildren learn it in secondary school.

What is the radical of 即?

The radical of 即 is 卩 (seal), radical number 26 of the 214 Kangxi radicals. The radical is the component a dictionary files the character under, and it usually points at the character's meaning.

What parts is the kanji 即 made of?

即 is built from 艮 (northeast (Oriental zodiac)) and 卩 (seal radical (no. 26)). Learning kanji as combinations of a few hundred reusable components is far more efficient than memorising each character as a separate shape.

What words use the kanji 即?

Common words written with 即 include 即時 (そくじ, prompt; immediate; in real time); 即日 (そくじつ, (on) the same day); 即座 (そくざ, immediate; right there on the spot; impromptu).

Which kanji sound the same as 即?

即 shares a reading with 側 (そく), 職 (そく), 足 (そく), 速 (そく), 則 (そく), among others. Same-sounding kanji are one of the most common sources of confusion in Japanese.

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