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On’yomiずい
Kun’yomiまにま.に・したが.う
MeaningsFollow, Though, Notwithstanding, While, During, Both
JLPT N1 12 strokes #1364 most common Secondary school Radical mound
書き順 · Stroke order

How to write 随

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

12 strokes
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分解 · What it is made of

The parts of 随

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

left melon =
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Why it sounds the way it does. The part 陏1 is the phonetic component — it carries the sound rather than the meaning. That is why 随 is read ずい. Roughly two-thirds of all kanji work this way, which makes unfamiliar readings guessable once you spot the pattern.
部首 · Radical

The radical of 随

Radical 170 of 214
Mound

The radical is the part a paper dictionary files a kanji under, and it usually hints at meaning. 随 is filed under (mound) — radical number 170 of the 214 in the Kangxi system.

Other kanji built on 阜

練習 · Practice

Drill 随 right now

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熟語 · In real words

Words that use 随

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.

随時 ずいじ whenever necessary; as needed; as required
随所 ずいしょ everywhere; all over the place; here and there
随処 ずいしょ everywhere; all over the place; here and there
追随 ついずい following (in the footsteps of); catching up with; coming level with
随筆 ずいひつ essays; miscellaneous writings; literary jottings
随員 ずいいん member of an entourage or retinue or party; attendant
随一 ずいいち best; greatest; first
随意 ずいい voluntary; optional; free
随行 ずいこう attendant; follower
随分 ずいぶん very; extremely; surprisingly
同音 · Sound-alikes

Kanji that sound like 随

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

画数 · 12 strokes

Other 12-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

随 is the 1364th 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 随

What does the kanji 随 mean?

随 means Follow, Though, Notwithstanding, While, During, Both. It is the 1364th most common kanji in written Japanese.

How do you read the kanji 随?

随 is read on'yomi (Chinese-derived) ずい; kun'yomi (native Japanese) まにま.に、したが.う.

How many strokes does 随 have?

随 is written with 12 strokes. The animated diagram on this page shows the correct order.

What level is the kanji 随?

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

What is the radical of 随?

The radical of 随 is 阜 (mound), radical number 170 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.

Why is 随 read ずい?

随 contains 陏1 as its phonetic component — the part that carries the sound rather than the meaning, which is why 随 is read ずい. Roughly two-thirds of all kanji are built this way, so spotting the phonetic component often lets you guess the reading of a character you have never seen.

What words use the kanji 随?

Common words written with 随 include 随時 (ずいじ, whenever necessary; as needed; as required); 随所 (ずいしょ, everywhere; all over the place; here and there); 随処 (ずいしょ, everywhere; all over the place; here and there).

Which kanji sound the same as 随?

随 shares a reading with 髄 (ずい), 瑞 (ずい), among others. Same-sounding kanji are one of the most common sources of confusion in Japanese.

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