一 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

一: one; first; single; whole. JLPT N5; 1 strokes.

Readings

On readings

イチ、イツ

Kun readings

ひと-、ひと.つ

Romaji

ichi, itsu, hito

Study notes

一 is the number one; it also indicates 'first', 'only' or 'whole', as in 一番 (いちばん, the first, the best) and 一生 (いっしょう, all one's life).

On reading: イチ is the normal reading in numbers and compounds: 一月 (いちがつ, January), 一度 (いちど, once). Before k, s, t and p sounds it becomes いっ: 一個 (いっこ, a piece), 一回 (いっかい, once), 一緒 (いっしょ, together). イツ appears in words like 統一 (とういつ, unification), 同一 (どういつ, identical) and 唯一 (ゆいいつ, unique).

Kun reading: ひと, especially in 一つ (ひとつ, one, an object) and in many words meaning 'one' or 'a whole': 一口 (ひとくち, a bite), 一晩 (ひとばん, a night), 一息 (ひといき, a breath, a pause).

Special readings: 一人 (ひとり, a person; by oneself) is not read いちにん. 一日 is read ついたち when indicating the first day of the month and いちにち when meaning 'a day, all day long'. 一寸 is read いっすん (a sun, an ancient unit of length) or ちょっと (a little), a word which is usually written in hiragana.

Remember: 一 is written with a single horizontal stroke.

Example words

• 一つ (ひとつ) — one thing
• 一番 (いちばん) — the most; the best
• 統一 (とういつ) — unification; uniformity
• 一口 (ひとくち) — a bite; a sip

Example sentences

りんごを一つください。

ringo wo hitotsu kudasai.

Please give me one apple.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.