1.
letter, character, writing
A written symbol representing a sound or meaning, including hiragana, katakana, kanji, and letters from other writing systems.
字が読めない。
I can't read the character.
この字は何と読みますか。
How do you read this character?
先生の字はきれいで読みやすい。
The teacher's handwriting is neat and easy to read.
もっと大きい字で書いてください。小さいと読めません。
Please write in bigger characters. I can't read them if they're small.
日本語の字は難しいと思っていたが、毎日勉強したら、だんだん読めるようになった。
I used to think Japanese characters were hard, but after studying every day, I gradually became able to read them.
字 refers to written characters of any type.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 字を書く: to write characters
- 字を読む: to read characters
- 字が上手/下手: good/bad handwriting
- 漢字: Chinese characters (kanji)
- ローマ字: Roman letters
RELATED TERMS:
- 文字: character, letter (more formal)
- ひらがな: hiragana
- カタカナ: katakana
- 漢字: kanji
Note: When talking about handwriting quality, 字 often refers to how nicely someone writes.