然 — so / -like

Grade 4ぜん, ねん, しか

Radical ⽕ · radical 86 The building block this kanji is filed under

然 (readings: ぜん, ねん, しか; Japanese kanji) means “so / -like”. It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 自然 (nature).

Try it now

What does 然 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	然
Meaning	so / -like
Readings	ぜん, ねん, しか
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	自然 (nature)

How to read 然

然 is read ぜん or ねん or しか depending on the word.

Words with 然

自然しぜんthiên nhiên
自然保護しぜんほごbảo vệ thiên nhiên
天然記念物てんねんきねんぶつdi sản thiên nhiên quốc gia
突然đột nhiên
偶然tình cờ
天然痘bệnh đậu mùa

Learn 然 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09