Read Japanese Kanji Today

日

4 strokes

ON READINGS: NICHI, JITSU

KUN READINGS: hi, bi, ka

sun, a day

休日 kyūjitsu holiday, day off

日曜日 Nichiyōbi Sunday

ニ日 futsuka second day of the month

日なた hinata a sunny place

The ancient Chinese saw the sun like this so that is how they wrote the word for sun. They later found it took too long to write the rays, so they shortened the pictograph to When they simplified the character to its final form, to make it even easier to write and at the same time look aesthetically acceptable to the Chinese eye, they squared the circle and changed the dot into a line 日.

The basic meaning of 日 is sun. The Chinese saw that the passage of the sun across the sky took one day, so they extended 日 also to mean one day. This kanji, as do most, has several pronunciations. When 日 forms a word by itself, it is generally pronounced HI, BI, KA. When it is put together with other kanji in a compound word it is pronounced NICHI or JITSU. [The different pronunciations for the same kanji are indicated by KUN readings (based on native Japanese sounds), and by ON readings (based on Chinese-originated sounds).]

木

4 strokes

ON READING: MOKU

KUN READING: ki

tree, wood

木製 mokusei wooden

木曜日 Mokuyōbi Thursday

木材 mokuzai wood, timber

植木 ueki plant

The Chinese pictograph for tree was It was gradually simplified to and then to Squared off to final form it was written 木. The horizontal line represents all the branches, the vertical line the trunk, and the diagonal lines the roots. The meaning of 木 is tree or wood. When it forms a word by itself it is generally pronounced KI, and when it is combined with other kanji in a compound word it is generally pronounced MOKU.

本

5 strokes

ON READING: HON

KUN READING: moto

origin, source, book

日本語 Nihongo Japanese (language)

日本 Nippon, Nihon Japan

本日 honjitsu today

本当 hontō truth

To form the character for root, the Chinese just drew in more roots at the bottom of the tree to emphasize that part. Eventually, they squared off all the added roots to one straight line — , and the final form of the kanji became 本. In addition to the meaning root, the Chinese extended the meaning to the root of things, the origin or source. They extended 本 later to mean book as well, which they felt to be the root or source of knowledge. It is pronounced either HON or MOTO, both as a word by itself and in compound words.

The compound word 日本, formed by putting the kanji for sun 日 together with the kanji for root or origin 本, means origin of the sun. It is pronounced NIHON or NIPPON, which is what the Japanese call their country. 日本 would normally be pronounced NICHI-HON, but for euphony the Japanese use NIHON or NIPPON.

未

5 strokes

ON READING: MI

KUN READING: ma(da)

immature, not yet there

未来 mirai future

未知 michi unknown

未成年 miseinen a minor (children)

未完成 mikansei uncompleted

On the pictograph for tree the Chinese drew in more branches to make a new kanji that would indicate the tree was still growing and had not yet matured. To draw the final form, they combined all the new branches into one short straight line — and drew it in among the other branches 未. This new kanji 未 means immature or not yet there. It is pronounced MA-DA when used by itself, where DA is written in kana. 未 is pronounced MI in compound words.

末

5 strokes

ON READING: MATSU

KUN READING: sue

the end, extremity, tip

週末 shūmatsu weekend

月末 getsumatsu end of month

場末 basue outskirt

末っ子 suekko the youngest child

The Chinese later capped the pictograph for tree with one line at the top — and made another new character 末, meaning the end, as far as you can go, the extremity, the tip. When used as a word by itself it is pronounced SUE, and when combined with other kanji in a compound word it is pronounced MATSU.

This kanji 末 looks very much like the kanji 未, meaning immature or not yet there, described above. The difference is that in the kanji meaning extremity 末, the line capping the growth of the tree is longer than the line representing the normal branches, while in the kanji meaning immature 未, the line representing the fluffing out of leaves and branches is shorter than the line representing the normal branches.

東

8 strokes

ON READING: TŌ

KUN READING: higashi

east

東京 tokyō Tokyo

東口 higashi-guchi east exit

東洋 tōyō the East, oriental

関東 kantō Kanto district

A picture of the sun at sunrise rising up behind a tree was the scene the Chinese picked to stand for east. In this new kanji, they drew the tree 木 and the sun 日 in the same way they did when they were used as separate kanji, but in the new composite kanji they put the sun behind the tree to show that it was sunrise. The final form of east was written 東. When this kanji forms a word itself it is pronounced HIGASHI. Where 東 appears with another kanji to form a compound word, as in TŌKYŌ, it is pronounced TŌ.

京

8 strokes

ON READINGS: KYŌ, KEI

capital

京都 kyōto Kyoto

上京する jokyō suru go to Tokyo

帰京する kikyō suru back in Tokyo

京風 kyōfū Kyoto style

The KYŌ in TŌKYŌ was originally a pictograph of a stone lantern These lanterns stood at the gates of the Chinese Emperor’s Palace, later at the gates of the Imperial City, and came therefore to symbolize the nation’s capital. The Chinese drew the early pictograph Now it is written 京. It is not used as a word by itself. In compound words with other kanji it is pronounced KYŌ or KEI. 東京 TŌKYŌ, east-capital, means eastern capital.

田

5 strokes

ON READING: DEN

KUN READING: ta, (da)

rice-field, rice-paddy

油田 yuden oilfield

田畑 tahata fields (for farming)

田植え taue rice planting

田園 den-en rustic, rural

The Chinese, who farmed the world’s first rice-paddies about 12,000 years ago, drew a picture of the paddies later simplified to and then to the final form 田. This kanji means rice-field or rice-paddy. When used with other kanji in compound words it is pronounced DEN. When used by itself, or in proper names, 田 is usually pronounced TA or DA, whichever sounds better. The well-known Honda Corporation writes its name 本田, original-field.

力

2 strokes

ON READINGS: RIKI, RYOKU

KUN READING: chikara

strength, power

努力 doryoku effort

馬力 bariki horsepower

力仕事 chikara shigoto heavy work

力持ち chikara mochi mighty person

A strong hand bearing down on things represented the idea of strength or power. Drawing in all the fingers took too much time, so the Chinese abstracted the form of the hand and drew it Squaring this to fit the kanji square, they wrote the final form 力, meaning strength or power. When used as a word by itself it is pronounced CHIKARA, and when it is used in compound words it is pronounced RYOKU or RIKI.

男

7 strokes

ON READINGS: DAN, NAN

KUN READING: otoko

man, male

男性 dansei man, male

長男 chōnan eldest son, oldest son 男子 danshi boy, man

男らしい otoko-rashi’i masculine

The Chinese added power 力 to a field 田 and formed the new kanji 男, meaning man or male. This signifies the male half of the human species “man” and not the species itself. When this character is used as a word by itself it is pronounced OTOKO, and when it is used in compound words it is pronounced DAN or NAN. 男 appears on all the doors where only males should enter.

女

3 strokes

ON READINGS: JO, NYO, NYŌ

KUN READINGS: onna, me

woman

少女 shōjo young girl

女房 nyōbō (my) wife

女の子 onna-no-ko girl

女神 megami Goddess

A woman the Chinese pictured as a pregnant lady, seated with her arms outstretched This was later written and finally 女. It is pronounced ONNA or ME when it is used to form a word itself, and JO, NYO and NYŌ when it is used in compound words. 女 appears on all the doors where only females enter.

妹

8 strokes

ON READING: MAI

KUN READING: imōto

younger sister

姉妹 shimai sisters

妹さん imōto-san (someone’s) sister

弟妹 teimai brothers and sisters

The Chinese put together the kanji for woman 女 with the kanji for immature 未 to make a new kanji 妹, meaning younger sister. Used as a word by itself it is pronounced IMŌTO. In compound words 妹 is pronounced MAI.

母

5 strokes

ON READING: BO

KUN READING: haha

mother

父母 fubo father and mother

祖母 sobo grand mother

母親 hahaoya mother

お母さん okāsan mother

Mother to the Chinese was a woman 女 with her breasts drawn in. To the character for woman 女 they added breasts and topped her with a hat to shade her eyes The final form of this character is 母. Used as a kanji by itself it is generally pronounced (with the addition of several kana to indicate words of respect) OKĀSAN. This is the most popular spoken-Japanese word for mother, but to be understood it must be pronounced with a distinctly long Ā, as in お母さん O-KA-A-SAN, to distinguish it from OKASAN, which means Mr. Oka. 母 can also be pronounced HAHA when it forms a word by itself. When used with other kanji in compound words it is pronounced BO.

人

2 strokes

ON READINGS: NIN, JIN

KUN READING: hito

person

成人 seijin adult (human)

人間 ningen human beings

人形 ningyō doll

人々 hitobito people

Person, which refers to the species “human being,” means either man or woman. The Chinese pictured person as the human form in general In final form they drew it 人. It is pronounced HITO when it makes a word itself, and pronounced NIN or JIN in compound words. A Japanese person is a 日本人, pronounced NIHONJIN or NIPPONJIN. A person from America is an AMERIKAJIN. There are no kanji for the word “America” so the AMERIKA in AMERIKAJIN is written in phonetic (kana) letters, and the written word looks like this アメリカ人.

毎

6 strokes

ON READINGS: MAI, GOTO

every

毎度 maido everytime, always

毎日 mainichi every day

毎毎回 maikai every time, each time

毎週 maishū every week

Since every person 人 had a mother 母, the Chinese combined these two kanji into a new composite kanji 毎 with the meaning every. They wanted to add the pictograph for person 人 to the pictograph for mother 母 in the most aesthetic way so that the new kanji would be easy to read and write and would fit proportionately within the kanji square. Putting 人 and 母 side by side would make the new kanji too wide, and putting one above the other would make it too high. Instead, they decided to modify slightly the shape of one of the elements, in this case the element for person 人, to and wrote the new kanji for every 毎.

毎 is rarely used as a word by itself. In compound words, where two or more kanji form a word, 毎 is pronounced MAI or GOTO, depending mainly on whether it is the first or second kanji in the compound. For example, the compound word 毎日, every day, which incidentally is the name of a leading Japanese daily newspaper, is pronounced MAINICHI. The compound word 日毎 uses the same two kanji but in reverse order. It also means daily, but in a more formal sense, with an emphasis on each-and-every-day. 日毎 is pronounced HI-GOTO.

休

6 strokes

ON READING: KYŪ

KUN READING: yasu(mu)

to take a break, to take a holiday, to rest

定休日 teikyūbi regular holiday

夏休み natsuyasumi summer holiday

昼休み hiruyasumi lunch break

休み時間 yasumijikan recess time

The Chinese pictograph for resting was a person 人 beside a tree 木. They first put it together as Then, as with the kanji 毎 MAI, above, they decided that the person 人 had to change its shape to blend with the other element in the kanji square. In the composite kanji every 毎, the element for mother 母 was rather short and wide, so the element for person 人 was added at the top of the square instead of beside the mother 母. In the kanji for resting, the element for tree 木 was tall and thin, so the element for person 人 had to be added at the left-hand side of the square instead of at the top. The Chinese changed the shape of person to fit the left-hand side and drew it They wrote the new kanji 休. It means rest, or take a break, or take a holiday. Used as a word by itself it is pronounced YASU-MU (with kana at the end to show the grammar). Used in compound words it is pronounced KYŪ. A 休日 KYŪJITSU, rest-day, is a holiday or a day off.

体

7 strokes

ON READINGS: TAI, TEI

KUN READING: karada

body

体育館 tai’ikukan gymnasium, gym

体重 taijū body weight

体形 taikei body shape

体裁 teisai appearance, presentation

The Chinese combined the kanji 本, meaning root or origin, with the kanji 人, meaning person, into a new composite kanji symbolizing the root of a person 体, meaning the human body. The shape of person 人 was changed, as it was in the kanji 休 meaning rest, to fit into the left-hand side of the kanji square. When 体 is used as a word by itself it is pronounced KARADA. When used in compound words it is pronounced TAI or TEI. 体 could also mean the body of an animal, so the technical term 人体 JINTAI, human-body, is often used to indicate specifically the human body.

子

3 strokes

ON READINGS: SHI, SU

KUN READING: ko

child

子孫 sison descendant, offspring

様子 yōsu appearance, complexion

親子 oyako parent and child, family

子供 kodomo child

For the character for child, the Chinese drew a picture of a swaddled baby It soon was drawn then squared off to the final form 子. It is pronounced KO when used as a kanji by itself, or used in proper names, and SHI and SU when used in compound words. An 男の子 OTOKO-no-KO, male-child, is a boy, and an 女の子 ONNA-no-KO, woman-child, is a girl. In both these examples, no is a grammatical particle and is written in kana. 男 OTOKO, 女 ONNA, and 子 KO are all essentially used as stand-alone kanji, words by themselves (linked by the grammatical particle no の, indicating the possessive tense) and are not compound words.

OTOKO-no-KO 男の子 can be written 男子 without the particle no, but in this case it becomes a compound word and is pronounced DANSHI. It still means boy. In the same way, ONNA-no-KO 女の子, when written without the particle no, 女子, is pronounced JOSHI and means girl. The forms JOSHI and DANSHI are used more in writing, and OTOKO-no-KO and ONNA-no-KO are used more in speech.

好

6 strokes

ON READING: KŌ

KUN READINGS: su(ku), kono(mu)

love, like, goodness

良好 ryōkō goodness

好み konomi taste, choice

好き嫌い suki-kirai likes and dislikes

お好み焼き okonomiyaki Japanese pancake with tidbit

A woman 女 and a 子 child together signified love and goodness to the Chinese. They combined these two separate pictographs, each a kanji on its own, into one new composite kanji written 好, meaning love, like, or goodness. It is pronounced SU-KU or KONO-MU when it is used as a word by itself (the kanji 好 is the SU or the KO part; the rest has to be written in kana, expressing the grammatical endings). Used in compound words, 好 is pronounced KŌ. A 好男子 KŌDANSHI, good-man-child, is a handsome young man.

大

3 strokes

ON READINGS: DAI, TAI

KUN READINGS: ō, ō(ki’i)

big, large

大小 daishō small and large, size

大衆 taishū masses, the public

大通り ōdōri avenue

大きさ ōkisa size, measurement

A man standing with his arms stretched out as far as he can manage was what the Chinese saw as “big.” Their early writings show it drawn as Now it is drawn 大 and means big or large. When used by itself it is pronounced Ō-KI’I (like many Japanese words when used by themselves, it needs grammatical endings which must be written in kana; the kanji 大 only provides the Ō sound; the KI sound and the I sound—two separate sounds needing two separate kana— have to be written in kana). When used in compound words, 大 is pronounced DAI or TAI. 大日本 DAI-NIHON (or DAI-NIPPON) means Greater Japan. 大田 ŌTA, big-field, is the name of a ward in Tokyo. 大好き DAISUKI, big-like, means like very much, be extremely fond of.

天

4 strokes

ON READING: TEN

KUN READINGS: ama, ame

heaven, sky

天然 ten-nen natural

天才 tensai genius

天の川 ama-no-gawa the Milky Way

天気 tenki weather

Above the kanji meaning big 大, which is a picture of a person with his arms outstretched, the Chinese added a barrier line 一 to signify that above a person is heaven with man in his place below. The final form of the new composite kanji is 天, meaning heaven or sky. When it forms a word by itself it is pronounced AMA or AME. Used with other kanji in compound words it is pronounced TEN. 天体 TENTAI, heaven-body, means heavenly bodies, like the sun and the moon. A 天子 TENSHI, heaven-child, means the ruler of a nation.

王

4 strokes

ON READING: Ō

king

王子 ōji prince

王女 ōjo princess

国王 kokuō king

王国 ōkoku kingdom

Below the line for heaven — the Chinese added horizontal lines for man — and earth — and unified them with a connecting vertical line｜symbolizing the king or ruler. They drew the kanji 王, meaning king. Used either by itself or in compound words it is pronounced Ō. A 女王, JO-Ō, woman-king, is a queen. An 王子, ŌJI, king-child, is a prince.

全

6 strokes

ON READING: ZEN

KUN READINGS: sube(te), matta(ku)

the whole, complete; completely, totally

安全 anzen safety, safe

完全 kanzen integrity, completeness 全部 zenbu whole

全員 zen-in everyone

全ての subete no all, every

The Chinese put a cover over heaven, man, earth, and ruler 王 to symbolize everything, the whole, completely. They wrote the final kanji 全, meaning the whole or complete. Used as a word by itself it is pronounced SUBE-TE or MATTA-KU (with the grammatical ending KU, indicating it is an adverb, written with a kana), an expressive word meaning completely, entirely, perfectly, totally, absolutely, or just the opposite: not at all, not in the least. In compound words it is pronounced ZEN. 全体 ZENTAI, whole-body, means all, the whole, generally. 全力 ZEN-RYOKU, whole-strength, means with all your might.

太

4 strokes

ON READINGS: TAI, TA

KUN READINGS: futo(i), futo(ru)

fat, very big

太陽 taiyō sun

丸太 maruta log

太字 futoji bold

図太い zubutoi strong nerves, crusted

The Chinese doubled 大 big and made it meaning very big. Then, instead of writing two bigs, one atop the other, they just used a ditto mark ヽ at the bottom of the first “big” and made the final kanji 太. It means fat or very big. It is pronounced FUTO-I or FUTO-RU when it forms a word by itself. When it is used in compound words, 太 is pronounced TAI or TA.

小

3 strokes

ON READING: SHŌ

KUN READINGS: chi’i(sai), ko, o

small

小学校 shōgakkō elementary school

小さい chi’isai small

小切手 kogite check

小川 ogawa stream

The same man standing, this time with his arms pulled in toward his sides signified smallness. The Chinese drew it first and then in final form 小. It means small, in the sense of size. Used by itself it is pronounced CHI’I-SAI (an adjective, needing two kana, SA and I to write CHI’I-SAI, since the kanji 小 itself only represents CHI’I) or O. In compounds it is pronounced KO or SHŌ.

少

4 strokes

ON READING: SHŌ

KUN READINGS: suko(shi), suku(nai)

few, little

少年 shōnen young boy

多少 tashō some

少ない sukunai few

少し sukoshi a little

To symbolize “small” in the sense of quantity, meaning few, the Chinese drew a bottom under 小small to indicate that that was it, nothing more. The final form was 少, meaning a few or a little. Used by itself it is pronounced SUKO-SHI or SUKU-NAI. Used in compound words with other kanji 少 is pronounced SHŌ.

立

5 strokes

ON READINGS: RITSU, RYŪ

KUN READINGS: ta(tsu), ta(teru), tachi

to stand, to rise up

独立 dokuritsu independence

建立 konryū construction

立場 tachiba stance, position

組立て kumitate setup, assembly

The Chinese represented just plain “standing” by a person standing, this time not in the abstract but on the ground They first squared it off to and finally wrote it 立. It means to stand or to rise up. As a word by itself it is pronounced TA-TSU (the intransitive verb form, meaning stand up yourself), TA-TERU (the transitive verb form, meaning stand or raise something else up), or TACHI. Used in proper names it is generally pronounced TACHI. Used in compound words 立 is pronounced RITSU or RYŪ. The well-known electrical equipment manufacturer HITACHI, for example, is written 日立, sun-rise.

一

1 stroke

ON READING: ICHI

KUN READINGS: hito, hito(tsu)

one

一月 ichi-gatsu January

一人 hitori unit (person), one person

一つ hitotsu one (piece)

一日 ichinichi, tsuitachi one day, first day of the month

The Chinese wrote the number one with one flat horizontal line 一. They found it hard to simplify this pictograph, so never changed its shape. It is pronounced ICHI either in compound words or by itself. It can also be pronounced HITOTSU (with a kana, since the kanji 一 only provides the HITO sound) either in compound words or by itself.

二

2 strokes

ON READING: NI

KUN READINGS: futa, futa(tsu)

two

二月 nigatsu February

二人 futari two people

二つ futatsu two (pieces)

二日 futuka two days, second day of the month

The number two followed the same pattern and was written 二. It is pronounced NI, either in compound words or by itself. It can also be pronounced FUTA-TSU (again with a kana, since the kanji 二 only provides the FUTA sound) in compound words or by itself.

三

3 strokes

ON READING: SAN

KUN READINGS: mi, mit(tsu)

three

三分 sanpun three minutes

三人 san-nin three people

三つ mittsu three (pieces)

三月 sangatsu March

The number three was done the same, and was written 三. It is pronounced SAN either in compound words or by itself. 三 can also be pronounced MI or MIT-TSU (with a kana) in compound words or by itself.

五

4 strokes

ON READING: GO

KUN READING: itsu(tsu)

five

五分 gofun; gobu five minutes

五人 go-nin three people

五つ itsutsu five (pieces)

五月 gogatsu May

The number five started out the same, with five flat horizontal lines The Chinese found that there were too many horizontal lines to write clearly in a small space and, further, there was no way to draw them cursively with a brush in one continuous line without lifting the brush from the paper, so they took two of the lines and made them vertical 丑. Then they opened up the upper corner for aesthetic balance and wrote it 五. It is pronounced GO either in compound words or by itself. It can also be pronounced ITSU-TSU (with a kana) in compound words or by itself.

四

5 strokes

ON READING: SHI

KUN READINGS: yo, yon, yot(tsu)

four

四月 shigatsu April

四人 yonin four people

四時 yoji four o’clock

四つ yottsu four (pieces)

The number four was pictured as four fingers balled into a fist The Chinese first simplified it a bit to and then in final form as 四. It is pronounced SHI either in compound words or by itself. 四 can also be pronounced YO, YON or YOT-TSU (with a kana) in compound words or by itself.

十

2 strokes

ON READING: JŪ

KUN READINGS: tō, to

ten

十円 jūen ten yen

十月 jūgatsu October

十分 jippn, juppun ten minutes

十日 tōka ten days, tenth day of the month

The number ten was pictured as the ten fingers of two crossed hands The fingers took too long to write so the Chinese simplified the final form to just the cross 十. It is pronounced JŪ either in compound words or by itself. 十 also can be pronounced TŌ or TO, either in compound words or by itself. In compound words it is also sometimes pronounced JIT or JUT.

世

5 strokes

ON READINGS: SE, SEI

KUN READING: yo

generation

世紀 sekai century

世界 sekai world

出世 shusse success in career

世の中 yo-no-naka public, society

The Chinese connected three tens and underlined them with a one 一 to emphasize that thirty years was one life-span, one generation. They simplified it first to then squared it off to the final form 世, meaning a generation. Used as a word by itself it is pronounced YO. In compound words it is pronounced SE or SEI. A 二世 NISEI, two-generation, is a Nisei, a second-generation American, born in the USA, of Japanese parentage. An 一世 ISSEI (ICHISEI pronounced euphonically), one-generation, is an Issei, a first-generation Japanese who emigrated to the United States.

協

8 strokes

ON READING: KYŌ

to unite, to join in cooperation

協会 kyōkai association

協調 kyōchō cooperation

協定 kyōtei agreement

協同体 kyōdōtai collaboration

The Chinese tripled power 力力力 then multiplied by ten 十 to form the new composite kanji 協, many-strengths-together, meaning to unite, to join together in cooperation. 協 is not used as a word by itself. Used with other kanji in compound words it is pronounced KYŌ. The compound word 協力 KYŌRYOKU, unite-strength, means cooperation.

九

2 strokes

ON READINGS: KYŪ, KU

KUN READING: kokono(tsu)

nine

九人 kyūnin nine people

九月 kugatsu September

九日 kokonoka nine days, nineth day of the month

九つ kokonotsu nine (pieces)

For number nine, the Chinese started with the number ten 十 and dropped one off to get down to number nine. They first wrote it as and finally squared it off to 九. (To “square off ” a pictograph means to line up and re-proportion the components to make it aesthetically pleasing and easy to read and write; in nine 九, the squaring off is done by rounding). It is pronounced KYŪ or KU either in compounds or when used by itself. It can also be pronounced KOKONO-TSU (with kana), either in compound words or by itself.

八

2 strokes

ON READING: HACHI

KUN READINGS: ya, yat(tsu), yō

eight

八日 yōka eight days, eighth day of the the month

八月 hachigatsu August

八百屋 yao-ya greengrocery

八つ yattsu eight (pieces)

To symbolize the act of splitting or dividing, the Chinese drew a straight vertical line then divided it in two｜｜. It was stylized as and came to be the kanji for the number eight 八 (but also retaining the concept of “divide”) since eight is one vertical line divided up. It is pronounced HACHI either in compound words or by itself. It can also be pronounced YA, YAT-TSU or YŌ in special cases. 八 appears in many other kanji as an element that brings to the composite kanji the meaning of “divide.”

六

4 strokes

ON READING: ROKU

KUN READINGS: mu, mui, mut(tsu)

six

六月 rokugatsu June

六分 roppun six minutes

六つ muttsu six (pieces)

六日 muika six days, sixth day of the month

The Chinese drew a pictograph of the element for eight 八 and the element for two 二 escaping through the top to symbolize eight minus two, the number six. They wrote the final form of the kanji 六, meaning six. Used as word by itself it is pronounced MUT-TSU. In compound words 六 is pronounced ROKU, MU, or MUI.