Meaning and Usage
The kanji 千 (せん) means "thousand" and is used to count or describe quantities of 1,000. It appears frequently in numbers, prices, and population counts.
Common Collocations
- 千円 (せんえん): one thousand yen, commonly used when talking about money.
- 千人 (せんにん): one thousand people, often used in contexts like crowds or audiences.
- 千葉 (ちば): a place name containing the character 千, showing it can appear in proper nouns.
Notes on Usage
千 is a Sino-Japanese (on'yomi) reading and is mostly used in compound words or numbers. When counting objects, the native Japanese number system is often used instead. For example, "one thousand books" would be 千冊 (せんさつ) using 千 with a counter.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 千 (せん) with ち (ち) which can also mean "thousand" in some contexts but is less common. Always use せん for standard counting and prices.
Register
This kanji is neutral and used in both formal and informal contexts, especially in writing and numbers.