Onyomi: シン · Kunyomi: あたら.しい, あら-, あら.た, にい- · Meanings: new
Kanji for new
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The kanji 新 combines 亲 (parent or close) with 斤 (axe). Originally, it showed a person cutting down a tree to make something new — symbolizing renewal, change, or beginning again. Over time, 新 came to mean “new,” “fresh,” or “recent,” expressing the feeling of starting something different or modern.
A person uses an axe to create something new — 新 means new, fresh, or recent.
Imagine chopping down an old tree to build something brand new — that’s 新, the kanji for new beginnings and freshness.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 新 | しん | new, neo- | common JLPT-N1 Prefix |
| 新 | さら | new, unused | Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 新聞 | しんぶん | newspaper | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 新幹線 | しんかんせん | Shinkansen, bullet train | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 新しい | あたらしい | new, novel, fresh, recent, latest, up-to-date, modern | common JLPT-N5 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 新聞社 | しんぶんしゃ | newspaper company | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 新鮮 | しんせん | fresh | common JLPT-N3 Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 新た | あらた | new, fresh, novel | common JLPT-N3 Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 改めて | あらためて | another time, again, over again, once again, anew | common JLPT-N2 Adverb (fukushi) |
| 新人 | しんじん | newcomer, new figure, new member, recruit, rookie, new talent, new star | common JLPT-N1 Noun |