首

Neck

くび (kubi)

JLPT N4

Interesting Fact

The kanji 首 (kubi / shu) primarily means "neck" in modern Japanese, it often refers to everything from the neck up. That's why words like 首相 (shushō – Prime Minister), 首都 (shuto - Capital City) uses 首 kanji.

Memory Trick

Look at 首 and imagine a giraffe's head. The two small strokes at the top are its tiny ears, while the lines across the middle are the giraffe's distinctive stripes.