正 – Kanji World

音読おんよみ: セイ・ショウ

訓読くんよみ: ただしい・
ただす・まさ

画数かくすう: 5

部首ぶしゅ: 止（とめる）

Meaning

Correct / Justice / Right / Upright / Proper

Conjugation Tap to expand

Basic forms (verb)
正す（ただす）— to correct; to fix; to adjust / base form
正します — correct / masu form
正した — corrected / ta form
正して — correct and… / te-form
正さない — do not correct / negative
正せば — if (one) corrects / conditional
正せ・正しなさい — correct it! / imperative
Other common forms
正したい — want to correct / 〜たい
正せる — can correct / potential
正せた — was able to correct / past potential
正せない — cannot correct / negative potential
More
正そう — let’s correct / volitional
正さなかった — didn’t correct / past negative
正している — is correcting / progressive
Also
正しい（ただしい）— correct; right / i-adjective

正す（ただす）is a godan verb ending in す.
The stem changes as follows: さ → し

Vocabulary Tap to expand

正せい — right; correctness (formal)
正しょう — correct (as in 正解)
正まさに — exactly; truly
正ただしい — correct; right
正ただす — to correct; to fix
正解せいかい — correct answer
正直しょうじき — honest; straightforward
正確せいかく — accurate; precise
正義せいぎ — justice
正月しょうがつ — New Year (season)
修正しゅうせい — correction; revision
改正かいせい — amendment (rule/law)

Sentences Tap to expand

Stroke Order Tap to expand

Insight Tap to expand

正 is one of the most important “core” kanji in Japanese — it appears everywhere in everyday life.

It’s used for being correct (正しい, 正解), being honest or straightforward (正直), accuracy (正確), and even justice (正義).

In practical terms, if you learn 正 early, you’ll recognize it again and again in signs, instructions, and common words.

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