誰 Meaning, Reading, and Vocabulary｜Kunyomi だれ
This is the most basic N5 essential kanji meaning 'who'.
There is no official Joyo onyomi; it is primarily read with its kunyomi だれ (who).
It combines the 'speech' radical (言) and 'bird' (隹), representing the act of asking 'who is it?' in response to an unfamiliar sound.
Kanji at a glance
Core meaning / core image
It is an interrogative pronoun used to refer to or ask about an unknown person. It is an essential kanji and one of the first you will learn for referring to people in basic Japanese conversation.
Kanji structure breakdown
Mnemonic story
This kanji depicts a situation where you hear an unfamiliar, bird-like (隹) chirping voice and ask with words (言), 'Who is it?'. This question directed at an unseen person came to mean 'who'.
On'yomi and kun'yomi
Kun reading
Commonly used words
Example sentences
Mini quiz
Which word best fits in the blank of the following sentence? 「そこにいるのは ( ) ですか。」 (Who is there?)
One-line summary
誰 means 'who' and is a basic, essential kanji primarily read with its kunyomi だれ.
FAQ
Does 誰 have an onyomi (Chinese reading)?
There is no official Joyo onyomi for 誰. While dictionaries list an uncommon onyomi スイ (sui), knowing the kunyomi だれ is perfectly sufficient for everyday life and JLPT exams.
What is the difference between 誰か and 誰も?
誰か (だれか) means 'someone' and is mainly used in positive sentences or when asking about the presence of an unspecified person. On the other hand, 誰も (だれも) is usually followed by a negative expression (like ません or ない) to mean 'no one (does not ~)'.
