杯 Meaning, Reading, and Vocabulary｜Onyomi ハイ・Kunyomi さかずき
The kanji 杯 means a vessel or cup used for drinking liquids.
Its onyomi is ハイ, and it is very commonly used in daily life as a counter for cups of beverages.
Its kunyomi, さかずき, is mainly used to refer to traditional sake cups or a celebratory toast.
Kanji at a glance
Core meaning / core image
The kanji 杯 means a cup made of wood (木). In modern Japanese, it is widely used as a counter for beverages, when making a toast, or to indicate that something is full.
Kanji structure breakdown
Mnemonic story
Imagine carving wood (木) into a special shape that is not (不) just ordinary wood anymore. This represents a vessel crafted specifically for drinking liquids, hence the meaning 'cup'.
On'yomi and kun'yomi
On reading
Kun reading
Commonly used words
Example sentences
Mini quiz
What is the correct reading for '一杯'?
One-line summary
杯 means 'cup' (originally made of wood) and is an essential kanji frequently used in daily life for toasts (乾杯) and as a counter for beverages.
FAQ
How does the pronunciation change when used as a counter?
The pronunciation changes depending on the preceding number. Generally, it is pronounced as パイ (いっぱい, ろっぱい, はっぱい, じゅっぱい) after 1, 6, 8, and 10, as バイ (さんばい) after 3, and as ハイ (にはい, よんはい, etc.) for the rest.
What is the difference between 杯 (さかずき) and コップ (cup)?
コップ generally refers to Western-style cups made of glass or plastic (like water glasses), whereas 杯 (さかずき) is mainly used to refer to traditional Japanese sake cups.
