差 (Distinction) — Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

distinction, difference, variation, discrepancy, margin, balance

On’yomi サ

Kun’yomi さ.す、さ.し

Origin

The character 差 combines the sheep radical 羊, which appears in characters related to things that can vary or be evaluated, with the component 左, which serves as a sound hint for the pronunciation. The sheep radical suggests the idea of distinction or selection—comparing animals to choose the best one. Over time, this visual idea of comparing and choosing developed into the broader meaning of difference or distinction. The left component 左 doesn't contribute to the meaning but guides you toward the character's pronunciation.

差 10 strokes

Components

羊 radical
左 sound hint

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

格差かくさ qualitative difference; disparity
誤差ごさ measurement error; calculation error
交差こうさ crossing; intersection
差すさす to shine
差異さい difference; disparity
差益さえき marginal profits
差額さがく balance; difference (in price, cost)
差別さべつ distinction; differentiation

Easily confused with

These look alike but are unrelated in meaning — check the stroke that differs.

羞 feel ashamed

Reference

Strokes: 10
Kangxi radical: 48
Formation type: Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
Grade: Grade 4 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank: #449 (newspapers)
Former JLPT: level 2
Unicode: U+05DEE