字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

scheme, plan, policy, step, means

On’yomi サク

Origin

The character 策 combines bamboo at the top with a sound hint at the bottom. Bamboo was used in ancient China to make thin strips for writing, and these strips were used to record plans, policies, and administrative decisions. Over time, the character came to mean the plans and strategies themselves rather than just the physical writing strips. The bottom component provides a sound hint for pronunciation but doesn't contribute to the meaning.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

策 12 strokes

Components

  • 竹 radical top
  • 朿 sound hint bottom

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

Common words

  • 国策 こくさく national policy
  • 策定 さくてい formulation (of a plan, policy, etc.); decision
  • 策略 さくりゃく stratagem; artifice
  • 散策 さんさく walking; strolling
  • 施策 しさく policy; measure
  • 政策 せいさく political measures; policy
  • 対策 たいさく measure; step
  • 得策 とくさく good policy; wise policy

Related kanji

Same sound component 朿
Same radical

Reference

Strokes
12
Kangxi radical
118
Grade
Grade 6 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#209 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+07B56