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Island

しま (shima)

JLPT N3

Interesting Fact

Japan consists of over 14,000 islands, although four main islands—Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku—contain almost all of the country's population. It's no surprise that 島 appears in many Japanese place names.

Memory Trick

Imagine a lonely ISLAND surrounded by endless blue water with a single bird flying overhead. That isolated land is 島.

Readings

Onyomi: トウ (tou)

Kunyomi: しま (shima)

Example Words

しま (shima)
Island
無人島
むじんとう (mujintou)
Uninhabited island
島国
しまぐに (shimaguni)
Island country
半島
はんとう (hantou)
Peninsula

Example Sentence

この 島は とても 美しいです。

この しまは とても うつくしいです。

kono shima wa totemo utsukushii desu

This island is very beautiful.

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