# 首 — Neck

Frequency rank 387 / 2,608 in published Japanese.

Frequent enough that you will keep running into it once you read past headlines.

More common than 側 (Side), less common than 師 (Teacher).

- On’yomi: しゅ
- Kun’yomi: くび
- Radical: 首 Head (Kangxi 185)
- Frequency path: Level III of XX
- School grade: 2
- Strokes: 9

The character 首 (neck) looks like a head sitting on top of a body — the connecting part between head and torso, the neck that holds everything together.

In words:

- 首 くび — neck
- 首都 しゅと — capital city
- 首相 しゅしょう — Prime Minister

[Study 首](https://app.kanjidrift.com/study?kanji=%E9%A6%96)

[← Rank 386: 師 (Teacher)](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/師.md) · [Rank 388: 側 (Side) →](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/側.md)

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