What is the difference between "さん" and "三"?

"さん" means "three; Mr./Ms./Mx." (N5), whereas "三" represents "three" (N5).

Kanji Homophone Battle

Pronunciation Trap: "さん (san)"

Same sound, completely different Kanji! Choose the right conceptual writing.

Kanji Option A

さん (san)

N5 / CEFR

Kanji Option B

さん (san)

N5 / CEFR

In Japanese, many words share the exact same pronunciation "さん (san)" but are written with different Kanji, changing the meaning entirely.

さん (Level: N5): Translates to "three; Mr./Ms./Mx." and is used when Can refer to the number 'three'.
三 (Level: N5): Maps to "three" and carries the nuance of 数を数えるときに使います。みっつ、三人、三日など、他の言葉と組み合わせて使われることも多いです。/ Used for counting. Often combined with other words like 'mittsu'.

Mixing these up can easily result in unnatural writing. Look at the bilingual context cards below to master the conceptual boundaries!

Bilingual Context for "さん"

学生が三人います。田中さん、こんにちは。

There are three students. Hello, Mr./Ms. Tanaka.

Bilingual Context for "三"

鉛筆が三本あります。

There are three pencils.

Which Kanji perfectly fits this blank space?

Which Kanji perfectly fits the blank: "学生が三人います。田中＿＿＿、こんにちは。" (Meaning: "There are three students. Hello, Mr./Ms. Tanaka.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Correct! "さん" is used for "three; Mr./Ms./Mx." in the context: "There are three students. Hello, Mr./Ms. Tanaka.".