さん
Meanings
Numeric
1. three; 3
参 is used in legal documents
Pitch accent
さ
ん
Used in vocabulary (374 in total)
participation; joining; entry
road approaching a shrine
triangle; triangular shape
two or three
triple; treble; threefold; three-ply; triplicate
third; no. three
reference; consultation
thirty; 30; 6am
three times; thrice; third (interval)
visiting a temple for another
absence; nonattendance; nonappearance
thirteen; 13; king
three large cities (esp. Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka during the Edo period)
three times (as much); treble; triple; threefold
deep admiration; repeatedly lamenting
third stage; three stages; third dan (in martial arts, go, shogi, etc.)
seven-to-three ratio; 70-30 split; 70-30 hair part; hairstyle with hair parted in a 70-30 ratio
bringing; taking; carrying
set of three; three sets; three classes
secretary; councillor; councilor
three sons; third son
oh no!; good heavens!; oops
three people
third grade; third class; tertiary
visit; inspection
unlucky day for starting construction of a house (which would result in a fire that spreads to three adjacent houses)
three years; third school year (e.g. of high school)
3 o'clock; afternoon snack (eaten around 3 o'clock); three ages of Buddhism (following the death of Gautama Buddha; age of the true law, age of the copied law, and age of the degeneration of the law); three ages of the dharma
three dimensions; 3D; 3-D; real world; IRL; in real life
third class
three-digit number; hundreds column
three parts; three copies
assembling (of people)
three boxes; three box-shaped things; three containers
three times
three meals (a day)
shichi-go-san; 7-5-3 day; festival day for children aged 7, 5 and 3 held on or around November 15; lucky numbers 7, 5 and 3
forked stick
triple handicap (esp. blindness, deafness and mutism)
pansy (Viola tricolor var. hortensis); garden pansy; wild pansy (Viola tricolor); heartsease
Shinto, Buddhism and Confucianism; (lit.) the three religions; Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism; Buddhism, Shinto and Christianity
full signal strength (on a cellphone); good cellphone reception; (lit.) three bars
palace visit
combined vaccination for diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus
third-year student; third-year pupil
third floor
three flat objects (sheets of paper, pieces of cloth, etc.); cutting a fish into two boneless fillets and a piece with the skeleton
participation in a war; going to war; taking part in a competition or contest
the three character styles: square and semicursive and grass
one third; a third part
calling on; visiting
the big three ...
23rd day of the month; 23 days
third place; third rank; third rank (in the Japanese court system); Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
third-rate; third-class
three generations; three periods; third generation
three generations; third generation immigrant; sansei; the third (e.g. Henry III)
adoration which is performed three times or repeatedly; act of worship which is performed three times or repeatedly
attendance; participation; presence
31st day of the month; 31 days
again and again; repeatedly
three wheels
third daughter
three kinds; three varieties
one four-of-a-kind and one three-of-a-kind in a dealt hand; three and a four (in dice games)
three persons; three parties
third; tertiary; cubic (function, equation, etc.); third-order
the three gods of creation; five-grain guardian gods
three colours; three colors; triple run; winning hand containing the same chow in each of the three suits; triple pung; winning hand containing the same pung in each of the three suits
the three princesses; three kabuki roles regarded as some of the hardest to perform
third year of junior high school; third-year junior high school student
three noble families (Kan'in, Kazan'in and Nakanoin or Koga); three branches of the Tokugawa family (Owari, Kii and Mito)
tripod; three legs
petty underling; small fry
in groups of twos and threes; in small groups; (lit.) (in groups of) threes and fives
to come; to go; to participate; to perform Zen meditation
three-stranded
third base
semicircular canals (of the inner ear)
great army; mighty host; whole army
trisection; dividing into three (parts)
triangular pyramid
large triple gate to temple
immediate follower (of the shogun)
three sides; three faces; page three (of a newspaper)
third year of high school; third-year high-school student
three branches of Buddhist sutras
oldest member of a group; longest-serving member
being highly educated, having a high salary and being tall; (lit.) three highs; high-valued yen, high stock prices and high land prices (usu. in reference to Japan's "bubble era")
first three days of the New Year (January 1-3)
instrumental trio
three-way deadlock
San'etsu (the three former provinces of Echizen, Etchū and Echigo)
three lifetime commandments (youth's femininity, middle-aged struggle, old-age gain); three categories of precepts (lay, ordination, moral)
taking part (in planning); participation
three-day weekend; long weekend; three holidays in a row
third year (college) student; junior
participation in government; state councillor (in the ritsuryō system); state councilor; vice-minister (early Meiji period); Cabinet Councillor (1937-1943); Cabinet Councilor
paltry amount of money; cheapness; worthlessness; three one-mon coins
third time lucky; third time's the charm
three highest ranks (wrestling, unions, etc.); three parts; three divisions
arrival at a military camp; joining in a battle
changing again and again; seesawing back and forth; being in a state of flux
third person; third-person reference term; term used to refer to someone or something in the third person
congratulatory visit to the Imperial Palace (e.g. at New Year)
third proof
third year of elementary school; third year elementary school student
top three
trio; triumvirate; three famous retainers
trio; triumvirate; three famous retainers
House of Councillors (upper house of the National Diet of Japan)
second anniversary of a death
out on a third-base liner
instrumental trio
outermost region of the castle
everybody is different; to each their own; three different people, three different styles
three lords (highest ranking officials in the old Imperial Chinese or Japanese governments)
in earnest; single-minded; with intense concentration; one and only; unique
retirement (to a temple of shrine) for prayer
participation in politics; suffrage; voting
performing a rakugo story on the spot based on three topics given by the audience; impromptu rakugo story based on three subjects
kitchen maid; kitchen duties; cooking
three-second rule (food hygiene myth); three seconds rule (basketball)
wielding three swords; player who can play as pitcher, fielder and batter
three primary colors (colours)
two or three
three-cornered hat; tricorne
the three powers (heaven, earth and man); everything in the universe
shamisen; samisen; sanxian (Chinese lute); the three string instruments used in gagaku (biwa, wagon and sou); three strings; three-stringed instrument
Zen meditation; meditative consultation with the head abbot
three enlightened men (Buddha, Confucius and Christ; Lao-tzu, Confucius and Buddha; etc.); three sages; three virtuous men; the three most accomplished people (of a particular craft or trade)
three mountains; three shrines (of Kumano); three kingdoms (of 14th and 15th-century Okinawa)
three or four days
23rd night of a lunar month (esp. 8th month); moon-waiting party held on 23rd night of a lunar month
cube; third power
after-afterparty; third party of the night
triennial
Sanriku (the three former provinces of Rikuzen, Rikuchū and Rikuō)
three wins in a row
male bathhouse attendant
triangular prism
suffrage; franchise
three great people (e.g. of the Meiji Restoration)
AA battery; AA cell
Estates General; States-General
Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
the three deities (Marici, Mahakala, Sarasvati); the three celestials (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma)
pansy (Viola tricolor var. hortensis); garden pansy; wild pansy (Viola tricolor); heartsease
three-game match; three-bout contest; a rubber (in a card game)
three-pitch strikeout
third watch of the night (approx. 11pm to 1am)
three-section staff
attendance (at a meeting)
the three worms (in Taoism); worms that inhabit the human gut and, on the eve of the 57th day of the sexagenary cycle, ascend to heaven during one's sleep to report on one's wrongdoings
winner of triple crown
three dot leader; ellipsis
third degree of kinship
three and a half lines
the three people one must esteem: master, father, teacher
shamisen; samisen; three-stringed Japanese lute
Three Wise Men; Magi
(Asimov's) Three Laws of Robotics
Third Investigation Division (of the Japanese police); division responsible for investigating theft, burglary, shoplifting, etc.
the three kleshas that poison the heart of man (desire, ill will and ignorance)
three secondary Tokugawa branch families (Tayasu, Shimizu, and Hitotsubashi)
the three powers of government (legislative, executive and judicial)
Triad (secret Chinese society usually associated with organized crime)
three-base hit; triple
fifty-three stations on the Tōkaidō (Edo-Kyoto highway in Edo-period Japan)
tricyclic antidepressant
The Three Unifiers (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu)
three-line classified advertisement
threefold training; three divisions of the noble eightfold path
three types of relatives (e.g. father, children and grandchildren; parents, siblings, wife and children; etc.)
adenosine triphosphate; ATP
adenosine triphosphate; ATP
the world of hungry spirits and the world of animals; three evil worlds hell; three evils (prostitution, drugs and venereal diseases)
potbelly; beer belly
third-term election
the three Han nations (of ancient Korea)
seven to three (chances)
15th day of the 1st, 7th and 10th lunar months; heaven, earth and man; January 1; New Year's Day; ternary
Unit 731 (biological warfare unit of the Japanese Imperial Army)
Unit 731 (biological warfare unit of the Japanese Imperial Army)
Japan's three antinuclear principles (against producing, possessing and allowing the entry of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory)
Pythagorean theorem
three cardinal virtues (wisdom, benevolence and valour (valor)); (having) three uses (e.g. a kitchen knife); (having) three advantages (e.g. a method); three qualities of nirvana (dharmakaya, prajna and moksha); three qualities of parinirvana; three virtues of Buddhahood (benevolence, wisdom and renunciation of klesha)
sergeant (JGSDF)
the three most important cities (esp. in ref. to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya)
comparison and choosing the good; consultation; referring to
21st day after death; 21st day after birth
three kinds of awareness
(Sun Yat-sen's) Three Principles of the People
(Sun Yat-sen's) Three Principles of the People
triple ko
38th parallel (that demarcates North Korea and South Korea)
recruit (former rank in the JSDF)
the three entertainment district enterprises: eating houses, geisha houses, meeting places for assignations, etc.
breaking into cold sweat when one is very embarrassed or scared
three Cs; three conditions that facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases (closed spaces, crowds, and close contact); three mysteries (Buddha's body, speech and mind)
House of Representatives and House of Councillors; both houses of the Diet
Triassic period
Sanron sect (of Buddhism)
to keep one's distance from someone (due to fear or because that person is superior)
three phases
the three phases of matter: solid, liquid and gas
win worth 24000 points (or, if dealer, 36000 points)
each of the three being different from the other two; each of the three having his (her) own way
riding triple (on a bicycle, motorcycle, etc.)
broad daylight
tic-tac-toe; noughts and crosses
the wrongdoer never lacks a pretext; even thieves have their reasons; give the devil his due
second anniversary of a death
Sanwa Bank, Limited
visiting a shrine; visiting a home
triaxial
best is Fuji, second is a hawk, third is an eggplant (of auspicious things to see in a dream, esp. one's first dream of the year)
Naoki Prize (literary award)
three famous beauty spots
32nd anniversary of death
the three Senke schools of tea ceremony (Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakōjisenke)
March First Movement (1919 Korean anti-Japanese independence movement); Samil Movement
arrival; payment on sight
visiting the palace
three special awards for wrestlers at the end of a tournament
threefold truth (all things are void; all things are temporary; all things are in the middle state between these two) (in Tendai)
a woman's three obediences (father, husband and son; according to Buddhist and Confucianist teachings)
House of Councillors (upper house of the National Diet of Japan)
three crops a year
study reference; study-aid book
the palace sanctuary, shrine of imperial ancestors and temple inside the Japanese imperial palace
third string (of a shamisen, etc.)
joint venture of government and business; business venture financed jointly by the public and private sectors; semi-public sector
three outs
thirty-three temples sacred to Kannon (Avalokitesvara)
thirty-three temples sacred to Kannon (Avalokitesvara)
three activities (action, speech and thought)
three Graces; Charites
national of a third country; foreigner resident in Japan (esp. Chinese and Korean)
the "three noes principle" of no drive, no interest, and no sense of responsibility; principle of indolence, indifference, and irresponsibility
the "three noes principle" of no drive, no interest, and no sense of responsibility; principle of indolence, indifference, and irresponsibility
land-tax rate during the Edo period, in which the government took 70 percent of the year's crop and the farmers kept 30 percent
third person singular present
being thrice divorced; three-time divorcee; three x marks (i.e. three names struck from the family register)
being thrice divorced; three-time divorcee; three x marks (i.e. three names struck from the family register)
32nd note; demisemiquaver
third degree of kinship
the world of hungry spirits and the world of animals; three evil worlds hell
the world of hungry spirits and the world of animals; three evil worlds hell
private interview with a Zen Master
Three Principles on arms exports
three-act structure (in screenwriting: setup, confrontation, resolution)
three shop system; system employed by pachinko parlours of using separate shops to exchange prizes for cash as a way of circumventing gambling laws
three people; day laborer (e.g. in construction); day labourer
three-act play
the three Wuhan Cities
three great oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian)
traditional high-grade white sugar
Japan's Three Famous Mountains (Mt. Fuji, Mt. Tate and Mt. Haku)
three causes of Buddha nature
règle des trois unités; the three unities (time, place and action)
traditional method of stirring soba while cooking
koto, alcohol and poetry; (lit.) the three loves; the three desires of the realms of existence
last 32 (in a tournament); round of 32
three summer months
short-lived magazine
(papal) triple tiara
six-three system of education (six years of elementary school, followed by three years of junior high school)
guanosine triphosphate; GTP
guanosine triphosphate; GTP
ternary operator; conditional operator
tricyclic antidepressant
repeated reading; close (careful) reading; careful perusal
a glib tongue (with fair words); fluent talk designed to deceive; talk something away
winter, night, and rainy weather; the ideal conditions for reading
the "thirty-percent autonomy" of local governments
Adoration of the Magi
notoginseng (Panax pseudoginseng)
chromic anhydride (CrO3)
sulfur trioxide (SO3)
Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Consort
yellow stem borer (species of moth, Scirpophaga incertulas)
Third Epistle of John (book of the Bible)
Sanmonto sect (of Shin Buddhism)
three methods of Chinese divination (Lian Shan of the Xia period, Gui Cang of the Yin period and Zhou Yi of the Zhou period)
the three creator gods (Amanominakanushi no Kami, Takamimusuhi no Kami and Kamimusuhi no Kami)
three bonds (in Confucianism: master and servant, father and son, husband and wife)
three ministries (under the ritsuryō system: Ministries of Civil Services, Health and War); three departments (in Tang dynasty China: Secretariat, Chancellory and Dept. of State Affairs)
act of joining a crowd or assembly of people; attendance
36 Initials (system for transcribing initial consonants of Middle Chinese)
hourglass drum used in Nara-period court music
triacid
the three sacred mountains: Fuji, Atsuta, and Kumano
member of the House of Councillors
highest ranking prostitute in Edo's Yoshiwara red-light district (from the Hōreki era onward)
Japan's Three Holy Mountains (Mt. Fuji, Mt. Tate and Mt. Haku)
furthest pine tree from a noh stage (of the three placed in front of the bridge walkway)
Triconodonta; Eutriconodonta; order of early mammals
tribasic acid
three public corporations (Japan National Railways, Japan Monopoly Corporation, and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) and five government enterprises (postal services, mintage, printing, management of state-owned forests/fields, and monopolization of alcohol)
three mental disturbances
triangular matrix
imperial army order
three main Kumano shrines (Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha)
kami of the three main Kumano shrines
baby colic (in infants around 3 months old)
even small mistakes can be costly
trisaccharide
trisaccharides
good things do not last long
three wholesome roots (no coveting, no anger, no delusion)
the three guardian deities in time of war (Marici, Mahakala and Vaisravana)
firstly vision, secondly footwork, thirdly courage, fourthly technique (the most important aspects of kendo)
Three Noes (former Taiwan policy of no contact, no negotiation and no compromise with China)
Category III infectious disease
six-three-three-four system of education (six years of elementary school, three years each of junior and senior high school and four years of university)
Sanseito (political party)
the dreaded 3rd week (in the life of a newborn; when some previously quiet babies suddenly turn colic)
triple valve; three-state valve
children pay back their debt to their parents in full by age 3 (through their cuteness)
children pay back their debt to their parents in full by age 3 (through their cuteness)
three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology
Three Peaks of Mount Haku (Gozengamine, Kengamine, Oonanjimine)
visiting three shrines in the beginning of the year
terrifying threes; terrible threes; threenager phase; (lit.) devilish threes
trinerbate venation (of a leaf); trinerve
ternate compound leaf
third reading (of a bill in the Imperial Diet)
three-space jump; three-point jump
trigonal pyramid
full-day child (aged 0-2; at a certified center for early childhood education and care)
triton (nucleus of tritium)
play at the center of three stones
play at the center of three stones
Japanese Gynura (Gynura Japonica)
Sankyokasei Corporation
The Three Musketeers (1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas)
Sanyo; San'you
SRIC Corporation; Sanwa Research Institute Corporation
The Three-Body Problem (2008 novel and subsequent adaptations)
three days' march (approx. 36.5 km)
three kinds of beneficial friends: straightforward, sincere, and well-informed ones
three kinds of harmful friends: hypocritical, sycophantic, and glib-talking ones
Sanjō Station (Kyoto)
Sangō Station (Nara)
Examples (57 in total)
Three weeks went by.
The court session lasted for three hours.
I had no more than three pounds.