Meaning
隅 (すみ / グウ) means corner, nook, or recess — a sheltered space where two walls or surfaces meet. It covers both the literal corner of a room and the kind of quiet, tucked-away place easy to miss: a hidden alley, the edge of a page, a remote stretch of coastline.
隅 is built from two parts. On the left, 阝 (こざとへん) is the side form of 阜, originally a stepped earthen mound. On the right, 禺 acts mainly as a phonetic element carrying the グウ sound. Picture two earthen walls meeting at an angle — the sheltered hollow they form at the base is exactly what 隅 captures.
隅 has 12 strokes and sits on the Joyo kanji list at grade 8, typically encountered in Japanese middle or high school. At JLPT N2, two expressions make it worth learning early: 隅々 (every nook and corner) and 片隅 (a secluded nook). Know those two and the kanji will feel natural quickly.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is グウ (gū). In modern speech it is rare, appearing mainly in formal, literary, or technical compounds. Still, knowing it helps with architectural vocabulary and older written texts.
- 隅角 (gūkaku) — angle, corner (architectural term)
- 海隅 (kaigū) — a remote coastal region (literary)
グウ surfaces mostly in classical poetry or formal writing — descriptions of distant coastlines, the far corners of the land. Recognizing it unlocks a layer of older literary Japanese that kun'yomi alone cannot reach.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
In daily conversation, すみ (sumi) does all the work. This is the reading you will hear — someone pointing to the corner of a room, the edge of a sheet of paper, or any out-of-the-way spot.
- 隅 (sumi) — corner, nook
- 片隅 (katasumi) — one corner; a quietly overlooked nook
- 隅々 (sumizumi) — every nook and cranny
- 四隅 (yosumi) — the four corners of a space
すみ carries something beyond geometry. In Japanese aesthetics, corners are places of quiet refuge — always present, rarely noticed. That sensibility shows up in 隅に置けない (sumi ni okenai): literally "cannot be left in a corner." It is used as a compliment — said of someone too remarkable to be ignored or set aside.
Common Words & Compounds
Everyday spatial expressions:
- 隅 (sumi) — corner, nook
- 片隅 (katasumi) — one corner; a tucked-away or forgotten spot
- 四隅 (yosumi) — the four corners of a room, table, or area
- 隅々 (sumizumi) — every nook and corner; used to express thoroughness
Architecture and construction:
- 隅柱 (sumibashira) — corner post or pillar of a building
- 隅石 (sumiishi) — cornerstone
- 隅切り (sumikiri) — chamfered corner; an angled cut in carpentry or architecture
- 隅木 (sumiki) — hip rafter; the diagonal roof beam at the corner of a traditional Japanese building
Idiomatic and literary expressions:
- 隅に置けない (sumi ni okenai) — not someone to underestimate; surprisingly clever or capable
- 世界の隅々 (sekai no sumizumi) — every corner of the world
- 隅から隅まで (sumi kara sumi made) — from corner to corner; completely, end to end
Geographic names:
- 隅田川 (Sumidagawa) — the Sumida River, running through eastern Tokyo
- 隅田 (Sumida) — ward in Tokyo, home to the Tokyo Skytree
Example Sentences
部屋の隅に猫が隠れていた。
Heya no sumi ni neko ga kakurete ita.
A cat was hiding in the corner of the room.
彼は部屋の片隅で本を読んでいた。
Kare wa heya no katasumi de hon wo yonde ita.
He was reading a book in a corner of the room.
部屋を隅々まで掃除した。
Heya wo sumizumi made sōji shita.
I cleaned every nook and cranny of the room.
地図の隅に小さな注記があった。
Chizu no sumi ni chiisana chūki ga atta.
There was a small note in the corner of the map.
彼女は街の片隅にある小さなカフェで働いている。
Kanojo wa machi no katasumi ni aru chiisana kafe de hataraite iru.
She works at a small café tucked away in a corner of the town.
子供たちは公園の隅で遊んでいた。
Kodomotachi wa kōen no sumi de asonde ita.
The children were playing in a corner of the park.
部屋の四隅にランプを置いた。
Heya no yosumi ni ranpu wo oita.
I placed lamps in the four corners of the room.
あの人は隅に置けない人物だ。
Ano hito wa sumi ni okenai jinbutsu da.
That person is not someone you can underestimate — they are surprisingly capable.
彼の名声は世界の隅々にまで知られている。
Kare no meisei wa sekai no sumizumi ni made shirarete iru.
His fame is known in every corner of the world.
古い建物の隅には蜘蛛の巣があった。
Furui tatemono no sumi ni wa kumo no su ga atta.
There were cobwebs in the corners of the old building.
Memory Tip
Picture 阝 on the left as a tall earthen wall. On the right, 禺 is a strange angular creature crouching in the shadows behind it — hidden in a corner where no one looks. That sheltered hollow is exactly what 隅 means.
すみ also sounds like sumi-e (墨絵), Japanese ink painting. In sumi-e, figures often appear near the edge of the canvas while empty space carries the composition. Dark ink gathers quietly at the corner of a brushstroke — just like the character itself.
For the idiom: 隅に置けない describes someone too extraordinary to tuck away in a corner and forget. Once you know that expression, the kanji sticks on its own.