KaiwaGo言 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
言 means “say”. It is written with 7 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ゲン (gen), ゴン (gon). Kun’yomi: い.う (iu), こと (koto).
How to write 言 (stroke order)
Write 言 in 7 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
General rules: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before a vertical that crosses it, and a closing bottom stroke last. Writing in the right order makes handwriting readable and helps you count strokes when you look a kanji up.
Practice writing 言
Trace 言 over the faint model with your finger or mouse, following the stroke order above. Turn the model off to write it from memory.
Readings of 言
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ゲン (gen)ゴン (gon) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | い.う (iu)こと (koto) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 言 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 言
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 言う | いう iu | to say | |
| 言葉 | ことば kotoba | word |
言う (iu) means “to say”.
言葉 (kotoba) means “word”.
FAQ
What does 言 mean in Japanese?
言 means “say”. Common words with it are 言う (iu, “to say”) and 言葉 (kotoba, “word”).
How many strokes does 言 have?
言 has 7 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 7.
How do you read 言?
The on’yomi is ゲン (gen), ゴン (gon) and the kun’yomi is い.う (iu), こと (koto). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 言 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 言 is kanji number 89 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.