KaiwaGo五 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
五 means “five”. It is written with 4 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ゴ (go). Kun’yomi: いつ (itsu), いつ.つ (itsutsu).
How to write 五 (stroke order)
Write 五 in 4 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
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 五
Trace 五 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 五
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ゴ (go) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | いつ (itsu)いつ.つ (itsutsu) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 五 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 五
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 五つ | いつつ itsutsu | five (things) | |
| 五日 | いつか itsuka | the 5th (day) |
五つ (itsutsu) means “five (things)”.
五日 (itsuka) means “the 5th (day)”. Also in this word: 日
FAQ
What does 五 mean in Japanese?
五 means “five”. Common words with it are 五つ (itsutsu, “five (things)”) and 五日 (itsuka, “the 5th (day)”).
How many strokes does 五 have?
五 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 4.
How do you read 五?
The on’yomi is ゴ (go) and the kun’yomi is いつ (itsu), いつ.つ (itsutsu). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 五 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 五 is kanji number 5 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.