KaiwaGo空 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
空 means “sky, empty”. It is written with 8 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: クウ (kuu). Kun’yomi: そら (sora), あ.く (aku), から (kara).
How to write 空 (stroke order)
Write 空 in 8 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
- 8
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 空
Trace 空 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 空
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | クウ (kuu) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | そら (sora)あ.く (aku)から (kara) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 空 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 空
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 空 | そら sora | sky | |
| 空港 | くうこう kuukou | airport |
空 (sora) means “sky”.
空港 (kuukou) means “airport”.
FAQ
What does 空 mean in Japanese?
空 means “sky, empty”. Common words with it are 空 (sora, “sky”) and 空港 (kuukou, “airport”).
How many strokes does 空 have?
空 has 8 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 8.
How do you read 空?
The on’yomi is クウ (kuu) and the kun’yomi is そら (sora), あ.く (aku), から (kara). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 空 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 空 is kanji number 101 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.