立 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order

立

立 means “stand”. It is written with 5 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.

On’yomi: リツ (ritsu), リュウ (ryuu). Kun’yomi: た.つ (tatsu), た.てる (tateru).

How to write 立 (stroke order)

Write 立 in 5 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.

12345
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

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 立

Trace 立 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 立

On’yomi (Chinese reading)リツ (ritsu)リュウ (ryuu)
Kun’yomi (Japanese reading)た.つ (tatsu)た.てる (tateru)

The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 立 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.

Example words with 立

WordReadingMeaning
たつ
tatsu
to stand
こくりつ
kokuritsu
national (public)

立つ (tatsu) means “to stand”.

国立 (kokuritsu) means “national (public)”. Also in this word: 国

FAQ

What does 立 mean in Japanese?

立 means “stand”. Common words with it are 立つ (tatsu, “to stand”) and 国立 (kokuritsu, “national (public)”).

How many strokes does 立 have?

立 has 5 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 5.

How do you read 立?

The on’yomi is リツ (ritsu), リュウ (ryuu) and the kun’yomi is た.つ (tatsu), た.てる (tateru). Which one is used depends on the word.

Is 立 on the JLPT N5?

Yes. 立 is kanji number 90 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.

Related N5 kanji

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