KaiwaGo書 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
書 means “write, book”. It is written with 10 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ショ (sho). Kun’yomi: か.く (kaku).
How to write 書 (stroke order)
Write 書 in 10 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
- 9
- 10
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 書
Trace 書 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 書
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ショ (sho) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | か.く (kaku) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 書 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 書
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 書く | かく kaku | to write | |
| 辞書 | じしょ jisho | dictionary |
書く (kaku) means “to write”.
辞書 (jisho) means “dictionary”.
FAQ
What does 書 mean in Japanese?
書 means “write, book”. Common words with it are 書く (kaku, “to write”) and 辞書 (jisho, “dictionary”).
How many strokes does 書 have?
書 has 10 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 10.
How do you read 書?
The on’yomi is ショ (sho) and the kun’yomi is か.く (kaku). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 書 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 書 is kanji number 84 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.