KaiwaGo食 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
食 means “eat”. It is written with 9 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ショク (shoku), ジキ (jiki). Kun’yomi: た.べる (taberu), く.う (kuu).
How to write 食 (stroke order)
Write 食 in 9 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
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 食
Trace 食 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 食
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ショク (shoku)ジキ (jiki) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | た.べる (taberu)く.う (kuu) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 食 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 食
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる taberu | to eat | |
| 食堂 | しょくどう shokudou | cafeteria |
食べる (taberu) means “to eat”.
食堂 (shokudou) means “cafeteria”.
FAQ
What does 食 mean in Japanese?
食 means “eat”. Common words with it are 食べる (taberu, “to eat”) and 食堂 (shokudou, “cafeteria”).
How many strokes does 食 have?
食 has 9 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 9.
How do you read 食?
The on’yomi is ショク (shoku), ジキ (jiki) and the kun’yomi is た.べる (taberu), く.う (kuu). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 食 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 食 is kanji number 82 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.