StrokeFox
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曜 — how to write the kanji for “weekday”

曜 (“weekday”) is a JLPT N4 kanji taught in second grade in Japan. Its parts sit side by side: 日 (“day”, its radical), strokes 1–4; 翟 (“surname”), strokes 5–18, each finished before the next. Its 18 strokes make it one of the longest to write at N4. Its common words take the reading you: 土曜 (“Saturday”), 曜日 (“day of the week”), 日曜 (“Sunday”) and 金曜 (“Friday”). Chinese reads it yào, “bright”.

Strokes
18
JLPT
N4
Radical
日 (“day”)
On
ヨウ

Stroke by stroke

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  1. Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
  2. Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
  3. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  4. Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
  5. Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆toprightwards → downwards
  6. Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
  7. Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
  8. Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆top rightrightwards → downwards
  9. Horizontal ㇐top rightrightwards
  10. Horizontal ㇐top rightrightwards
  11. Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and left
  12. Vertical ㇑centerdownwards
  13. Left-falling stroke ㇒rightdown and left
  14. Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
  15. Vertical ㇑rightdownwards
  16. Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
  17. Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards
  18. Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (18 strokes in Japanese, 18 strokes in Chinese).

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Japanese · KanjiVG · 18 strokes
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Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 18 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived)
ヨウ you
Kun (native)
none
Meanings
weekday
Read you
土曜 曜日 日曜 金曜 月曜 水曜
School year
second grade
Newspaper rank
940th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja
요 yo
Common words
15 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 曜

WordReadingMeaning
土曜どよう doyouSaturday
曜日ようび youbiday of the week
日曜にちよう nichiyouSunday
金曜きんよう kin'youFriday
月曜げつよう getsuyouMonday
水曜すいよう suiyouWednesday
木曜もくよう mokuyouThursday
火曜日かようび kayoubiTuesday
火曜かよう kayouTuesday
土曜日どようび doyoubiSaturday

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: