八 — how to write the kanji for “eight”
八 (“eight” and “eight radical”) is a JLPT N5 kanji taught in first grade in Japan. In newspapers it is one of the hundred most used kanji (92nd). It is also where katakana ハ came from. On its own it is the word hachi, “eight; 8”. Read hachi, it forms 八月 (“August”), 十八 (“eighteen”) and 八十 (“eighty”); the native reading ya gives 八重 (“eightfold”). Chinese reads it bā, “eight”, at HSK 1.
- Strokes
- 2
- JLPT
- N5
- Radical
- 八 (“eight”)
- On
- ハチ, ハツ
- Kun
- や·つ, やっ·つ, よう
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- Left-falling stroke ㇒leftdown and left
- Right-falling stroke ㇏topdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 2 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Kana from 八
- Katakana ハ, one part of the kanji
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- ハチ hachi, ハツ hatsu
- Kun (native)
- や·つ ya-tsu, やっ·つ ya-ttsu, よう you, や ya (rare)
- Meanings
- eight; eight radical
- Read hachi
- 八月 十八 八十 三十八度線 八幡 八方
- Read ya
- 八重
- School year
- first grade
- Newspaper rank
- 92nd of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 팔 pal
- Common words
- 19 in JMdict
Words with 八
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 八月 | はちがつ hachigatsu | August; eighth month of the lunar calendar |
| 十八 | じゅうはち juuhachi | eighteen; 18 |
| 八十 | はちじゅう hachijuu | eighty; 80 |
| 三十八度線 | さんじゅうはちどせん sanjuuhachidosen | 38th parallel (that demarcates North Korea and South Korea) |
| 八幡 | はちまん hachiman | Hachiman (god of war); Hachiman shrine |
| 十八番 | おはこ ohako | one's favourite party trick (favorite); one's specialty |
| 八重 | やえ yae | eightfold; octuple |
| 八方 | はっぽう happou | all sides; the four cardinal directions and the four ordinal… |
| 八分音符 | はちぶおんぷ hachibuonpu | 8th note; eighth note |
| 八丁 | はっちょう hatchou | skillfulness |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
JLPT N5, in list order: