待 — how to write the kanji for “wait”

待 (“wait” and “depend on”) is a JLPT N4 kanji taught in third grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 391st most used kanji. Its parts sit side by side: 彳 (“step”, its radical), strokes 1–3; 寺 (“Buddhist temple”), strokes 4–9, each finished before the next. Read tai, it forms 期待 (“expectation”), 招待 (“invitation”) and 待遇 (“treatment”); the native reading ma-tsu gives 待ち (“waiting”) and 待つ (“to wait”). Chinese reads it dài, “to wait”, at HSK 4.

Strokes: 9
JLPT: N4
Radical: 彳 (“step”)
On: タイ
Kun: -ま·ち, ま·つ

Stroke by stroke

Left-falling stroke ㇒top leftdown and left
Left-falling stroke ㇒top leftdown and left
Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
Vertical ㇑topdownwards
Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
Vertical hook ㇚rightdownwards
Dot ㇔bottomdown and right

Japanese and Chinese

Japanese and Chinese draw all 9 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 9 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 9 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived): タイ tai
Kun (native): -ま·ち -ma-chi, ま·つ ma-tsu (rare)
Meanings: wait; depend on
Read tai: 期待招待待遇接待期待感虐待
Read ma-tsu: 待ち待つ
School year: third grade
Newspaper rank: 391st of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja: 대 dae
Common words: 26 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 待

Word	Reading	Meaning
期待	きたい kitai	expectation; anticipation
招待	しょうたい shoutai	invitation
待遇	たいぐう taiguu	treatment; reception
接待	せったい settai	entertainment; treating (to food and drinks)
期待感	きたいかん kitaikan	sense of anticipation; feeling of expectation
虐待	ぎゃくたい gyakutai	abuse; ill-treatment
待望	たいぼう taibou	waiting expectantly; waiting eagerly
待機	たいき taiki	standing by; awaiting an opportunity
待ち	まち machi	waiting; waiting time
待つ	まつ matsu	to wait; to await

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: