StrokeFox
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歌 — how to write the kanji for “song”

歌 (“song” and “sing”) is a JLPT N4 kanji taught in second grade in Japan. Its parts: 哥 (“big brother”), strokes 1–10; 欠 (“lack”, its radical), strokes 11–14, each finished before the next. Its 14 strokes make it one of the longest to write at N4. On its own it is the word uta, “song; singing”. Its common words take the reading ka: 歌手 (“singer”), 歌舞伎 (“kabuki”), 短歌 (“tanka”) and 歌人 (“poet”). Chinese reads it gē, “song”, at HSK 1.

Strokes
14
JLPT
N4
Radical
欠 (“lack”)
On
カ
Kun
うた·う, うた

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
  1. Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
  2. Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
  3. Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
  4. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  5. Vertical ㇑topdownwards
  6. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  7. Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
  8. Horizontal-turn ㇕leftrightwards → downwards
  9. Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
  10. Vertical hook ㇚centerdownwards
  11. Left-falling stroke ㇒topdownwards
  12. Horizontal hook ㇖toprightwards → down and left
  13. Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdownwards
  14. Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (14 strokes in Japanese, 14 strokes in Chinese).

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Japanese · KanjiVG · 14 strokes
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Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 14 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived)
カ ka
Kun (native)
うた·う uta-u, うた uta (rare)
Meanings
song; sing
Read ka
歌手 歌舞伎 短歌 歌人 歌劇 歌詞
School year
second grade
Newspaper rank
519th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja
가 ga
Common words
25 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 歌

WordReadingMeaning
歌手かしゅ kashusinger
歌舞伎かぶき kabukikabuki; traditional form of drama and music performed by male…
短歌たんか tankatanka; 31-mora Japanese poem
歌人かじん kajinpoet
歌劇かげき kagekiopera
歌詞かし kashisong lyrics; words of a song
歌集かしゅう kashuucollection of waka poems; anthology
歌曲かきょく kakyokumelody; tune
演歌えんか enkaenka; traditional-style Japanese popular ballad
国歌こっか kokkanational anthem

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: