着 — how to write the kanji for “don”
着 means “don”, “arrive” and “wear”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in third grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 376th most used kanji. The Japanese data draws 12 strokes and the Chinese data 11 strokes. On its own it is the word chaku, “arrival; arriving at ...”. Read chaku, it forms 決着 (“conclusion”), 癒着 (“adhesion”) and 到着 (“arrival”); the native reading ki-ru gives 着物 (“kimono”) and 下着 (“underwear”). Chinese reads it zhe, “aspect particle”, at HSK 2.
- Strokes
- 12
- JLPT
- N4
- Radical
- 目 (“eye”)
- On
- チャク, ジャク
- Kun
- き·せる, つ·ける, き·る
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Its parts sit one inside another: 羊 (“sheep”), strokes 1–6; 丿 (“slash”), stroke 7; 目 (“eye”, its radical), strokes 8–12, each finished before the next.
- Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
- Left-falling stroke ㇒top rightdown and left
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and left
- Vertical ㇑centerdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕centerrightwards → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards
Japanese and Chinese
KanjiVG draws it with 12 strokes and Make Me a Hanzi with 11 strokes. The reference lists do not confirm both counts, so this can be a convention of the two data sets rather than a difference in how it is taught.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- チャク chaku, ジャク jaku (rare)
- Kun (native)
- き·せる ki-seru, つ·ける tsu-keru, き·る ki-ru (rare), つ·く tsu-ku (rare)
- Meanings
- don; arrive; wear; counter for suits of clothing
- Read chaku
- 決着 癒着 到着 着工 着陸 定着
- Read ki-ru
- 着物 下着
- Read tsu-ku
- 落ち着いた
- School year
- third grade
- Newspaper rank
- 376th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 착 chak
- Common words
- 56 in JMdict
Words with 着
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 決着 | けっちゃく ketchaku | conclusion; decision |
| 着実 | ちゃくじつ chakujitsu | steady; sound |
| 落ち着いた | おちついた ochitsuita | calm; composed |
| 癒着 | ゆちゃく yuchaku | adhesion; conglutination |
| 到着 | とうちゃく touchaku | arrival |
| 着工 | ちゃっこう chakkou | starting (construction) work |
| 着陸 | ちゃくりく chakuriku | landing; alighting |
| 着物 | きもの kimono | kimono; Japanese traditional clothing |
| 下着 | したぎ shitagi | underwear; undergarment |
| 定着 | ていちゃく teichaku | sticking; settling |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Same parts:
JLPT N4, in list order: