StrokeFox
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答 — how to write the kanji for “solution”

答 (“solution” and “answer”) is a JLPT N4 kanji taught in second grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 486th most used kanji. It starts with the left-falling sweep, before the horizontal that crosses it. On its own it is the word kotae, “answer; reply”. Read tou, it forms 回答 (“reply”), 答申 (“report”) and 答弁 (“response”); the native reading kota-eru gives 答え (“answer”). Chinese reads it dá, “to answer”, at HSK 3.

Strokes
12
JLPT
N4
Radical
竹 (“bamboo”)
On
トウ
Kun
こた·える, こた·え

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

Its parts sit stacked: 竹 (“bamboo”, its radical), strokes 1–6; 合 (“fit”), strokes 7–12, each finished before the next.

  1. Left-falling stroke ㇒top leftdown and left
  2. Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
  3. Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
  4. Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left
  5. Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
  6. Left-falling stroke ㇒top rightdown and left
  7. Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left
  8. Right-falling stroke ㇏topdown and right
  9. Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
  10. Vertical ㇑bottom leftdownwards
  11. Horizontal-turn ㇕bottom leftrightwards → downwards
  12. Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (12 strokes in Japanese, 12 strokes in Chinese).

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Japanese · KanjiVG · 12 strokes
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Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 12 strokes

The trap in 答

Stroke 1 is the left-falling stroke and stroke 2 the horizontal, the same as in 右; 左 does the opposite.

Kanji stroke order rules

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived)
トウ tou
Kun (native)
こた·える kota-eru, こた·え kota-e (rare)
Meanings
solution; answer
Read tou
回答 答申 答弁 応答 解答 答案
Read kota-eru
答え
School year
second grade
Newspaper rank
486th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja
답 dap
Common words
14 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 答

WordReadingMeaning
回答かいとう kaitoureply; answer
答申とうしん toushinreport; reply
答えこたえ kotaeanswer; reply
答弁とうべん toubenresponse; reply
応答おうとう outoureply; answer
解答かいとう kaitouanswer; solution
答案とうあん touanexamination paper; examination script
問答もんどう mondouquestions and answers; dialogue
返答へんとう hentoureply; answer
贈答ぞうとう zoutouexchange of presents

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

JLPT N4, in list order: