StrokeFox
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語 — how to write the kanji for “word”

語 means “word”, “speech” and “language”; it is a JLPT N5 kanji, taught in second grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 301st most used kanji. Its parts sit side by side: 言 (“say”, its radical), strokes 1–7; 吾 (“I”), strokes 8–14, each finished before the next. Its 14 strokes make it one of the longest to write at N5. On its own it is the word go, “word; term”. Read go, it forms 英語 (“English (language)”), 日本語 (“Japanese (language)”) and 言語 (“language”); the native reading kata-ru gives 物語 (“story”) and 語る (“to talk about”). Mainland Chinese writes it 语 (yǔ, “language”), an HSK 1 character.

Strokes
14
JLPT
N5
Radical
言 (“say”)
On
ゴ
Kun
かた·らう, かた·る

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. Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
  2. Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
  3. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  4. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  5. Vertical ㇑bottom leftdownwards
  6. Horizontal-turn ㇕bottom leftrightwards → downwards
  7. Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
  8. Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
  9. Vertical ㇑topdownwards
  10. Horizontal-turn ㇕toprightwards → downwards
  11. Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
  12. Vertical ㇑bottomdownwards
  13. Horizontal-turn ㇕bottomrightwards → downwards
  14. Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards

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)
ゴ go
Kun (native)
かた·らう kata-rau, かた·る kata-ru (rare)
Meanings
word; speech; language
Read go
英語 日本語 言語 用語 国語 外国語
Read kata-ru
物語 語る 語らう
School year
second grade
Newspaper rank
301st of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja
어 eo
Common words
54 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 語

WordReadingMeaning
英語えいご eigoEnglish (language)
日本語にほんご nihongoJapanese (language)
物語ものがたり monogataristory; tale
言語げんご gengolanguage
用語ようご yougoterm; terminology
国語こくご kokugonational language; Japanese language
語るかたる kataruto talk about; to speak of
外国語がいこくご gaikokugoforeign language
語らうかたらう katarauto talk; to tell
語学ごがく gogakustudy of foreign languages; linguistics

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N5, in list order: