通 — how to write the kanji for “traffic”
通 means “traffic”, “pass through” and “avenue”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in second grade in Japan. In newspapers it is one of the hundred most used kanji (80th). Its ⻌ (“walking”) sits on the left but is written last, strokes 8–10 of 10. KANJIDIC2 files it under the radical 辵 (“walk”). On its own it is the word tsuu, “authority; expert”. Read tsuu, it forms 通信 (“correspondence”), 交通 (“traffic”) and 共通 (“common”); the native reading too-ru gives 見通し (“unobstructed view”). Chinese reads it tōng, “to go through”, at HSK 4.
- Strokes
- 10
- JLPT
- N4
- Radical
- 辵 (“walk”)
- On
- ツウ, ツ
- Kun
- -とお·り, かよ·う, とお·る
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Its parts sit one inside another: 甬 (“road with walls on both sides”), strokes 1–7; ⻌ (“walking”), strokes 8–10, each finished before the next.
- Horizontal then left-falling ㇇toprightwards → down and left
- Dot ㇔topdown and right
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆toprightwards → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
- Horizontal, turn, turn, left-falling ㇋leftrightwards → downwards → down and right
- Right-falling stroke ㇏bottom leftrightwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 10 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
The trap in 通
Write 甬 (“road with walls on both sides”) first, strokes 1–7, and finish with ⻌ (“walking”), strokes 8–10.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- ツウ tsuu, ツ tsu
- Kun (native)
- -とお·り -too-ri, かよ·う kayo-u, とお·る too-ru (rare), とお·り too-ri (rare), -どお·り -doo-ri (rare), とお·す too-su (rare), とお·し too-shi (rare), -どお·し -doo-shi (rare)
- Meanings
- traffic; pass through; avenue; commute; counter for letters, notes, documents, etc.
- Read tsuu
- 通信 交通 共通 普通 通常 通貨
- Read too-ru
- 見通し
- School year
- second grade
- Newspaper rank
- 80th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 통 tong
- Common words
- 85 in JMdict
Words with 通
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 通信 | つうしん tsuushin | correspondence; communication |
| 見通し | みとおし mitooshi | unobstructed view; perspective |
| 交通 | こうつう koutsuu | traffic; transportation |
| 共通 | きょうつう kyoutsuu | common; shared |
| 普通 | ふつう futsuu | normal; ordinary |
| 通常 | つうじょう tsuujou | usual; ordinary |
| 通貨 | つうか tsuuka | currency |
| 通産省 | つうさんしょう tsuusanshou | Ministry of International Trade and Industry (1949-2001); MITI |
| 流通 | りゅうつう ryuutsuu | circulation; distribution |
| 通算 | つうさん tsuusan | total; sum |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Same parts:
JLPT N4, in list order: