長 — how to write the kanji for “long”

長 means “long”, “leader” and “superior”; it is a JLPT N5 kanji, taught in second grade in Japan. In newspapers it is one of the hundred most used kanji (12th). Its Japanese stroke 1, a vertical, is the 2nd stroke in the Chinese order. On its own it is the word chou, “head; chief”. Its common words take the reading chou: 会長 (“president”), 成長 (“growth”), 社長 (“company president”) and 議長 (“chair”). Mainland Chinese writes it 长 (cháng, “long”), an HSK 2 character.

Strokes: 8
JLPT: N5
Radical: 長 (“long”)
On: チョウ
Kun: なが·い, おさ

Stroke by stroke

Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Vertical-rising ㇙leftdownwards → up and right
Left-falling stroke ㇒rightdown and left
Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right

Two stroke orders

Japan and China order its strokes differently: 2 strokes sit in another place. Japanese 1 = Chinese 2; Japanese 2 = Chinese 1.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 8 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 8 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived): チョウ chou
Kun (native): なが·い naga-i, おさ osa (rare)
Meanings: long; leader; superior; senior
Read chou: 会長成長社長議長部長長官
School year: second grade
Newspaper rank: 12th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja: 장 jang
Common words: 93 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 長

Word	Reading	Meaning
会長	かいちょう kaichou	president; chairman
成長	せいちょう seichou	growth; development
社長	しゃちょう shachou	company president; manager
議長	ぎちょう gichou	chair; chairman
部長	ぶちょう buchou	head (chief, director) of a section or department; head of a…
長官	ちょうかん choukan	secretary (government); director
長男	ちょうなん chounan	eldest son (may be the only son); first-born son
委員長	いいんちょう iinchou	chairperson; chair
局長	きょくちょう kyokuchou	bureau director; office chief
市長	しちょう shichou	mayor

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

JLPT N5, in list order: