功
功 — Achievement
achievement, merits, success, honor, credit
On’yomiコウ (kou)
On’yomiク (ku)
Kun’yomiいさお (isao)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 功
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 成功 | せいこう seikou | success; achievement; succeeding (in life) |
| 功績 | こうせき kouseki | achievement; meritorious deed; distinguished service |
| 功労 | こうろう kourou | meritorious deed; services |
| 大成功 | だいせいこう daiseikou | great success; huge success |
| 年功序列 | ねんこうじょれつ nenkoujoretsu | seniority by length of service |
| 奏功 | そうこう soukou | success; achievement; fruition |
Study notes
功 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #857 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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