勇
勇 — Courage
courage, cheer up, be in high spirits, bravery, heroism
On’yomiユウ (yuu)
Kun’yomiいさむ (isamu)
Stroke order (9 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 勇
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 勇気 | ゆうき yuuki | courage; bravery; valour |
| 勇 | ゆう yuu | bravery; courage; heroism |
| 勇退 | ゆうたい yuutai | retiring voluntarily; resigning one's post (to make way for others); stepping down |
| 勇ましい | いさましい isamashii | brave; valiant; gallant |
| 勇敢 | ゆうかん yuukan | brave; courageous; gallant |
| 勇者 | ゆうしゃ yuusha | hero; the brave; man of valour (valor) |
Study notes
勇 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1319 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.