宇
宇 — Eaves
eaves, roof, house, heaven
On’yomiウ (u)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (6 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 宇
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 宇宙 | うちゅう uchuu | universe; cosmos; space |
| 宇宙飛行士 | うちゅうひこうし uchuuhikoushi | astronaut |
| 宇宙開発事業団 | うちゅうかいはつじぎょうだん uchuukaihatsujigyoudan | National Space Development Agency; NASDA |
| 宇宙開発 | うちゅうかいはつ uchuukaihatsu | space development; space exploration |
| 宇宙空間 | うちゅうくうかん uchuukuukan | (outer) space |
| 宇宙通信 | うちゅうつうしん uchuutsuushin | space communication |
Study notes
宇 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #883 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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