布
布 — Linen
linen, cloth, spread, distribute
On’yomiフ (fu)
On’yomiホ (ho)
Kun’yomiぬの (nuno)
Kun’yomiしく (shiku)
Kun’yomiきれ (kire)
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 布
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 布施 | ふせ fuse | alms-giving; charity; offerings (usu. money) to a priest (for reading sutras, etc.) |
| 布 | ぬの nuno | cloth; fabric; material |
| 麻布 | あさぬの asanuno | hemp cloth; linen |
| 財布 | さいふ saifu | wallet; purse; coin purse |
| 布団 | ふとん futon | futon; Japanese bedding consisting of a mattress and a duvet; round cushion used for Zen meditation (traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves) |
| 配布 | はいふ haifu | distribution |
Study notes
布 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #877 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.