Kanji Library
Kanji VocabularyJLPT N1 › 応

応 — Apply

JLPT N17 strokesGrade 5#266 most used
apply, answer, yes, OK, reply, accept
On’yomiオウ (ou)
On’yomiヨウ (you)
On’yomi-ノウ (-nou)
Kun’yomiあた (ataru)
Kun’yomiまさに (masani)
Kun’yomiこたえる (kotaeru)

Stroke order (7 strokes)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).

Common words using 応

WordReadingMeaning
対応たいおう
taiou
correspondence (to); equivalence; suitability
応援おうえん
ouen
aid; assistance; help
応募おうぼ
oubo
application; subscription; entry (competition, raffle, etc.)
反応はんのう
hannou
reaction; response; physical reaction (to a stimulus)
応じるおうじる
oujiru
to respond; to satisfy; to accept
応えるこたえる
kotaeru
to respond; to answer; to meet (e.g. demands, expectations)

Study notes

応 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #266 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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