書
書 — Write
write
On’yomiショ (sho)
Kun’yomiかく (kaku)
Kun’yomi-がき (gaki)
Kun’yomi-がき (gaki)
Stroke order (10 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 書
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 書記 | しょき shoki | clerk; secretary; writing down |
| 秘書 | ひしょ hisho | (private) secretary; treasured book; secret book |
| 報告書 | ほうこくしょ houkokusho | (written) report |
| 文書 | ぶんしょ bunsho | document; writing; letter |
| 教科書 | きょうかしょ kyoukasho | textbook; coursebook; schoolbook |
| 書店 | しょてん shoten | bookshop; bookstore |
Study notes
書 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #169 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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