極
極 — Extreme
extreme, pole, extremely, very, highly, most
On’yomiキョク (kyoku)
On’yomiゴク (goku)
Kun’yomiきわめる (kiwameru)
Kun’yomiきわまる (kiwamaru)
Kun’yomiきわまり (kiwamari)
Kun’yomiきわみ (kiwami)
Kun’yomiきめる (kimeru)
Stroke order (12 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 極
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 積極的 | せっきょくてき sekkyokuteki | positive; assertive; active |
| 積極 | せっきょく sekkyoku | active; positive; progressive |
| 消極的 | しょうきょくてき shoukyokuteki | negative; passive; half-hearted |
| 極端 | きょくたん kyokutan | extreme; extremity |
| 極東 | きょくとう kyokutou | Far East |
| 極右 | きょくう kyokuu | far right (in politics); extreme right; ultraright |
Study notes
極 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 12 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #460 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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