様
様 — Esq.
Esq., way, manner, situation, polite suffix
On’yomiヨウ (you)
On’yomiショウ (shou)
Kun’yomiさま (sama)
Kun’yomiさん (san)
Stroke order (14 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 様
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 同様 | どうよう douyou | same; similar; (just) like |
| 様子 | ようす yousu | state (of affairs); situation; circumstances |
| 多様 | たよう tayou | diverse; various |
| 模様 | もよう moyou | pattern; figure; design |
| 様相 | ようそう yousou | aspect; phase; condition |
| 様々 | さまざま samazama | various; varied; diverse |
Study notes
様 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #493 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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