独
独 — Single
single, alone, spontaneously, Germany
On’yomiドク (doku)
On’yomiトク (toku)
Kun’yomiひとり (hitori)
Stroke order (9 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 独
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 独自 | どくじ dokuji | original; unique; distinctive |
| 独立 | どくりつ dokuritsu | independence; self-reliance; supporting oneself |
| 単独 | たんどく tandoku | sole; single; solo |
| 独特 | どくとく dokutoku | peculiarity; uniqueness; characteristic |
| 独立国 | どくりつこく dokuritsukoku | independent state; independent nation |
| 独裁 | どくさい dokusai | dictatorship; despotism; autocracy |
Study notes
独 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #365 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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