絶
絶 — Discontinue
discontinue, sever, cut off, abstain, interrupt, suppress
On’yomiゼツ (zetsu)
Kun’yomiたえる (taeru)
Kun’yomiたやす (tayasu)
Kun’yomiたつ (tatsu)
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 絶
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絶対 | ぜったい zettai | absolutely; definitely; unconditionally |
| 中絶 | ちゅうぜつ chuuzetsu | abortion; discontinuance; stoppage |
| 絶好 | ぜっこう zekkou | best; ideal; perfect |
| 絶滅 | ぜつめつ zetsumetsu | extinction; extermination; eradication |
| 絶望 | ぜつぼう zetsubou | despair; hopelessness |
| 廃絶 | はいぜつ haizetsu | abolition; elimination; extinction |
Study notes
絶 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 12 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #784 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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