飼
飼 — Domesticate
domesticate, raise, keep, feed
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiかう (kau)
Stroke order (13 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 飼
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 飼育 | しいく shiiku | breeding; raising; rearing |
| 飼料 | しりょう shiryou | fodder; feed |
| 飼い主 | かいぬし kainushi | (pet) owner; keeper |
| 飼う | かう kau | to keep (a pet or other animal); to have; to own |
| 飼い犬 | かいいぬ kaiinu | pet dog |
| 放し飼い | はなしがい hanashigai | free-range rearing; letting (animals) roam freely; pasturing |
Study notes
飼 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 13 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1392 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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