What is the Kanji for "Open"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Open", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Open" is "開".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "A" and "Hira".

Its onyomi reading is "Kai".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "門" means "Gate" and can be read as "Mon" and "Kado". And The radical "开" means "Open" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "開" mean in japanese?

"開" means "Open".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

開く: "Open". The verb '開く (ひらく)' means 'to open'. This verb can be used to describe the action of physically opening an object, such as a door or a book. It can also be used metaphorically to describe the opening or revealing of something abstract, such as a discussion or a new opportunity. For example: She opened the door - (彼女は扉を開けた). The meeting opened with a speech - (会議は演説から始まった).

開ける: "Open". The verb '開ける (あける)' means 'to open'. This verb is used to describe the action of causing something that was closed or shut to become open. It can be used for a wide variety of objects such as doors, windows, jars, etc. For example: Please open the door - (ドアを開けてください). He opened the window - (彼は窓を開けた).

開始: "Start". The verbal noun '開始 (かいし)' means 'start'. This term refers to the beginning or commencement of an action, event, or process. It is often used in formal contexts to indicate the launching or initiation of something, such as a meeting, a new project, or a scheduled activity. For example: The meeting will start at 10 am - (会議は10時に開始します). We need to start the project as soon as possible - (このプロジェクトは早めに開始する必要があります).

開発: "Development". The Japanese verbal noun '開発 (かいはつ)' means 'development'. This word is used to describe the act of bringing something into existence or improving upon an existing product, idea, or technology. It can refer to developing a new software program, building a new product, or advancing an existing technology. For example: The company is working on the development of a new smartphone - (その会社は新しいスマートフォンの開発に取り組んでいる). The development of the new software is progressing quickly - (新しいソフトウェアの開発は順調に進んでいる).

公開: "Release". The verbal noun '公開 (こうかい)' means 'release'. It refers to the act of making something publicly available or accessible, such as a movie, book, or information. This word is commonly used when announcing the release date of a new product or when discussing the publishing or broadcasting of content. For example: The movie will be released next month - (その映画は来月公開される). The company announced the public release of their new software - (その会社は新しいソフトウェアの公開を発表した).

開催: "Hold". The Japanese verbal noun '開催 (かいさい)' means 'to hold' or 'to host'. It is used to indicate the act of organizing and conducting an event, such as a conference, a festival, or a competition. For example: The concert was held last weekend - (コンサートが先週末に開催された). They held the annual sports festival - (年間スポーツ祭りが開催された).

開会: "Open". The verbal noun '開会 (かいかい)' means 'to open' or 'to start a meeting/event'. It is used to refer to the act of formally beginning a meeting, ceremony, or other official gathering. For example: The conference will open at 10 a.m. - (会議は午前10時に開会します).

再開: "Resume". The verbal noun '再開 (さいかい)' means 'to resume' or 'to reopen'. It indicates the action of starting something again after an interruption or pause. It can be used to refer to resuming a meeting, a conversation, a business, etc. For example: We will resume the conference after the break - (休憩の後、会議を再開します). The store reopened after renovations - (改装の後、店が再開した).

開放: "Release". The verbal noun '開放 (かいほう)' means 'release'. This term refers to the act of freeing, liberating or discharging something from a state of confinement or restriction. It can be used in various contexts, such as releasing a prisoner from jail, opening a locked door, or allowing emotions or feelings to be expressed openly. Example sentences: She was finally released from the hospital - (彼女はついに病院から解放された). The government announced the opening of the borders - (政府は国境の開放を発表した).

開示: "Disclosure". The noun '開示 (かいじ)' means 'disclosure'. It refers to the act of making information or details publicly available or known, often in a formal or legal context. For example: The company was required to make a full disclosure of its financial records - (その会社は財務記録の完全な開示を行う必要があった). Disclosure of personal information is strictly regulated by law - (個人情報の開示は法律で厳しく規制されている).

開拓: "Pioneer". The noun '開拓 (かいたく)' means 'pioneer'. It refers to the act of opening up or developing new land, typically for settlement or cultivation. This word is often used to describe the efforts of early settlers or explorers who establish new settlements, farms, or communities in previously undeveloped areas. For example: The pioneers explored and settled the frontier - (開拓者たちは辺境を探検し開拓した). He was a pioneer in the development of the region - (彼はその地域の開拓に先駆けた人物だった).

開設: "Establishment". The noun '開設 (かいせつ)' means 'establishment'. It refers to the act of founding, instituting or setting up something new like a company, organization, website, etc. It implies the commencement or inauguration of a new entity. For example: The company announced the establishment of a new office in Tokyo - (同社は東京に新事務所を開設すると発表した).

開業: "Start". The noun '開業 (かいぎょう)' means 'start'. This word refers to the act of starting a new business or profession. It can be used to talk about the beginning of a doctor, lawyer, or other professional's practice. For example: He started his dental practice last year - (彼は昨年歯科医の開業をした). The grand opening of the new restaurant is next week - (新しいレストランの開業は来週です).

展開: "Development". The Japanese verbal noun '展開 (てんかい)' means 'development'. It refers to the process of expanding, unfolding or bringing something into a more complete or elaborate form. This can apply to a wide range of contexts, such as the development of a business, the progression of a story, or the unravelling of a situation. For example: The company has experienced rapid development in the last few years - (この会社は過去数年で急速な展開をしています). The plot of the novel gradually developed over the course of the story - (小説の筋書きは物語を通して徐々に展開していった).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "あ" is read as "a". The hiragana "か" is read as "ka". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "ひ" is read as "hi". And The hiragana "ら" is read as "ra".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.