What is the Kanji for "Read"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Read" is "読".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Yo".

Its onyomi reading is "Doku".

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 "言" means "Say" and can be read as "Gen", "I", "Gon", and "Koto". And The kanji "売" means "Sell" and can be read as "U" and "Bai".

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

What does the kanji "読" mean in japanese?

"読" means "Read".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N5 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

読む: "Read". The Japanese verb '読む (よむ)' means 'to read'. This verb is used to describe the action of reading written or printed material, such as books, newspapers, or documents. It can also be used to describe the action of understanding or comprehending something. For example: I read the book - (本を読む). She reads the newspaper every morning - (彼女は毎朝新聞を読む).

読み方: "Reading". The noun '読み方 (よみかた)' refers to the way a word or character is pronounced. It includes the specific sounds, stress, and intonation used to read or pronounce something written in Japanese. For example: The reading of this kanji is 'kawa' - (この漢字の読み方は'かわ'です). Do you know the reading of this word? - (この言葉の読み方を知っていますか?)

読者: "Reader". 読者 (どくしゃ)' means 'reader'. This noun refers to a person who reads books, magazines, newspapers, or other printed materials. Readers can be fans of a particular author, genre, or publication. For example: The book had many loyal readers - (その本は多くの熱心な読者がいた). I am a big reader of mystery novels - (私は推理小説の熱心な読者です).

音読み: "Read aloud". The Japanese verbal noun '音読み (おんよみ)' means 'to read aloud'. This refers to the practice of reading text out loud, often as a method of language learning or to improve fluency. It is commonly used in educational contexts where students are asked to read passages aloud to demonstrate their understanding and pronunciation. For example: She read the passage aloud - (彼女は段落を音読みした). The students practiced reading aloud in class - (生徒たちは授業で音読みの練習をした).

訓読み: "Reading". The Japanese term '訓読み (くんよみ)' refers to the Japanese native reading or pronunciation of a kanji character. This is in contrast to the 'on'yomi' (音読み), which is the Chinese-derived reading of the same kanji. The '訓読み' is the reading that is based on the original Japanese meaning and etymology of the kanji. For example, the kanji character '本' has the 'on'yomi' reading of 'hon', but the 'kun'yomi' reading of 'moto'. The 'kun'yomi' readings are an important part of the Japanese writing system and language.

読み取る: "Read". The Japanese verb '読み取る (よみとる)' means 'to read'. This verb is used to indicate the action of extracting or comprehending information from written or printed material. It implies a deeper understanding beyond just superficial reading. For example: I read the report carefully - (報告書を注意深く読み取った). Please read the instructions carefully - (説明書をよく読み取ってください).

読書: "Reading". The Japanese verbal noun '読書 (どくしょ)' refers to the activity of reading. This noun is used to describe the act of engaging with written text, whether it be books, newspapers, magazines, or any other form of written material. Reading is an important part of Japanese culture and education. For example: I enjoy reading books - (本を読書するのが好きです). Reading is my hobby - (読書が私の趣味です).

読み書き: "Literacy". The noun '読み書き (よみかき)' refers to the ability to read and write. It encompasses both reading comprehension and writing skills. This term is often used when discussing educational attainment or basic competencies. For example: She has good literacy skills - (彼女は読み書きの能力が高い). Improving literacy is an important goal for schools - (読み書きの力を高めることは、学校にとって重要な目標である).

読み: "Reading". The noun '読み (よみ)' refers to the act of reading or the way something is read. It can be used to describe the pronunciation, intonation, or interpretation of written text or characters. For example: What is the reading of this character? - (この字の読みはなんですか。) The different readings of a kanji character - (漢字の異なる読み)

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 "よ" is read as "yo". The hiragana "ど" is read as "do". And The hiragana "く" is read as "ku".

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.