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What is the Kanji for 'Wake up'? | 起

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

The Japanese Kanji for 'Wake up' is 起.

    kanji

    起

    Meaning

    Wake up

    Reading

    kunyomiお

    o

    onyomiき

    ki

    Parts

    走Run 己Oneself

    Example Word

    起きる: occur or wake. The Japanese verb '起きる (おきる)' has two primary meanings. The first is 'to wake up', referring to the act of ceasing to sleep. For example: I wake up at 7 every morning「私は毎朝7時に起きる」(わたしはまいあさ7じにおきる). The second meaning is 'to occur' or 'to happen', used to describe events or incidents. For example: An accident occurred on the highway「高速道路で事故が起きた」(こうそくどうろでじこがおきた). The verb is commonly used in both contexts, and its meaning is determined by the situation. When used to mean 'wake up', it often refers to a person or animal, while 'occur' is used for events or situations.

    Radical

    走

    Stroke Count

    10

    JLPT

    N4

    Grade

    3

    Frequency

    187

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji 起

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

    kanji

    走

    Meaning

    Run

    kanji

    己

    Meaning

    Oneself

Words Using 起

This kanji is used in 9 words:

    word

    起こる

    Meaning

    Happen

    word

    起きる

    Meaning

    Occur, Wake

    word

    起こす

    Meaning

    Cause, Wake

    word

    早起き

    Meaning

    Early rising

    word

    起き上がる

    Meaning

    Getup

    word

    引き起こす

    Meaning

    Cause, Trigger

    word

    起動

    Meaning

    Startup

    word

    提起

    Meaning

    Raising

    word

    起源

    Meaning

    Origin

Kanji Related to 起 Through the Part 走

These 5 kanji contain the part 走 as well.

    kanji

    趣

    Meaning

    Gist, Flavor

    kanji

    徒

    Meaning

    Follower, Junior

    kanji

    超

    Meaning

    Surpass, Transcend

    kanji

    越

    Meaning

    Go across, Go beyond

    kanji

    赴

    Meaning

    Proceed to

Kanji Related to 起 Through the Part 己

These 8 kanji contain the part 己 as well.

    kanji

    記

    Meaning

    Record

    kanji

    配

    Meaning

    Distribute

    kanji

    港

    Meaning

    Harbor, Port

    kanji

    改

    Meaning

    Reform

    kanji

    巻

    Meaning

    Scroll

    kanji

    包

    Meaning

    Wrap

    kanji

    妃

    Meaning

    Princess, Queen

    kanji

    忌

    Meaning

    Abhor, Mourning

Learn the Kanji 起

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 起 mean?

起 means 'Wake up'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N4 exam.

To help you master this kanji, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.