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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

    Meaning

    Wake up

    Reading

    kunyomi

    o

    onyomi

    ki

    Parts

    Run Oneself

    Example Word

    起こす: cause or wake. The Japanese verb '起こす (おこす)' has two primary meanings. The first is 'to wake someone up', as in: I woke my brother up early「私は弟を早く起こした」(わたしはおとうとをはやくおこした). The second meaning is 'to cause' or 'to bring about', often used in contexts where something is initiated or triggered, such as: The news caused a big reaction「そのニュースは大きな反応を起こした」(そのニュースはおおきなはんのうをおこした). Note that the verb can also imply starting something, like a movement or event, depending on the context.

    Radical

    Stroke Count

    10

    JLPT

    N4

    Grade

    3

    Frequency

    187

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji

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

    kanji

    Meaning

    Run

    kanji

    Meaning

    Oneself

Words Using

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 Through the Part

These 5 kanji contain the part 走 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Gist, Flavor

    kanji

    Meaning

    Follower, Junior

    kanji

    Meaning

    Surpass, Transcend

    kanji

    Meaning

    Go across, Go beyond

    kanji

    Meaning

    Proceed to

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 8 kanji contain the part 己 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Record

    kanji

    Meaning

    Distribute

    kanji

    Meaning

    Harbor, Port

    kanji

    Meaning

    Reform

    kanji

    Meaning

    Scroll

    kanji

    Meaning

    Wrap

    kanji

    Meaning

    Princess, Queen

    kanji

    Meaning

    Abhor, Mourning

Learn the Kanji

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.