Details
Stroke Order
Component Breakdown
left-right: speech + 売
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of '言' (words) and '売' (sell). Trading words - deciphering.
Symbolism
Reading, understanding, interpretation. Represents basic act of acquiring knowledge.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Reading a book
Anime & Manga
本好きの下剋上
Ascendance of a Bookworm(2013)
Isekai story depicting passion for 'reading' books.
View on Amazon →Games
シュタインズゲート
Steins;Gate(2009)
Developer: 5pb./Nitroplus
SF adventure 'reading' through the story.
View on Amazon →Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
晴耕雨読
せいこううどく
working in the field in fine weather and reading at home in rainy weather; living in quiet retirement dividing time between work and intellectual pursuits; working in the field in fine weather and reading at home in rainy weather
読書三昧
どくしょざんまい
being absorbed in reading; being absorbed in reading
熟読玩味
じゅくどくがんみ
reading carefully with appreciation; reading carefully with appreciation
一読三嘆
いちどくさんたん
a reading leaves one with ceaseless sighs of admiration; a reading leaves one with ceaseless sighs of admiration
読書三到
どくしょさんとう
using mind, mouth and eyes to understand a book fully; using mind, mouth and eyes to understand a book fully
読書三余
どくしょさんよ
winter, night, and rainy weather; the ideal conditions for reading; winter, night, and rainy weather
読書百遍
どくしょひゃっぺん
repeated reading (makes the meaning clear); reading something again and again (will lead one to realize its meaning); repeated reading (makes the meaning clear)
読書尚友
どくしょしょうゆう
by reading books you can count the wise philosophers of the past as friends; by reading books you can count the wise philosophers of the past as friends
Proverbs & Idioms
読書百遍義自ずから見る
どくしょひゃっぺんぎおのずからみる
Read a hundred times and meaning appears
Repeated reading reveals understanding
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 読 mean in Japanese?
読 means read.
How do you read 読?
On'yomi: ドク、トク、トウ (DOKU, TOKU, TOU). Kun'yomi: よ.む、-よ.み (yomu, yomi).
How many strokes does 読 have?
読 has 14 strokes. Its radical is 言 (speech).
Is 読 a good kanji for a tattoo?
Yes. 読 (read) has a clear positive meaning and no embarrassing alternate readings, making it a solid tattoo choice.
Explore by meaning:kanji for read