Details
Stroke Order
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
Component Breakdown
left-right: speech + 売
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
読書三昧
どくしょざんまい
being absorbed in reading
熟読玩味
じゅくどくがんみ
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
読書三到
どくしょさんとう
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
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)
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
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
Anime & Manga
本好きの下剋上
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Isekai story depicting passion for 'reading' books.
DEATH NOTE 特別読切
Death Note: a-Kira
A well-known work with 読 in its Japanese title.
久住くん、空気読めてますか?
Kuzumi-kun, Can't You Read the Room?
A well-known work with 読 in its Japanese title.
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 →Other kanji with the same meaning
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?
読 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means read. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.
Explore by meaning:read