令
令 — Orders
orders, laws, command, decree, good
On’yomiレイ (rei)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 令
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 司令官 | しれいかん shireikan | commandant; commanding officer; general |
| 命令 | めいれい meirei | order; command; decree |
| 令 | れい rei | command; order; dictation |
| 政令 | せいれい seirei | government ordinance; cabinet order |
| 司令部 | しれいぶ shireibu | headquarters |
| 指令 | しれい shirei | order; directive; instructions |
Study notes
令 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #804 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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