助
助 — Help
help, rescue, assist
On’yomiジョ (jo)
Kun’yomiたすける (tasukeru)
Kun’yomiたすかる (tasukaru)
Kun’yomiすける (sukeru)
Kun’yomiすけ (suke)
Stroke order (7 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 助
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 援助 | えんじょ enjo | assistance; aid; support |
| 補助 | ほじょ hojo | assistance; support; help |
| 助教授 | じょきょうじゅ jokyouju | assistant professor; associate professor |
| 助成 | じょせい josei | assisting; assistance; fostering |
| 助手 | じょしゅ joshu | assistant; helper; assistant (to a professor) |
| 救助 | きゅうじょ kyuujo | relief; aid; rescue |
Study notes
助 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #397 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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