効
効 — Merit
merit, efficacy, efficiency, benefit
On’yomiコウ (kou)
Kun’yomiきく (kiku)
Kun’yomiききめ (kikime)
Kun’yomiならう (narau)
Stroke order (8 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 効
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 効果 | こうか kouka | effect; effectiveness; efficacy |
| 有効 | ゆうこう yuukou | valid; effective; yuko (judo) |
| 効率 | こうりつ kouritsu | efficiency |
| 効果的 | こうかてき koukateki | effective; successful |
| 無効 | むこう mukou | invalid; void; ineffective |
| 実効 | じっこう jikkou | practical effect; efficacy; efficiency |
Study notes
効 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #538 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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