呼
呼 — Call
call, call out to, invite
On’yomiコ (ko)
Kun’yomiよぶ (yobu)
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 呼
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 呼ぶ | よぶ yobu | to call out (to); to call; to invoke |
| 呼吸 | こきゅう kokyuu | breathing; respiration; knack |
| 呼びかけ | よびかけ yobikake | call; appeal |
| 呼応 | こおう koou | hailing each other; acting in concert; responding (to) |
| 呼び掛ける | よびかける yobikakeru | to call out to; to hail; to address |
| 呼吸器 | こきゅうき kokyuuki | respiratory organs |
Study notes
呼 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #498 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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