幹
幹 — Tree trunk
tree trunk, main part, talent, capability
On’yomiカン (kan)
Kun’yomiみき (miki)
Stroke order (13 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 幹
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 幹事 | かんじ kanji | executive secretary; coordinator; organizer |
| 幹部 | かんぶ kanbu | management; (executive) staff; leaders |
| 新幹線 | しんかんせん shinkansen | Shinkansen; bullet train |
| 幹 | みき miki | tree trunk; bole; backbone |
| 根幹 | こんかん konkan | foundation; root; basis |
| 幹線 | かんせん kansen | main line; trunk line |
Study notes
幹 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 13 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #364 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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