延
延 — Prolong
prolong, stretching
On’yomiエン (en)
Kun’yomiのびる (nobiru)
Kun’yomiのべる (noberu)
Kun’yomiのべ (nobe)
Kun’yomiのばす (nobasu)
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 延
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 延長 | えんちょう enchou | extension; elongation; prolongation |
| 延期 | えんき enki | postponement; deferment; adjournment |
| 延命 | えんめい enmei | keeping alive longer; prolonging life; life extension |
| 繰り延べ | くりのべ kurinobe | postponement |
| 遅延 | ちえん chien | delay; latency |
| 引き延ばし | ひきのばし hikinobashi | extension; prolongation; enlargement (e.g. of a photograph) |
Study notes
延 is a JLPT N2 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 #747 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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