建
建 — Build
build
On’yomiケン (ken)
On’yomiコン (kon)
Kun’yomiたてる (tateru)
Kun’yomiたて (tate)
Kun’yomi-だて (date)
Kun’yomiたつ (tatsu)
Stroke order (9 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 建
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 建設 | けんせつ kensetsu | construction; establishment |
| 建築 | けんちく kenchiku | construction; architecture (of buildings) |
| 建物 | たてもの tatemono | building |
| 再建 | さいけん saiken | rebuilding; reconstruction; rehabilitation |
| 建設省 | けんせつしょう kensetsushou | Ministry of Construction |
| 二階建て | にかいだて nikaidate | two-storied building |
Study notes
建 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #300 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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