張
張 — Counter for bows & stringed instruments
counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread, put up (tent)
On’yomiチョウ (chou)
Kun’yomiはる (haru)
Kun’yomi-はり (hari)
Kun’yomi-ばり (bari)
Stroke order (11 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 張
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
| 緊張 | きんちょう kinchou | tension; strain; nervousness |
| 頑張って | がんばって ganbatte | do your best; go for it; hang in there |
| 出張 | しゅっちょう shucchou | business trip; official trip |
| 張り | ばり bari | in the style of (esp. literary, artistic, etc. works); reminiscent of; attached or stretched on |
| 拡張 | かくちょう kakuchou | expansion; extension; enlargement |
Study notes
張 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #403 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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