抱
抱 — Embrace
embrace, hug, hold in arms
On’yomiホウ (hou)
Kun’yomiだく (daku)
Kun’yomiいだく (idaku)
Kun’yomiかかえる (kakaeru)
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 抱
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 抱える | かかえる kakaeru | to hold in one's arms; to carry in one's arms; to carry under one's arm |
| 抱負 | ほうふ houfu | aspiration; ambition; plan |
| 辛抱 | しんぼう shinbou | patience; endurance; perseverance |
| 抱え | かかえ kakae | armful; employee |
| 抱っこ | だっこ dakko | carrying in one's arms (a baby, pet, doll, etc.); holding; up! |
| 抱く | いだく idaku | to hold in one's arms (e.g. a baby); to embrace; to hug |
Study notes
抱 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught at secondary-school level in Japan. Ranked #871 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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