放
放 — Set free
set free, release, fire, shoot, emit, banish
On’yomiホウ (hou)
Kun’yomiはなす (hanasu)
Kun’yomi-っぱなし (ppanashi)
Kun’yomiはなつ (hanatsu)
Kun’yomiはなれる (hanareru)
Kun’yomiこく (koku)
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 放
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 放送 | ほうそう housou | broadcasting; broadcast; program |
| 開放 | かいほう kaihou | opening (a door, window, etc.); leaving open; opening up (e.g. to the public) |
| 解放 | かいほう kaihou | release; unleashing; liberation |
| 民放 | みんぽう minpou | commercial broadcast |
| 追放 | ついほう tsuihou | exile; banishment; eviction |
| 放る | ほうる houru | to throw; to fling; to hurl |
Study notes
放 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #288 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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