明
明 — Bright
bright, light
On’yomiメイ (mei)
On’yomiミョウ (myou)
On’yomiミン (min)
Kun’yomiあかり (akari)
Kun’yomiあかるい (akarui)
Kun’yomiあかるむ (akarumu)
Kun’yomiあからむ (akaramu)
Kun’yomiあきらか (akiraka)
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 明
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 明らか | あきらか akiraka | clear; obvious; evident |
| 声明 | せいめい seimei | declaration; statement; proclamation |
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 不明 | ふめい fumei | unclear; obscure; indistinct |
| 明確 | めいかく meikaku | clear; precise; definite |
| 公明党 | こうめいとう koumeitou | Komeito (Japanese political party) |
Study notes
明 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #67 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.