械
械 — Contraption
contraption, fetter, machine, instrument
On’yomiカイ (kai)
Kun’yomiかせ (kase)
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 械
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 機械 | きかい kikai | machine; mechanism; instrument |
| 工作機械 | こうさくきかい kousakukikai | machine tool |
| 機械化 | きかいか kikaika | mechanization; mechanisation |
| 産業機械 | さんぎょうきかい sangyoukikai | industrial machinery |
| 器械体操 | きかいたいそう kikaitaisou | apparatus gymnastics; artistic gymnastics |
Study notes
械 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1321 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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