武
武 — Warrior
warrior, military, chivalry, arms
On’yomiブ (bu)
On’yomiム (mu)
Kun’yomiたけ (take)
Kun’yomiたけし (takeshi)
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 武
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 武器 | ぶき buki | weapon; arms; ordnance |
| 武装 | ぶそう busou | arms; armament; taking up arms |
| 武力 | ぶりょく buryoku | armed might; military power; the sword |
| 武道 | ぶどう budou | martial arts; military arts; Bushido |
| 武士 | ぶし bushi | samurai; warrior |
| 核武装 | かくぶそう kakubusou | nuclear arms |
Study notes
武 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #387 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.