波
波 — Waves
waves, billows, Poland
On’yomiハ (ha)
Kun’yomiなみ (nami)
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 波
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 波 | なみ nami | wave; billow; ripple |
| 電波 | でんぱ denpa | radio wave; reception; signal |
| 波紋 | はもん hamon | ripple; ring on the water; repercussions |
| 津波 | つなみ tsunami | tsunami; tidal wave |
| 波乱 | はらん haran | disturbance; trouble; commotion |
| 波及 | はきゅう hakyuu | spread; extension; influence |
Study notes
波 is a JLPT N2 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 #740 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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