Kanji Library
KanjiJLPT N2 › 灯

灯 — Lamp

JLPT N26 strokesGrade 4#1605 most used
lamp, a light, light, counter for lights
On’yomiトウ (tou)
Kun’yomi (hi)
Kun’yomiほ- (ho)
Kun’yomiともしび (tomoshibi)
Kun’yomiとも (tomosu)
Kun’yomiあかり (akari)

Stroke order (6 strokes)

1 2 3 4 5 6

Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).

Common words using 灯

WordReadingMeaning

hi
light; lamp
灯油とうゆ
touyu
kerosene; paraffin; lamp oil
電灯でんとう
dentou
electric light
灯台とうだい
toudai
lighthouse; old-fashioned interior light fixture comprising a wooden pole with an oil-filled dish and a wick atop it
灯すともす
tomosu
to light (a candle, lamp, etc.); to turn on (a light)
蛍光灯けいこうとう
keikoutou
fluorescent lamp; fluorescent light; person who is slow to react

Study notes

灯 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1605 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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