現
現 — Present
present, existing, actual
On’yomiゲン (gen)
Kun’yomiあらわれる (arawareru)
Kun’yomiあらわす (arawasu)
Kun’yomiうつつ (utsutsu)
Kun’yomiうつつ (utsutsu)
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 現
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 現在 | げんざい genzai | the present; present time; now |
| 現実 | げんじつ genjitsu | reality; actuality; hard fact |
| 現場 | げんば genba | actual spot; scene (of a crime, accident, etc.); (on) site |
| 現地 | げんち genchi | actual place; actual location; the spot |
| 現行 | げんこう genkou | present; current; in operation |
| 現状 | げんじょう genjou | present condition; existing state; status quo |
Study notes
現 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #85 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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