約
約 — Promise
promise, approximately, shrink
On’yomiヤク (yaku)
Kun’yomiつづまる (tsuzumaru)
Kun’yomiつづめる (tsuzumeru)
Kun’yomiつづまやか (tsuzumayaka)
Stroke order (9 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 約
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 契約 | けいやく keiyaku | contract; compact; agreement |
| 条約 | じょうやく jouyaku | treaty; pact; convention |
| 公約 | こうやく kouyaku | public commitment; public promise; campaign pledge |
| 約束 | やくそく yakusoku | promise; agreement; arrangement |
| 予約 | よやく yoyaku | reservation; appointment; booking |
| 制約 | せいやく seiyaku | limitation; restriction; condition |
Study notes
約 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #94 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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