組
組 — Association
association, braid, plait, construct, assemble, unite
On’yomiソ (so)
Kun’yomiくむ (kumu)
Kun’yomiくみ (kumi)
Kun’yomi-ぐみ (gumi)
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 組
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 組織 | そしき soshiki | organization; organisation; formation |
| 番組 | ばんぐみ bangumi | program (e.g. TV); programme |
| 組合 | くみあい kumiai | association; union; guild |
| 労組 | ろうそ rouso | labor union; labour union; trade union |
| 仕組み | しくみ shikumi | structure; construction; arrangement |
| 枠組み | わくぐみ wakugumi | frame (physical structure); framework; framework (of a plan, system, etc.) |
Study notes
組 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #204 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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