興
興 — Entertain
entertain, revive, retrieve, interest, pleasure
On’yomiコウ (kou)
On’yomiキョウ (kyou)
Kun’yomiおこる (okoru)
Kun’yomiおこす (okosu)
Stroke order (16 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 興
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 興味 | きょうみ kyoumi | interest (in something); curiosity (about something); zest (for) |
| 振興 | しんこう shinkou | promotion; encouragement |
| 復興 | ふっこう fukkou | revival; reconstruction; restoration |
| 興 | きょう kyou | interest; entertainment; pleasure |
| 新興 | しんこう shinkou | rising; developing; emergent |
| 興行 | こうぎょう kougyou | show; performance; act |
Study notes
興 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 16 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #734 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.