説
説 — Opinion
opinion, theory, explanation, rumor
On’yomiセツ (setsu)
On’yomiゼイ (zei)
Kun’yomiとく (toku)
Stroke order (14 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 説
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 演説 | えんぜつ enzetsu | speech; address |
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 解説 | かいせつ kaisetsu | explanation; commentary; exposition |
| 説得 | せっとく settoku | persuasion |
| 伝説 | でんせつ densetsu | legend; folklore; tradition |
Study notes
説 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #326 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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