赤
赤 — Red
red
On’yomiセキ (seki)
On’yomiシャク (shaku)
Kun’yomiあか (aka)
Kun’yomiあか- (aka)
Kun’yomiあかい (akai)
Kun’yomiあからむ (akaramu)
Kun’yomiあからめる (akarameru)
Stroke order (7 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 赤
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 赤字 | あかじ akaji | (being in) the red; deficit; red letter |
| 赤ちゃん | あかちゃん akachan | baby; infant |
| 赤松 | あかまつ akamatsu | Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora); Japanese umbrella pine; tanyosho pine |
| 真っ赤 | まっか makka | bright red; deep red; flushed (of face) |
| 赤ん坊 | あかんぼう akanbou | baby; infant |
| 赤軍 | せきぐん sekigun | Red Army (Soviet Union, 1918-1946); Workers' and Peasants' Red Army; Japanese Red Army |
Study notes
赤 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #584 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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