起
起 — Rouse
rouse, wake up, get up
On’yomiキ (ki)
Kun’yomiおきる (okiru)
Kun’yomiおこる (okoru)
Kun’yomiおこす (okosu)
Kun’yomiおこす (okosu)
Kun’yomiたつ (tatsu)
Stroke order (10 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 起
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 起訴 | きそ kiso | prosecution; indictment |
| 起用 | きよう kiyou | appointment (to a position, job, etc.); being used for a role; promotion |
| 起こす | おこす okosu | to raise; to raise up; to set up |
| 提起 | ていき teiki | raising (a question); posing (a problem); bringing up (an issue) |
| 躍起 | やっき yakki | desperate; frantic; excited |
| 決起 | けっき kekki | rising to action; standing up against; jumping to one's feet |
Study notes
起 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #374 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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