過
過 — Overdo
overdo, exceed, go beyond, error
On’yomiカ (ka)
Kun’yomiすぎる (sugiru)
Kun’yomiすごす (sugosu)
Kun’yomiあやまち (ayamachi)
Kun’yomiあやまつ (ayamatsu)
Kun’yomiよぎる (yogiru)
Stroke order (12 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 過
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 過去 | かこ kako | the past; bygone days; one's past (that one would prefer remained secret) |
| 過程 | かてい katei | process; course; mechanism |
| 過半数 | かはんすう kahansuu | majority |
| 過激 | かげき kageki | extreme (measure, idea, etc.); radical; violent (language) |
| 経過 | けいか keika | passage (of time); elapsing; lapse |
| 過ぎ | すぎ sugi | past; after; too (much) |
Study notes
過 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 12 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #285 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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