障
障 — Hinder
hinder, hurt, harm
On’yomiショウ (shou)
Kun’yomiさわる (sawaru)
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 障
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 安全保障 | あんぜんほしょう anzenhoshou | (guarantee of) security |
| 障害 | しょうがい shougai | obstacle; impediment; hindrance |
| 障害者 | しょうがいしゃ shougaisha | disabled person; person with a (physical or mental) disability |
| 故障 | こしょう koshou | fault; trouble; breakdown |
| 支障 | ししょう shishou | obstacle; hindrance; impediment |
| 社会保障 | しゃかいほしょう shakaihoshou | social security |
Study notes
障 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #742 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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