青
青 — Blue
blue, green
On’yomiセイ (sei)
On’yomiショウ (shou)
Kun’yomiあお (ao)
Kun’yomiあお- (ao)
Kun’yomiあおい (aoi)
Stroke order (8 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 青
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 青 | あお ao | blue; azure; green |
| 青年 | せいねん seinen | youth; young man |
| 青山 | せいざん seizan | lush mountain; green mountain; grave |
| 青木 | あおき aoki | Japanese laurel (Aucuba japonica); spotted laurel; lush, green tree |
| 青春 | せいしゅん seishun | youth; adolescence; springtime of life |
| 青少年 | せいしょうねん seishounen | young people; youth; the younger generation |
Study notes
青 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #589 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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