養
養 — Foster
foster, bring up, rear, develop, nurture
On’yomiヨウ (you)
On’yomiリョウ (ryou)
Kun’yomiやしなう (yashinau)
Stroke order (15 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 養
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 栄養 | えいよう eiyou | nutrition; nourishment |
| 養成 | ようせい yousei | training; education; development |
| 教養 | きょうよう kyouyou | (understanding or appreciation of) culture; (one's) education; cultivation |
| 療養 | りょうよう ryouyou | recuperation; medical treatment |
| 養殖 | ようしょく youshoku | aquaculture; culture; cultivation |
| 休養 | きゅうよう kyuuyou | rest; relaxation; recreation |
Study notes
養 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 15 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #888 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.