香
香 — Incense
incense, smell, perfume
On’yomiコウ (kou)
On’yomiキョウ (kyou)
Kun’yomiか (ka)
Kun’yomiかおり (kaori)
Kun’yomiかおる (kaoru)
Stroke order (9 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 香
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 香港 | ホンコン honkon | Hong Kong |
| 香り | かおり kaori | aroma; fragrance; scent |
| 香水 | こうすい kousui | perfume; scent |
| 香辛料 | こうしんりょう koushinryou | spice; spices; condiment |
| 香ばしい | こうばしい koubashii | aromatic (roasted beans, roasted tea, etc.); fragrant (e.g. burning wood); pleasant-smelling |
| 香る | かおる kaoru | to smell sweet; to be fragrant |
Study notes
香 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #859 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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