長 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order

長

長 means “long, leader”. It is written with 8 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.

On’yomi: チョウ (chou). Kun’yomi: なが.い (nagai).

How to write 長 (stroke order)

Write 長 in 8 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.

12345678
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8

General rules: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before a vertical that crosses it, and a closing bottom stroke last. Writing in the right order makes handwriting readable and helps you count strokes when you look a kanji up.

Practice writing 長

Trace 長 over the faint model with your finger or mouse, following the stroke order above. Turn the model off to write it from memory.

Readings of 長

On’yomi (Chinese reading)チョウ (chou)
Kun’yomi (Japanese reading)なが.い (nagai)

The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 長 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.

Example words with 長

WordReadingMeaning
ながい
nagai
long
しゃちょう
shachou
company president

長い (nagai) means “long”.

社長 (shachou) means “company president”. Also in this word: 社

FAQ

What does 長 mean in Japanese?

長 means “long, leader”. Common words with it are 長い (nagai, “long”) and 社長 (shachou, “company president”).

How many strokes does 長 have?

長 has 8 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 8.

How do you read 長?

The on’yomi is チョウ (chou) and the kun’yomi is なが.い (nagai). Which one is used depends on the word.

Is 長 on the JLPT N5?

Yes. 長 is kanji number 45 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.

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