KaiwaGo年 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
年 means “year”. It is written with 6 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ネン (nen). Kun’yomi: とし (toshi).
How to write 年 (stroke order)
Write 年 in 6 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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 年
Trace 年 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 年
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ネン (nen) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | とし (toshi) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 年 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 年
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今年 | ことし kotoshi | this year | |
| 来年 | らいねん rainen | next year |
今年 (kotoshi) means “this year”. Also in this word: 今
来年 (rainen) means “next year”. Also in this word: 来
FAQ
What does 年 mean in Japanese?
年 means “year”. Common words with it are 今年 (kotoshi, “this year”) and 来年 (rainen, “next year”).
How many strokes does 年 have?
年 has 6 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 6.
How do you read 年?
The on’yomi is ネン (nen) and the kun’yomi is とし (toshi). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 年 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 年 is kanji number 64 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.