KaiwaGo来 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
来 means “come”. It is written with 7 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ライ (rai). Kun’yomi: く.る (kuru), きた.る (kitaru).
How to write 来 (stroke order)
Write 来 in 7 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
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 来
Trace 来 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 来
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ライ (rai) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | く.る (kuru)きた.る (kitaru) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 来 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 来
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 来る | くる kuru | to come | |
| 来週 | らいしゅう raishuu | next week |
来る (kuru) means “to come”.
来週 (raishuu) means “next week”. Also in this word: 週
FAQ
What does 来 mean in Japanese?
来 means “come”. Common words with it are 来る (kuru, “to come”) and 来週 (raishuu, “next week”).
How many strokes does 来 have?
来 has 7 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 7.
How do you read 来?
The on’yomi is ライ (rai) and the kun’yomi is く.る (kuru), きた.る (kitaru). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 来 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 来 is kanji number 79 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.