KaiwaGo水 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
水 means “water”. It is written with 4 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: スイ (sui). Kun’yomi: みず (mizu).
How to write 水 (stroke order)
Write 水 in 4 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
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 水
Trace 水 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 水
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | スイ (sui) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | みず (mizu) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 水 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 水
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | みず mizu | water | |
| 水曜日 | すいようび suiyoubi | Wednesday |
水 (mizu) means “water”.
FAQ
What does 水 mean in Japanese?
水 means “water”. Common words with it are 水 (mizu, “water”) and 水曜日 (suiyoubi, “Wednesday”).
How many strokes does 水 have?
水 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 4.
How do you read 水?
The on’yomi is スイ (sui) and the kun’yomi is みず (mizu). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 水 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 水 is kanji number 18 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.