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Kanji Information Sheet for 書  ( PDF version of this Kanji PDF version )

stroke order illustration  
English:
write
On-Yomi:
ショ
Kun-Yomi:
か.く
-が.き
-がき
かき
Bushu (Radical) Info:
曰 (にち) – sun
聿 (ふでづくり) – writing brush
Henshall Mnemonic: take brush in hand daily and write
Levels: JLPT N5 | JLPT 4 (old) | Grade 2
Frequency: #169 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).

Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N5 Words

JLPT N3 Words

JLPT N2 Words

  • き   [したがき]
    (n) rough copy; draft   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [かきとり]
    (n) dictation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しょせき]
    (n) book; publication   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しょてん]
    (n) bookshop; bookstore   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しょどう]
    (n) calligraphy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [かきとめ]
    (n,vs) writing down; putting on record; recording; making a note of; registration (of mail)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [せいしょ]
    (n) clean copy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [とうしょ]
    (n) letter to the editor; letter from a reader; contribution   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

  •   [ひしょ]
    (n) (private) secretary   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [せいしょ]
    (n) Bible; scriptures   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [げんしょ]
    (n) original document   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • り   [かきとり]
    (n) dictation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • る   [かきとる]
    (v5r) to write down; to take dictation; to take notes   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [がんしょ]
    (n) written application or petition   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ぶんしょ]
    (n) document; writing; letter; paperwork; note; records; archives   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

  • き   [はしりがき]
    (n) scribbling   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [きょうしょ]
    (n) (presidential) message   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [かたがき]
    (n) title; degree; address (on letter); criminal record   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [かたがき]
    (n) title; degree; address (on letter); criminal record   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [としょしつ]
    (n) library room   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [りょうしゅうしょ]
    receipt   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [りれきしょ]
    (n) personal history; curriculum vitae; resume   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [よこがき]
    (n) writing horizontally   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [ききがき]
    (n) account of what one hears   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [てかき]
    (n) (1) handwriting; (2) skilled penman   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ぎていしょ]
    (n) protocol   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しんしょ]
    (n) new book; 17 x 11 cm paperbook book   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [はくしょ]
    (n) white paper   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しんしょ]
    (n) handwritten or autograph letter   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [こしょ]
    (n) old book; rare book   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [いしょ]
    (n) posthumous writings   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [えはがき]
    (n) picture postcard   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [くずしがき]
    (n) cursive style of writing or calligraphy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • える   [かきかえる]
    (v1) to rewrite; to renew; to transfer   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ようしょ]
    (n) Western books   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [かきことば]
    (n) the written word; the written language   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • み   [かきこみ]
    (n,vs) writing; entry (e.g. form)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • む   [かきこむ]
    (v5m) to fill in (writing)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [よみかき]
    (n) reading and writing   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [すじがき]
    (n) synopsis; outline; plot   [K] [D] [Jisho]
Find more details for at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.