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

stroke order illustration  
English:
set free
release
fire
shoot
emit
banish
liberate
On-Yomi:
ホウ
-っぱな.し
Kun-Yomi:
はな.す
はな.つ
はな.れる
ほう.る
はなれ
Bushu (Radical) Info:
攴 (ぼくづくり) – folding chair
攵 (ホク, のぶん, ぼくづくり, ぼくにょう) – strike; hit; folding chair
方 (ほう) – direction
Henshall Mnemonic: striking in all directions is a form of release
Levels: JLPT N3 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 3
Frequency: #288 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 N3 Words

  • す   [はなす]
    (v5s) to separate; to set free; to turn loose   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうそう]
    (n,vs) broadcast; broadcasting   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

  •   [かいほう]
    (n,vs) release; unleashing; liberation; emancipation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • る   [ほうる]
    (v5r) (1) to let go; to abandon; to leave undone; (2) to throw; to toss; to fling   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • れる   [はなれる]
    (v1) to leave; to get free; to cut oneself off   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [かいほう]
    (n,vs) open; throw open; liberalization   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

  •   [ほうき]
    (n,vs) abandonment; renunciation; abdication (responsibility, right)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうしゃ]
    (n) radiation; emission   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうしゃのう]
    (n) radioactivity   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうしゅつ]
    (n,vs) release; emit   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうち]
    (n,vs) leave as is; leave to chance; leave alone; neglect   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ついほう]
    (n,vs) exile; banishment   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

  •   [ほんぽう]
    (adj-na,n) wild; uninhibited; extravagant; rampant   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • す   [みはなす]
    (v5s) to desert; to abandon; to give up   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [みんぽう]
    (n) commercial broadcast   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • つ   [はなつ]
    (v5t) to free; to release; to fire   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • し   [のばなし]
    (adj-na,n) leaving something to take care of itself   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうえい]
    (n,vs) televising   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうか]
    (n,vs) arson; set fire to   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうかご]
    (n-t) after school   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうしゃせい]
    (n) radioactive   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうしゃせん]
    (n) radiation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうすい]
    (n,vs) hose down; drainage   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • し   [てばなし]
    (n) without holding on; without using the hands; letting go one's hold; lack of reserve or restraint; openly   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうだい]
    (n,n-suf) as much as you would like to   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうちく]
    (n) expulsion; ejection; dismissal; ostracism   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [みんかんほうそう]
    commercial broadcasting   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうにん]
    (n,vs) noninterference; leaving something to take its own course; giving someone a free hand with something   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しゃくほう]
    (n,vs) release; liberation; acquittal   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうぼく]
    (n) pasturage; grazing   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうりゅう]
    (n,vs) discharge; stocking (a river) with (fish); liberation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうろう]
    (n,vs) wandering   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [こうきょうほうそう]
    public broadcasting (e.g. NHK, BBC)   [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.