How to Write 乾 (drought, dry, desiccate, drink up, heaven) — Stroke Order, Readings & Printable Worksheet
Master the 11-stroke writing sequence of the JLPT N2 (Kyōiku Kanji Grade 8 (小学8年生)) character 乾 (“drought, dry, desiccate, drink up, heaven”), indexed under the 乙 (おつ (second)) radical. Practice 乾 alongside high-frequency Japanese Jukugo compounds such as 乾く (かわく (kawaku) — drought), 乾かす (かわかす (kawakasu) — drought).
🔍 Radical & Component Breakdown (乾)
Primary Radical (部首): 乙 — おつ (second)
Radical Position: Standalone / Integrated (部首)
Semantic Theme: Radical 乙
Curriculum & Reading Usage: Kyōiku Kanji Grade 8 (小学8年生) (JLPT N2). Use the Sino-Japanese Onyomi (カン, ケン) when 乾 combines with other Kanji in multi-character Jukugo compounds, and use the native Japanese Kunyomi (かわ.く, かわ.かす, ほ.す, ひ.る, いぬい) when 乾 appears as a standalone noun or with Hiragana okurigana endings.
Genkō Yōshi Proportions (11画): Written with 11 strokes, 乾 is an intermediate multi-component character built around the 乙 (おつ (second)) radical (Standalone / Integrated position). Establish the 乙 component first in its quadrant so the remaining 9 strokes maintain balanced left-right or top-bottom proportions.
📜 Etymology & Mnemonic Insight (六書 / Rikusho)
Radical: 乙 (おつ (second))
Standard Jouyou kanji written with 11 strokes under radical 乙.
Common Japanese Words & Jukugo Using 乾
Frequently Asked Questions About Kanji 乾 (FAQ)
How many strokes are in 乾 and how is it structured?
The Japanese character 乾 ("drought, dry, desiccate, drink up, heaven") is written with 11 strokes (11画) as a JLPT N2 (Kyōiku Kanji Grade 8 (小学8年生)) intermediate multi-component Kanji (6–11 strokes) indexed under the 乙 (おつ (second)) radical. Written with 11 strokes, 乾 is an intermediate multi-component character built around the 乙 (おつ (second)) radical (Standalone / Integrated position). Establish the 乙 component first in its quadrant so the remaining 9 strokes maintain balanced left-right or top-bottom proportions.
What are the Onyomi, Kunyomi, and Jukugo words for 乾?
For 乾 (JLPT N2), the Onyomi is カン, ケン and the Kunyomi is かわ.く, かわ.かす, ほ.す, ひ.る, いぬい. Use the Sino-Japanese Onyomi (カン, ケン) when 乾 combines with other Kanji in multi-character Jukugo compounds, and use the native Japanese Kunyomi (かわ.く, かわ.かす, ほ.す, ひ.る, いぬい) when 乾 appears as a standalone noun or with Hiragana okurigana endings. High-frequency Japanese vocabulary using 乾 includes 乾く (かわく (kawaku) — drought), 乾かす (かわかす (kawakasu) — drought).
What is the stroke order rule for writing 乾 on Genkō Yōshi paper?
When writing the 11 strokes of 乾 (drought, dry, desiccate, drink up, heaven), start with the 乙 (おつ (second)) in the Standalone / Integrated (部首) position and follow standard Japanese Hitsujun (筆順) principles: top to bottom (上から下) and left to right (左から右). Practice 乾 interactively on the Kanji Scribe canvas or print a free A4 Genkō Yōshi PDF worksheet.
More JLPT N2 Characters to Practice Next
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