読

read

Mnemonic

Words (言) being sold/spread (売) — reading aloud. 読 means to read.

Stroke count: 14

1上から下へ書きます。Write from top to bottom.
2左から右へ書きます。Write from left to right.
3横の画を先に、縦の画を後に書きます。Write horizontal strokes before the vertical strokes that cross them.
4外側の囲みを先に書き、中を後で書きます。Draw an outer enclosure first, then fill in what is inside.
5中央を先に、左右を後に書きます。In symmetric shapes, write the centre before the left and right sides.
6この漢字は14画です。下の練習エリアで順番に書いてみましょう。This kanji has 14 strokes — trace them in order in the practice area below.

Step by step

Stroke-order data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Trace the faded character with your mouse or finger. Hide the outline to test yourself.

Radical

言

speech / words

Component

売

sell

Speech 言 (it involves words) plus 売 for the reading どく. Reading is speaking words aloud.

Keep the 言 radical compact on the left, and let the right side stand a little taller.
Follow the order strictly: top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Correct order makes the shape balanced and natural.
Keep each stroke in one smooth motion — don't lift the pen in the middle of a stroke.
Close enclosing strokes cleanly so the character does not look open or broken.
Common mistake: drawing strokes bottom-to-top or right-to-left. Even if the result looks similar, the wrong order shows in handwriting and makes it harder to read.

読むよむto read解読かいどくdecoding判読はんどくmaking out (text)熟読じゅくどくcareful reading精読せいどくclose reading速読そくどくspeed reading

読むはとても大切です。

よむはとてもたいせつです。

yomu wa totemo taisetsu desu.

The to read is very important.