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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Kite" are 凧、鳶.
凧
English uses one word for two unrelated things; Japanese does not. 凧 (tako) is the paper kite on a string. It is a kokuji, a character invented in Japan, which is why it has no Chinese-derived reading at all — only the native tako. 凧揚げ, kite-flying, is a New Year custom.
鳶 (tobi, or tonbi) is the bird: the black kite, the large raptor that circles over Japanese coastlines and is notorious for snatching food out of people’s hands. The character also names a trade — 鳶職, the scaffolders on construction sites, called tobi for the way they work at height. The proverb 鳶が鷹を生む, a kite gives birth to a hawk, describes ordinary parents producing a remarkable child.
Which character you want depends entirely on which English kite you meant. There is nothing that covers both.
Decide which kite you mean before committing. 凧 is only the paper toy — harmless, but it reads as a child's plaything. 鳶 is the bird, and to a Japanese reader it also suggests a scaffolder or a scavenging bird rather than anything noble.
What is Onyomi?
Onyomi, also known as the "Sino-Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is derived from the original Chinese pronunciation.
What is Kunyomi?
Kunyomi, also known as the "native Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. Kunyomi readings are often used when a kanji character stands alone or is followed by hiragana, as in verbs and adjectives. Mastering both kunyomi and onyomi is crucial for understanding and using kanji effectively in the Japanese language.
What is Radical?
A radical, also known as "bushu" in Japanese, is a fundamental component of kanji characters. Radicals are the building blocks of kanji and are used to categorize and organize them in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals, each with its own meaning, which often provides a clue to the meaning of the kanji character it forms.
What is strokes?
Stroke count, or "kakusuu" in Japanese, refers to the number of individual brushstrokes required to write a kanji character. Each kanji has a specific stroke order and stroke count, which are essential for writing the character correctly and legibly. Understanding and following the correct stroke order not only ensures proper balance and aesthetics but also makes writing more efficient and fluid.