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Kanji for Write

The kanji most commonly used for "Write" are 書、著、識.

Kanji that mean Write

  • to write, book, letter

    Onyomi: sho Kunyomi: gaki, ka.ku 10 strokes Jōyō

  • to write

    Also associated with notable, clear.

    Onyomi: chaku, cho Kunyomi: ara.wasu, ichijirushii 11 strokes Jōyō

  • to know, knowledge

    Also associated with to discern.

    Onyomi: shiki Kunyomi: shi.ru, shirusu 19 strokes Jōyō

  • grass, grassland

    Also associated with crude.

    Onyomi: soh Kunyomi: gusa, kusa 9 strokes Jōyō

  • to draw, to describe

    Onyomi: byoh Kunyomi: ega.ku, ka.ku 11 strokes Jōyō

  • copy, transcribe

    Also associated with write.

    Onyomi: toh 17 strokes Jōyō

  • compose, bind, stitch

    Onyomi: getsu, techi, tei, tetsu Kunyomi: sumi.yaka, to.jiru, tsudu.ru, tsuduri 14 strokes Jinmeiyō

書 is writing in general: the verb 書く, and the character in 書道 (calligraphy), 文書 (a document), 読書 (reading) and 辞書 (a dictionary). If you want one character for ‘write’, this is it — it covers both the act and the thing written.

著 is to author. 著者 is an author, 著作 a written work, 著書 a book someone has written. The same character read ichijirushii means ‘marked, striking’ (著しい), a separate everyday sense worth knowing about. 綴 is to string words together: 綴る is to compose or spell out, 綴じる is to bind loose pages into a bundle.

The rest are near misses. 描 is drawing, not writing — 描く (to depict), 描写 (depiction) — though it shares the reading kaku with 書く. 草 reaches this list through 草書, the flowing cursive script, and 草稿, a rough draft; on its own it means grass. 識 is really ‘to know’ (知識, 常識, 意識), and its recording sense belongs to older formal usage.

Before you use Write kanji

書 is the safe character and is strongly tied to calligraphy, which is usually the intended feel. 描 will be read as 'draw'. 識 reads as knowledge or awareness rather than writing, and 草 on its own simply means 'grass'.

Other meanings to explore

See all kanji by meaning →

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