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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Write" are 書、著、識.
書
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.
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'.
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.