Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Action & Movement

巧: adroit, skilled

Also: ingenuity

JLPT N15 strokesSecondary schoolYour ink: 白 Not met

工 carries the meaning · 丂 gives the sound

5 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

コウkou · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 巧妙こうみょうingenious; skillful; clever
  • 技巧ぎこうtechnique; finesse
  • 精巧せいこうelaborate; delicate; exquisite
  • 巧者こうしゃcleverness; skill; tact
  • 巧拙こうせつskill; workmanship; dexterity

たくみtakumi · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 巧みたくみskillful; adroit; dexterous

Also read たくむ, うまい, with no example words in our sources. Words: JMdict, EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Master your craft! Imagine a skilled builder using a carpenter's square to ensure every corner of a new home is perfect.”
More in the 工 work story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
工

Also built on work (工)

All 12
丂

Also built on 丂

巧 takes the 丂 family's reading, コウ (kou).

Also read コウ

96 kanji share this on'yomiAll 96

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
巧 adroit · 丂
vs左 left
巧 adds 丂.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · qiǎo

Same form: 巧 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
巧 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
巧 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin qiǎo most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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