Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Textiles, Plants & Food

筆: writing brush, writing

Also: painting brush, handwriting

JLPT N212 strokesGrade 3Your ink: 白 Not met

竹 carries the meaning · 聿 is drawn in

12 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

ヒツhitsu · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 筆順ひつじゅんstroke order
  • 筆者ひっしゃwriter, author
  • 筆記試験ひっきしけんwritten examination
  • 随筆ずいひつessays, miscellaneous writings
  • 毛筆もうひつwriting brush
  • 鉛筆えんぴつpencil
  • 万年筆まんねんひつfountain pen
  • 文筆業ぶんぴつぎょうliterary profession, writing
  • 特筆するとくひつするgive special mention
  • 執筆するしっぴつするwork on a writing project

ふでfude · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 筆ふでwriting brush
  • 筆無精ふでぶしょうpoor correspondent

Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Phono-semantic compound (形聲)竹 bamboo (meaning) + 聿 writing brush (sound)

聿 originally referred to this word; 竹 was added later to differentiate.

Source: Wiktionary, 筆 (rev. 93143322), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Bamboo (⺮) + hand holding things. The classic image of a "hand" holding a handle made of "bamboo" with hairs attached—the primary tool for writing.”
From the ⺮ bamboo story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
竹

Also built on bamboo (竹)

All 24
聿

Also built on 聿

Also read ヒツ

4 kanji share this on'yomi
In ChineseSimplified 笔 · traditional, as in Japanese · bǐ

Japan keeps the traditional form 筆; mainland China simplifies it to 笔.

Simplified
笔 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
筆 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin bǐ 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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