力 power, strength

ちから chikara

2 strokesRadical of 24 kanjiPart of 22

Your ink in 力0% painted · 0 of 24 familiar

Origin · sourced

Pictogram象形

Alternative interpretation, either an arm bending out from the side of the body, or a wooden plough.

Source: Wiktionary, 力 (rev. 92200013), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Flex your arm and feel the power! That's 力, representing the raw muscle and effort required to change the world. Whether it's the strength of a warrior or the persistence of a farmer, this character is the mark of human agency and force.”

Where it sits in a kanji

Indicates physical strength, mental effort, ability, or the application of force and power to a task

Start with力 Study all 24Print sheet

育つ

What it grows into

Built from 力, with sourced origins

加addカ · くわえる
力 + 口
Shuowen: ideogrammic compound (會意): 力 (“strength”) + 口 (“mouth”) – exaggerate; slander.
Ideogrammic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
動moveドウ · うごく
重sound + 力
However, the phonetic component is a reference to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human being.
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
助helpジョ · たすける
且sound + 力
To help with one’s strength.
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0

一覧

Every kanji with 力 as its radical

Most used first

Start with力 All 24