JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
洋 means Western, ocean. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 9 strokes, read よう. It combines 氵 (water), which carries the meaning, with 羊, which is there for its sound よう. It appears in 洋服 (Western-style clothes) and 西洋 (the West / Western countries).
洋 is written in 9 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
洋 breaks into 2 parts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洋服 | ようふく | Western-style clothes |
| 西洋 | せいよう | the West / Western countries |
| 海洋 | かいよう | ocean |
羊 tends to carry the sound よう. They carry it; they do not all mean the same thing.
| Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 羊 | よう | sheep |
| 洋 | よう | ocean, sea |
| 養 | よう | foster, bring up |
These use 氵 or 羊 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
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