言 · say, word

JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.

言 means say, word. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 7 strokes, read いう or こと or げん. It is a pictograph: the character began as a picture of the thing itself, so it does not break down into smaller parts. It appears in 言う (to say) and 言葉 (language).

筆順 · Stroke order

言 is written in 7 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.

解字 · What it is made of

言 breaks into 1 part.

• 口 other mouth component

Words that use 言

Word	Reading	Meaning
言う	いう	to say
言葉	ことば	language
方言	ほうげん	dialect

Built from the same parts

These use 口 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.

• 員member
• 向to face
• 合to fit
• 事thing
• 味taste
• 問question

Practise 言

Sumi teaches the character before it tests you: stroke order animated, the breakdown above shown as a pull-apart X-ray, then spaced review. Free, in your browser, no signup.

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