JLPT N1 · 14 strokes
Kanji 熊: "bear"
The kanji 熊 means "bear". It is written with 14 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N1, read ユウ in on'yomi and くま in kun'yomi.
Stroke order
Strokes are written in the order of the numbers. The order is not decorative: it is what gives the character its balance, and it is also how handwriting search works in Japanese dictionaries.
Readings
On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading)
ユウ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
くま
In a kun'yomi reading, the dot separates the kanji from its okurigana: かた.る is read かたる and written 語る. A hyphen marks a bound position, like -び in 日.
At a glance
| Meaning | bear |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 14 |
| JLPT level | N1 |
| Taught in Japan | grade 4 |
| Frequency rank | 1105 of 2,501 |
Common words with 熊
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 熊bear (any mammal of family Ursidae)
- 熊本Kumamoto (city, prefecture)
- 熊本県Kumamoto Prefecture (Kyūshū)
- 熊手rake; fork; bamboo rake
- 小熊small bear; bear cub
- 白熊polar bear (Ursus maritimus)
- 穴熊badger · Eurasian badger (Meles meles)
- 熊笹kuma bamboo grass (Sasa veitchii); Veitch's bamboo
- 灰色熊grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
- 熊肉bear meat
- 赤熊yak hair dyed red; red hair · frizzled fake hair; curly fake hair
- 熊猫panda
Keep going
Read real Japanese, not lists
A kanji list does not teach you to read. KanjiYome puts furigana and a dictionary on any Japanese text, offline, and turns the words you meet into review cards.