JLPT N1 · 9 strokes
Kanji 削: "plane, sharpen, whittle"
The kanji 削 means "plane, sharpen, whittle, pare, shave". It is written with 9 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N1, read サク in on'yomi and けず.る, はつ.る, そ.ぐ 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)
サク
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
けず.るはつ.るそ.ぐ
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 | plane, sharpen, whittle, pare, shave |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 9 |
| JLPT level | N1 |
| Taught in Japan | secondary school |
| Frequency rank | 814 of 2,501 |
Common words with 削
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 削るto shave (wood, leather, etc.); to sharpen (e.g. pencil); to plane; to whittle · to cut down (budget, expenses, staff, time, etc.); to curtail; to reduce
- 削ぐto chip (off); to shave off; to slice off; to cut off · to sharpen
- 削除deletion; elimination; erasure; striking out
- 削り取るto shave off; to scrape off
- 削れるto be shaved or planed
- 削減cut; reduction; curtailment
- 身を削るto undergo great hardships; to waste away from great effort and worry
- 掘削digging out; excavation
- 削り出すto machine; to cut; to scrape
- 削げるto split; to be split; to splinter; to chip · to become sunken (e.g. of cheeks); to become hollowed; to become drawn; to become emaciated
- しのぎを削るto compete ruthlessly; to sharpen swords
- 荒削りrough-hewn; incomplete; unrefined; still in the process of being formed
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.