JLPT N1 · 19 strokes
Kanji 鯨: "whale"
The kanji 鯨 means "whale". It is written with 19 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N1, read ゲイ in on'yomi and くじら 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)
ゲイ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
くじら
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 | whale |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 19 |
| JLPT level | N1 |
| Taught in Japan | secondary school |
| Frequency rank | 1486 of 2,501 |
Common words with 鯨
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 白鯨Moby-Dick (1851 novel by Herman Melville)
- 捕鯨whaling; whale hunting; whale fishing
- 鯨波raging waves · battle cry; war cry
- 捕鯨船whaling ship; whaler; whale catcher
- 鯨油whale oil
- 鯨幕black and white striped curtain (used at funeral service)
- 巨鯨huge whale
- 鯨飲drinking hard; drinking like a fish
- 鯨座Cetus (constellation); the Whale
- 捕鯨砲(whaling) harpoon gun
- 鯨肉whale meat
- 鯨漁whaling
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.