Japanese stroke order
Learn to write kana and kanji stroke by stroke: watch, trace, then write from memory.
Type or paste kana or kanji, or look a reading up in romaji or kana: yama or やま finds 山. Covers all the kana and the 2,136 jōyō kanji.
Practise 日
Watch the strokes in order, then switch to Trace to write over them.
- Character
- 日
- On reading (from Chinese)
- ニチnichiジツjitsu
- Kun reading (Japanese)
- ひhi-びbi-かka
- Strokes
- 4
- Radical
- –
- Meaning
- –
- Taught in
- Primary school, grade 1
- How common
- No. 1 of the 2,500 kanji most used in newspapers
Kana and kanji
Both kana scripts, then the 2,136 jōyō kanji by the school grade they’re taught in, most used first. Pick one to practise.
Basic kana
With ゛ and ゜
Small kana
Next: Chinese stroke order · Translate · Word counter
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How to use Japanese stroke order
Find a character
Type or paste kana or kanji, look a kanji up by its reading in romaji or kana, such as yama or やま, or pick one from the kana charts and the kanji of each school grade.
Watch, then trace
Watch the strokes drawn in order and see each step on its own. Then trace over the faint outline with your mouse, finger or pen.
Write it from memory
Write the character with no outline. Each stroke is checked, and after a few misses the right one is shown. Print a sheet to keep practising on paper.
Why use Utils365
All the kana and 2,136 kanji
Hiragana and katakana, with the voiced and small kana, and every jōyō kanji: the official list of kanji for everyday use, sorted by the school grade they’re taught in.
Checked as you write
Strokes in the wrong order, direction or place aren’t accepted, so you learn the correct way from the start.
Practice sheets to print
Make a PDF with a stroke-by-stroke row and boxes with cross guides to trace and write in, for one character or a whole list.
Readings and meanings
See each kanji’s on and kun readings in kana and romaji, its meaning, radical, stroke count, school grade and how common it is. Listen to them where your device has a Japanese voice.
Frequently asked questions
Why does stroke order matter in Japanese?
Writing strokes in the standard order makes characters look balanced, helps you write faster and more neatly, and makes handwriting easier to read. It also helps you remember kanji and look them up in dictionaries by stroke count.
What are the basic rules of stroke order?
Top before bottom and left before right. Horizontal strokes usually come before vertical ones that cross them, as in 十. Outside before inside, but close the box last, as in 国. In symmetrical kanji the middle comes before the sides, as in 小.
Which characters are included?
All hiragana and katakana, including the kana with ゛ and ゜ and the small kana, and the 2,136 jōyō kanji: the 1,026 kanji taught in primary school, grade by grade, and the 1,110 taught in secondary school.
Is Japanese stroke order the same as Chinese?
Mostly, but not always. A few characters are written in a different order in Japan: 右, for example, starts with the left-falling stroke, where in China it starts with the horizontal one. Some kanji also have a different form. This tool follows the Japanese order and forms.
How do I find a kanji by its reading?
Type the reading in romaji or kana, such as mizu or みず, to see the kanji read that way. Kun readings can be found with or without the kana that follow the kanji: iku and i both find 行.
Can I use it on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Write with your finger or a stylus on a touchscreen, or with a mouse on a computer. The writing box scales to your screen.
Is it free?
Yes. There’s no sign-up, no limit and nothing to install.