聞 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

聞: hear; listen; ask. JLPT N5; 14 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ブン、モン

Kun readings

き.く、き.こえる

Romaji

bun, mon, kiku, kikoeru

Study notes

聞 concerns hearing and listening; as a verb it also means 'to ask'. The kanji is formed by 門 (door) and 耳 (ear).

On readings: ブン in 新聞 (しんぶん, newspaper), 見聞 (けんぶん, direct experience), 伝聞 (でんぶん, heard from others). モン in 聴聞 (ちょうもん, hearing, audition) and 前代未聞 (ぜんだいみもん, unprecedented, unheard of).

Kun readings: きく (聞く) means 'to listen, to hear' but also 'to ask' (道を聞く, to ask for directions). きこえる (聞こえる, to be heard, to be audible) describes a sound that arrives effortlessly: 音が聞こえる (a sound is heard). Other words: 聞き手 (ききて, listener), 聞き取り (ききとり, oral comprehension).

Remember: 聞く and 聞こえる stand in relation to each other as 見る and 見える: voluntary action on one side, spontaneous perception on the other. For attentive listening, for example of music, the kanji 聴く (きく) is also used.

Example words

• 新聞 (しんぶん) — newspaper
• 前代未聞 (ぜんだいみもん) — unheard-of; unprecedented
• 聞く (きく) — to hear; listen; ask
• 聞こえる (きこえる) — to be heard; be audible

Example sentences

その話を聞きました。

sono hanashi wo kikimashita.

I heard that story.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.