語 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

語: language; word; talk; narrate. JLPT N5; 14 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ゴ

Kun readings

かた.る、かた.らう

Romaji

go, kataru, katarau

Study notes

語 means 'word, language' and, as a verb, 'to tell'.

On reading: ゴ as a suffix forms the names of languages: 日本語 (にほんご, Japanese), 英語 (えいご, English), イタリア語 (Italian). It also appears in 単語 (たんご, word, vocabulary), 敬語 (けいご, polite language), 主語 (しゅご, subject), 国語 (こくご, national language; Japanese as a school subject), 外来語 (がいらいご, loanword).

Kun readings: かたる (語る, to tell, to narrate) is more formal and solemn than 話す (はなす); かたらう (語らう) means 'to converse, to confide'. The same root appears in 物語 (ものがたり, tale, story), as in the title 源氏物語 (げんじものがたり, 'The Tale of Genji').

Remember: 語 contains on the left the component 言 (word, to say), as in 話 and 読.

Example words

• 日本語 (にほんご) — Japanese language
• 英語 (えいご) — English
• 語る (かたる) — to tell; speak about
• 語らう (かたらう) — to talk together

Example sentences

日本語を勉強しています。

nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu.

I am studying Japanese.

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.