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JLPT N19画 · 9 strokesradical 艸grade 1freq #967

grass, weeds, herbs, pasture

Also: write, draft

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ソウ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • くさ
  • くさ-
  • -ぐさ

Mnemonic

Imagine a vast field of lush grass, swaying gently in the wind, as a soft breeze whispers through the herbs and weeds that decorate the vibrant pasture.

About this kanji

The kanji 「草」 primarily means grass and can also refer to weeds and herbs. It is commonly used as a noun, but it can also appear in verbs and other forms. Some representative compounds include 草案 (そうあん), meaning a draft for a speech or bill; 雑草 (ざっそう), which refers to weeds; and 仕草 (しぐさ), meaning gesture or behavior. A useful note about this kanji is that it can also indicate the act of writing when used in the verb form, giving it a broader context in both natural and literary settings.

Example sentences

  • 草が生い茂っている。

    The grass is overgrown.

Meanings across languages

English
grass, weeds, herbs, pasture, write, draft
Tiếng Việt
cỏ, cỏ dại, thảo dược, đồng cỏ, viết, dự thảo
日本語
草, 雑草, ハーブ, 牧草, 書く, ドラフト
한국어
풀, 잡초, 허브, 초원, 쓰기, 초안
中文
草, 杂草, 草药, 牧场, 写, 草稿
id
rumput
th
หญ้า
es
hierba
fr
herbe
de
Gras
pt
grama

Common compounds

  • 草案そうあんdraft (for a speech, bill, etc.)
  • 草の根くさのねroots of grass, places hidden from sight, grassroots (e.g. of a political party)
  • 起草きそうdrafting (e.g. a bill), drawing up
  • 雑草ざっそうweed
  • 仕草しぐさgesture, movement, action
  • 除草じょそうweeding
  • 草花くさばなflower, flowering plant
  • 草原そうげんgrassy field, grassland, meadow

Want to actually learn this kanji?

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