像
像 — Statue
statue, picture, image, figure, portrait
On’yomiゾウ (zou)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (14 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 像
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 映像 | えいぞう eizou | image (on a screen); picture (e.g. on a TV); video |
| 画像 | がぞう gazou | image; picture; portrait |
| 想像 | そうぞう souzou | imagination; supposition; guess |
| 肖像 | しょうぞう shouzou | portrait; likeness; picture |
| 像 | ぞう zou | image; figure; statue |
| 仏像 | ぶつぞう butsuzou | statue of Buddha; image of Buddha; Buddhist statue |
Study notes
像 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #856 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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