則
則 — Rule
rule, law, follow, based on, model after
On’yomiソク (soku)
Kun’yomiのっとる (nottoru)
Kun’yomiのり (nori)
Kun’yomiすなわち (sunawachi)
Stroke order (9 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 則
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 原則 | げんそく gensoku | principle; general rule; as a rule |
| 規則 | きそく kisoku | rule; regulation |
| 罰則 | ばっそく bassoku | punishment; penalty; penal regulations |
| 校則 | こうそく kousoku | school rules; school regulations |
| 反則 | はんそく hansoku | foul; breaking the rules; violation (of the law, regulations, etc.) |
| 法則 | ほうそく housoku | law; rule |
Study notes
則 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #753 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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