変
変 — Unusual
unusual, change, strange
On’yomiヘン (hen)
Kun’yomiかわる (kawaru)
Kun’yomiかわり (kawari)
Kun’yomiかえる (kaeru)
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 変
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
| 大変 | たいへん taihen | very; greatly; terribly |
| 変わった | かわった kawatta | unusual; abnormal; strange |
| 変わらない | かわらない kawaranai | constant; invariant |
| 変わる | かわる kawaru | to change; to be transformed; to be altered |
| 変更 | へんこう henkou | change; modification; alteration |
Study notes
変 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #238 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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