央
央 — Center
center, middle
On’yomiオウ (ou)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (5 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 央
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中央 | ちゅうおう chuuou | centre; center; middle |
| 中央集権 | ちゅうおうしゅうけん chuuoushuuken | centralized authoritarian rule; centralised authoritarian rule |
Study notes
央 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #582 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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