将
将 — Leader
leader, commander, general, admiral, or, and again
On’yomiショウ (shou)
On’yomiソウ (sou)
Kun’yomiまさに (masani)
Kun’yomiはた (hata)
Kun’yomiまさ (masa)
Kun’yomiひきいる (hikiiru)
Kun’yomiもって (motte)
Stroke order (10 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 将
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 将来 | しょうらい shourai | future; (future) prospects; bringing (from abroad, another region, etc.) |
| 将棋 | しょうぎ shougi | shogi; Japanese chess |
| 主将 | しゅしょう shushou | commander-in-chief; supreme commander; captain (of a team) |
| 将軍 | しょうぐん shougun | general; shogun |
| 将 | しょう shou | commander; general; leader |
| 王将 | おうしょう oushou | (senior player's) king; Ōshō (one of the eight major titles in professional shogi) |
Study notes
将 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #634 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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