当
当 — Hit
hit, right, appropriate, himself
On’yomiトウ (tou)
Kun’yomiあたる (ataru)
Kun’yomiあたり (atari)
Kun’yomiあてる (ateru)
Kun’yomiあて (ate)
Kun’yomiまさに (masani)
Stroke order (6 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 当
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 当局 | とうきょく toukyoku | authorities; relevant authorities; authorities concerned |
| 当時 | とうじ touji | at that time; in those days |
| 当初 | とうしょ tousho | beginning; start; outset |
| 担当 | たんとう tantou | being in charge (of an area of responsibility); being responsible (for a work role, etc.) |
| 当選 | とうせん tousen | being elected; winning a prize (in a lottery, raffle, etc.); being selected (for a prize, etc.) |
| 当面 | とうめん toumen | current; urgent; pressing |
Study notes
当 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #91 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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