改
改 — Reformation
reformation, change, modify, mend, renew, examine
On’yomiカイ (kai)
Kun’yomiあらためる (aratameru)
Kun’yomiあらたまる (aratamaru)
Stroke order (7 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 改
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 改革 | かいかく kaikaku | reform; reformation; reorganization |
| 改正 | かいせい kaisei | revision; amendment; alteration |
| 改善 | かいぜん kaizen | betterment; improvement; kaizen (Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement) |
| 改造 | かいぞう kaizou | remodeling; remodelling; reconstruction |
| 改定 | かいてい kaitei | revision (of a rule, price, etc.); alteration; change |
| 改憲 | かいけん kaiken | constitutional change; revising the constitution |
Study notes
改 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #147 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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