熊
熊 — Bear
bear
On’yomiユウ (yuu)
Kun’yomiくま (kuma)
Stroke order (14 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 熊
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 熊 | くま kuma | bear (any mammal of family Ursidae) |
| 熊手 | くまで kumade | rake; fork; bamboo rake |
| 穴熊 | あなぐま anaguma | badger; Eurasian badger (Meles meles); anaguma castle (defensive opening) |
Study notes
熊 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1105 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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