空
空 — Empty
empty, sky, void, vacant, vacuum
On’yomiクウ (kuu)
Kun’yomiそら (sora)
Kun’yomiあく (aku)
Kun’yomiあき (aki)
Kun’yomiあける (akeru)
Kun’yomiから (kara)
Stroke order (8 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 空
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 空港 | くうこう kuukou | airport |
| 航空 | こうくう koukuu | aviation; flying |
| 空 | から kara | emptiness; being empty; not carrying anything |
| 空気 | くうき kuuki | air; atmosphere; mood |
| 航空機 | こうくうき koukuuki | aircraft |
| 空間 | くうかん kuukan | space; room; airspace |
Study notes
空 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #304 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.