Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 9
白 white
- Meaning
- white
- On reading
- ハク
- Kun reading
- しろ(い)
Memory hook
A slash over 日 (sun): the first ray coming off the sun, white light. ハク in compounds, しろ(い) on its own.
Words that use 白
白い
しろい
white
白鳥
はくちょう
swan
How to write 白
Stroke order · 5 strokes
1
2
3
4
5
- 1. The sweep down to the left.
- 2. The vertical on the left.
- 3. Horizontal across the middle, then turn down on the right side.
- 4. The horizontal across the middle.
- 5. The horizontal across the bottom.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
白 is taught on day 13 of the kanji course, alongside 新 古 長, with two writing passes and a short quiz.