Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 2
円 yen, circle
- Meaning
- yen, circle
- On reading
- エン
- Kun reading
- まる(い)
Memory hook
A frame with a stroke inside. It used to be written 圓, a full circle; the modern shape is a coin in a frame. エン. Yen is just the old English spelling of en.
Words that use 円
千円
せんえん
1,000 yen
円い
まるい
round
How to write 円
Stroke order · 4 strokes
1
2
3
4
- 1. The vertical on the left.
- 2. Horizontal across the top, then turn down on the right side, ending in a hook.
- 3. The vertical through the centre.
- 4. The horizontal across the middle.
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).
円 is taught on day 4 of the kanji course, alongside 百 千 万, with two writing passes and a short quiz.