Kanji N3

勤: diligence, become employed, serve

勤 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning diligence, become employed, serve, written with 12 strokes. It is read キン, ゴン (on) and つとめる, つとまる, いそしむ (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 6. You will see it in 勤め (つとめ, service) and 勤める (つとめる, to work).

勤

Meanings

  • diligence
  • become employed
  • serve
Strokes12
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 6
Frequency#830 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • キン
  • ゴン

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • つとめる
  • -づとめ
  • つとまる
  • いそしむ

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

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Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

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Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 12. Start at the dot.

Common words with 勤

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 勤めつとめ

    service; duty; business; responsibility; task

    JLPT N3
  • 勤めるつとめる

    to work (for, at, in); to be employed (at)

    JLPT N5
  • 勤務きんむ

    service; duty; work

    JLPT N1
  • 通勤つうきん

    commuting to work

    JLPT N2
  • 勤労きんろう

    labor; labour; exertion; diligent service

    JLPT N1
  • 転勤てんきん

    job transfer; job relocation

    JLPT N1
  • 出勤しゅっきん

    going to work; leaving for work

    JLPT N2
  • 勤勉きんべん

    diligent; hard-working; industrious

    JLPT N1

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.