Kanji N1

描: sketch, compose, write

描 is a JLPT N1 kanji meaning sketch, compose, write, written with 11 strokes. It is read ビョウ (on) and えがく, かく (kun). It is one of the jōyō kanji taught in secondary school. You will see it in 描写 (びょうしゃ, depiction) and 描く (えがく, to draw).

描

Meanings

  • sketch
  • compose
  • write
  • draw
  • paint
Strokes11
JLPT levelN1
School gradeSecondary school
Frequency#876 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • ビョウ

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

Kun reading
  • えがく
  • かく

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.

1234567891011

Now draw it

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

12345678910110 / 11

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 11. Start at the dot.

Common words with 描

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

  • 描写びょうしゃ

    depiction; description; portrayal

    JLPT N1
  • 描くえがく

    to draw; to paint; to sketch

    JLPT N3
  • 素描そびょう

    drawing; sketch

  • 手描きてがき

    hand-drawn; drawn by hand; hand-painted

  • 思い描くおもいえがく

    to imagine; to picture; to figure; to see

  • 絵を描くえをかく

    to paint a picture; to draw a picture

  • 線描せんびょう

    line drawing

  • 描き出すえがきだす

    to delineate; to draw; to express; to imagine

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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.