Kanji N2

薄: dilute, thin, weak (tea)

薄 is a JLPT N2 kanji meaning dilute, thin, weak (tea), written with 16 strokes. It is read ハク (on) and うすい, うすめる, うすまる (kun). It is one of the jōyō kanji taught in secondary school. You will see it in 薄い (うすい, thin) and 薄暗い (うすぐらい, dim).

薄

Meanings

  • dilute
  • thin
  • weak (tea)
  • pampas grass
Strokes16
JLPT levelN2
School gradeSecondary school
Frequency#1009 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • ハク

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

Kun reading
  • うすい
  • うす-
  • -うす
  • うすめる
  • うすまる
  • うすらぐ
  • うすら-
  • うすれる
  • すすき

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 16. Start at the dot.

Common words with 薄

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

  • 薄いうすい

    thin (of an object)

    JLPT N5
  • 薄暗いうすぐらい

    dim; gloomy

    JLPT N2
  • 薄めるうすめる

    to dilute; to water down; to thin

    JLPT N2
  • 薄弱はくじゃく

    feebleness; weakness

    JLPT N1
  • 希薄きはく

    thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute

  • 肉薄にくはく

    closing in on (the enemy, first place, etc.)

  • 手薄てうす

    shorthanded; short of hands; undermanned

  • 薄れるうすれる

    to fade; to become dim

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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.