Kanji N3

念: wish, sense, idea

念 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning wish, sense, idea, written with 8 strokes. It is read ネン (on), and has no common kun reading. Children in Japan learn it in grade 4. You will see it in 記念 (きねん, commemoration) and 残念 (ざんねん, regrettable).

念

Meanings

  • wish
  • sense
  • idea
  • thought
  • feeling
  • desire
  • attention
Strokes8
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 4
Frequency#390 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • ネン

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

Kun reading
  • None in common use

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 8. Start at the dot.

Common words with 念

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

  • 記念きねん

    commemoration; celebration; remembrance; memory

    JLPT N3
  • 残念ざんねん

    regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing; vexing

    JLPT N4
  • 念ねん

    sense; idea; thought; feeling

    JLPT N1
  • 概念がいねん

    general idea; concept; notion

    JLPT N1
  • 無念むねん

    regret; chagrin; mortification

    JLPT N1
  • 観念かんねん

    idea; notion; concept; conception

    JLPT N2
  • 理念りねん

    (Platonic) ideal (of how things ought to be, e.g. human rights)

  • 念頭ねんとう

    (on one's) mind; heed

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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; the Spanish meanings they lack, translated by Naraio from their English, are shared under the same licence. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY. Sentences split into words with IPADIC © NAIST and IPA, through Lindera.