Kanji N1

控: withdraw, draw in, hold back

控 is a JLPT N1 kanji meaning withdraw, draw in, hold back, written with 11 strokes. It is read コウ (on) and ひかえる, ひかえ (kun). It is one of the jōyō kanji taught in secondary school. You will see it in 控える (ひかえる, to be temperate in) and 控除 (こうじょ, subtraction).

控

Meanings

  • withdraw
  • draw in
  • hold back
  • refrain from
  • be moderate
Strokes11
JLPT levelN1
School gradeSecondary school
Frequency#1000 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • コウ

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

Kun reading
  • ひかえる
  • ひかえ

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 11. Start at the dot.

Common words with 控

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

  • 控えるひかえる

    to be temperate in; to refrain; to abstain

    JLPT N1
  • 控除こうじょ

    subtraction; deduction (e.g. of tax)

    JLPT N1
  • 控室ひかえしつ

    waiting room; anteroom; antechamber; green room

    JLPT N1
  • 控訴こうそ

    appeal to a higher court; intermediate appeal

  • 控えひかえ

    reserve; spare; backup

  • 買い控えかいびかえ

    restrained buying

  • 控えめひかえめ

    moderate; reserved; modest; temperate

  • 手控えてびかえ

    note; memorandum

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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.