ChiramiN5 kanji · 14 strokes
聞 means hear, listen
門 gate · 耳 ear
聞Memory trick
An ear (耳) pressed to the gate (門): to hear, to listen.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- hear, ask, listen
- JLPT level
- N5
- Strokes
- 14
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) きく kiku
きく (kiku) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
Other Japanese readings: きこえる kikoeru
From Chinese (onyomi) ブン bun
ブン (bun) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Other readings from Chinese: モン mon
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
聞く きく · kiku
to hear
Built from
- 門 gate
- 耳 ear
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
門 Used in 15 kanji
See all 4 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 聞 mean?
Right: 聞 means hear, listen.Not quite: 聞 means hear, listen.In 聞く, which reading does 聞 use?
Right. 聞く is read きく (kiku): 聞 takes き, its Japanese reading, with く after it.Not quite. 聞く is read きく (kiku): 聞 takes き, its Japanese reading, with く after it.