N4 kanji · 10 strokes
通 means pass through
甬 a passage · 辶 road
通Memory trick
Through the passage (甬) and along the road: to pass through, to commute.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- traffic, pass through, avenue, commute
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 10
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) とおる tooru
とおる (tooru) 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: とおり toori, とおす toosu, とおし tooshi
From Chinese (onyomi) ツウ tsuu
ツウ (tsuu) 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: ツ tsu
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
通る とおる · tooru
to go by, to go past
Built from
- 用 to use
- 辶 road, moving
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
Quick check
What does 通 mean?
Right: 通 means pass through.Not quite: 通 means pass through.In 通る, which reading does 通 use?
Right. 通る is read とおる (tooru): 通 takes とお, its Japanese reading, with る after it.Not quite. 通る is read とおる (tooru): 通 takes とお, its Japanese reading, with る after it.