ChiramiN4 kanji · 12 strokes
開 means open
門 gate · 廾 hands lifting the bar
開Real origin
Two hands lifting the bar of a gate (門): to open.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- open, unfold, unseal
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 12
- School grade
- Grade 3 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) ひらく hiraku
ひらく (hiraku) 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: ひらき hiraki, ひらける hirakeru, あく aku
From Chinese (onyomi) カイ kai
カイ (kai) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
開く ひらく · hiraku
to open, to undo
Built from
- 門 gate
- 一 one
- 二 two
- 丿 a sweeping stroke
- 廾 two hands
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
門 Used in 15 kanji
See all 4 at N5 and N4廾 Used in 38 kanji
See all 3 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 開 mean?
Right: 開 means open.Not quite: 開 means open.In 開く, which reading does 開 use?
Right. 開く is read ひらく (hiraku): 開 takes ひら, its Japanese reading, with く after it.Not quite. 開く is read ひらく (hiraku): 開 takes ひら, its Japanese reading, with く after it.