ChiramiN4 kanji · 12 strokes
道 means road, way
首 head · 辶 road
道Memory trick
Head (首) first down the road: the way.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- road-way, street, district, journey
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 12
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) みち michi
みち (michi) 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: いう iu
From Chinese (onyomi) ドウ dou
ドウ (dou) 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: トウ tou
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
回り道 まわりみち · mawarimichi
detour, circuitous route
Built from
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
丷 Used in 140 kanji
See all 17 at N5 and N4自 Used in 12 kanji
See all 3 at N5 and N4辶 Used in 56 kanji
See all 8 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 道 mean?
Right: 道 means road, way.Not quite: 道 means road, way.In 回り道, which reading does 道 use?
Right. 回り道 is read まわりみち (mawarimichi): 道 takes みち, its Japanese reading.Not quite. 回り道 is read まわりみち (mawarimichi): 道 takes みち, its Japanese reading.