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道Nihongo Path
弾

弾·bullet, play (instrument)

On-yomi
ダン
Kun-yomi
ひ(く)はず(む)たま

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

12 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
弾くひくto play (piano, guitar)
弾むはずむto bounce, to liven up
爆弾ばくだんbomb
弾丸だんがんbullet

Example sentences

  1. 妹はピアノを弾くのが上手だ。

    いもうとはピアノをひくのがじょうずだ。

    My sister is good at playing the piano.

  2. 久しぶりに会って話が弾んだ。

    ひさしぶりにあってはなしがはずんだ。

    We met after a long time and the conversation really got going.

  3. 戦争の映画で爆弾の場面が出てきた。

    せんそうのえいがでばくだんのばめんがでてきた。

    A bomb scene came up in the war film.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 引く (to pull) where 弾く (to play an instrument) is meant — both are ひく
  • Reading 爆弾 as ばくたん — it is ばくだん

Memory aid

Picture it

A bow 弓 on the left — the string snaps back, so the character covers both shooting (bullet) and springing back (bounce, plucking a string).

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 弾 mean?