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道Nihongo Path
竜

竜·dragon

On-yomi
リュウ
Kun-yomi
たつ

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
竜りゅうdragon
恐竜きょうりゅうdinosaur
竜巻たつまきtornado
竜宮りゅうぐうthe Dragon Palace (of folklore)

Example sentences

  1. 子どもは恐竜の本が大好きだ。

    こどもはきょうりゅうのほんがだいすきだ。

    The child loves books about dinosaurs.

  2. 昨日、大きな竜巻が町を襲った。

    きのう、おおきなたつまきがまちをおそった。

    A huge tornado struck the town yesterday.

  3. 絵の中で竜が空を飛んでいる。

    えのなかでりゅうがそらをとんでいる。

    In the picture a dragon is flying through the sky.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 竜巻 as りゅうまき — the kun-reading たつ is used here
  • Writing the old form 龍 in ordinary text where 竜 is standard

Memory aid

Picture it

The modern short form of 龍: a crowned head on top over a curling body and tail below.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 竜 mean?