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道Nihongo Path
冠

冠·crown, best, peerless

On-yomi
かん
Kun-yomi
かんむり

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
王冠おうかんcrown
冠かんむりcrown; the top element of a kanji
栄冠えいかんlaurels, crown of victory
冠水かんすいbeing flooded, submerged
冠婚葬祭かんこんそうさいceremonial occasions

Example sentences

  1. 優勝の栄冠を手にした。

    ゆうしょうのえいかんをてにした。

    They took the winner's crown.

  2. この漢字の冠は草かんむりです。

    このかんじのかんむりはくさかんむりです。

    The top element of this kanji is the grass radical.

  3. 大雨で道路が冠水した。

    おおあめでどうろがかんすいした。

    The road was flooded by the heavy rain.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Alone it is かんむり; in compounds it is かん (王冠, 栄冠).
  • 冠婚葬祭 is かんこんそうさい, a set phrase for coming-of-age, weddings, funerals and festivals.

Memory aid

Picture it

A cover 冖 over 元 (the head), with a hand 寸 at the side: a hand setting a covering on someone's head.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 冠 mean?