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道Nihongo Path
奮

奮·rouse, be stirred

On-yomi
フン
Kun-yomi
ふる(う)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
興奮こうふんexcitement
奮闘ふんとうhard struggle, strenuous effort
奮発ふんぱつsplurging, making a big effort
奮うふるうto rouse, to summon up (courage)

Example sentences

  1. 試合に勝って観客が興奮した。

    しあいにかってかんきゃくがこうふんした。

    The crowd was excited when the team won.

  2. 彼は一人で最後まで奮闘した。

    かれはひとりでさいごまでふんとうした。

    He struggled on alone to the very end.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 奪 for 奮 — 奪う (to snatch) versus 奮う (to rouse)
  • Reading 奮発 as ふんはつ; it is ふんぱつ

Memory aid

Picture it

大 over a bird (隹) over a field (田): a bird bursting up out of the field — spirits suddenly rising.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 奮 mean?