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道Nihongo Path
殴

殴·beat, hit

On-yomi
オウ
Kun-yomi
なぐ(る)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
殴るなぐるto punch, to strike
殴打おうだassault, a blow
殴り合いなぐりあいa fistfight
殴り書きなぐりがきscrawl, scribble

Example sentences

  1. 人を殴ってはいけない。

    ひとをなぐってはいけない。

    You must not hit people.

  2. 二人は駅前で殴り合いになった。

    ふたりはえきまえでなぐりあいになった。

    The two of them got into a fistfight in front of the station.

  3. 殴打による怪我だと医師は判断した。

    おうだによるけがだといしははんだんした。

    The doctor judged the injury to have been caused by a blow.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 殴打 as なぐだ — it is おうだ
  • Confusing 殴る (to punch) with 怒る (おこる, to get angry) when reading quickly

Memory aid

Picture it

区 (a bounded area) next to 殳, a hand holding a weapon: someone swinging inside a closed space — a beating.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 殴 mean?