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道Nihongo Path
釜

釜·kettle, iron pot, cauldron

On-yomi
フ
Kun-yomi
かま

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
釜かまiron pot, cauldron
釜飯かまめしrice cooked and served in a small pot
電気釜でんきがまelectric rice cooker
茶釜ちゃがまtea kettle (for the tea ceremony)

Example sentences

  1. 大きな釜でご飯を炊いた。

    おおきなかまでごはんをたいた。

    We cooked the rice in a big iron pot.

  2. 駅で釜飯を買って電車に乗った。

    えきでかまめしをかってでんしゃにのった。

    I bought a kamameshi at the station and got on the train.

  3. 茶釜の湯が静かに沸いている。

    ちゃがまのゆがしずかにわいている。

    The water in the tea kettle is quietly coming to the boil.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing the three かま — 釜 (pot), 鎌 (sickle), 窯 (kiln)
  • Reading 電気釜 as でんきかま — it voices to でんきがま

Memory aid

Picture it

Metal 金 sitting at the bottom of the character, under a lid-like top: a heavy metal vessel resting over the fire.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 釜 mean?