Skip to content
道Nihongo Path
簡

簡·simple, brief

On-yomi
カン
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
簡単かんたんsimple, easy
簡潔かんけつconcise, to the point
簡易かんいsimplified, basic
書簡しょかんletter, correspondence (formal)

Example sentences

  1. この問題は簡単すぎる。

    このもんだいはかんたんすぎる。

    This question is too easy.

  2. 要点を簡潔にまとめてください。

    ようてんをかんけつにまとめてください。

    Please sum up the main points concisely.

  3. 駅前に簡易な宿がある。

    えきまえにかんいなやどがある。

    There is a basic inn in front of the station.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 間単 instead of 簡単 — the bamboo top is required
  • Reading 簡潔 as かんけい — it is かんけつ

Memory aid

Picture it

Bamboo (竹) over a gate (間) — the thin bamboo strips people once wrote short, plain notes on.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 3 of 5

What does the kanji 簡 mean?