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道Nihongo Path
贈

贈·present, give

On-yomi
ゾウソウ
Kun-yomi
おく(る)

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
贈るおくるto give (a gift), present
贈り物おくりものgift, present
寄贈きぞうdonation
贈答ぞうとうexchange of gifts

Example sentences

  1. 母に花を贈りました。

    ははにはなをおくりました。

    I gave my mother flowers.

  2. 卒業生から学校に本が寄贈された。

    そつぎょうせいからがっこうにほんがきぞうされた。

    Books were donated to the school by graduates.

  3. お世話になった先生に記念品を贈った。

    おせわになったせんせいにきねんひんをおくった。

    We presented a memento to the teacher who helped us.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 送る when a gift is meant — a present is 贈る
  • Reading 寄贈 as きそう; both きぞう and きそう are heard, but きぞう is standard

Memory aid

Picture it

Money or treasure (貝) handed over one layer on top of another (曽) — gift-giving piled up.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 贈 mean?