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道Nihongo Path
卵

卵·egg

On-yomi
ラン
Kun-yomi
たまご

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
卵たまごegg
産卵さんらんegg-laying, spawning
生卵なまたまごraw egg
卵焼きたまごやきJapanese rolled omelette

Example sentences

  1. 朝ごはんに卵を二つ食べた。

    あさごはんにたまごをふたつたべた。

    I ate two eggs for breakfast.

  2. 鮭は川に戻って産卵する。

    さけはかわにもどってさんらんする。

    Salmon return to the river to spawn.

  3. 弁当に卵焼きを入れた。

    べんとうにたまごやきをいれた。

    I put a rolled omelette in the lunchbox.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

  • 卵卯卯 (the zodiac rabbit) is the same outline without the two inner dots — the dots are the yolks.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting the two inner dots and writing 卯
  • Reading 生卵 as せいらん — in everyday speech it is なまたまご

Memory aid

Picture it

Two matching shapes side by side, each with a dot inside — a pair of eggs with the yolks showing.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 卵 mean?