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道Nihongo Path
干

干·dry, hang out to dry, interfere

On-yomi
カン
Kun-yomi
ほ(す)ひ(る)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
干すほすto dry, to hang out (laundry)
干渉かんしょうinterference, meddling
干物ひものdried fish
梅干しうめぼしpickled dried plum

Example sentences

  1. 天気がいいので、ふとんを干した。

    てんきがいいので、ふとんをほした。

    The weather was nice, so I hung the futon out to dry.

  2. 朝ごはんに干物を焼いて食べた。

    あさごはんにひものをやいてたべた。

    I grilled some dried fish for breakfast.

  3. 親が子どもの生活に干渉しすぎるのはよくない。

    おやがこどものせいかつにかんしょうしすぎるのはよくない。

    It isn't good for parents to interfere too much in their children's lives.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 干物 as *かんぶつ — dried fish is ひもの (かんぶつ means dried goods generally)
  • Confusing 干す with 乾く: 干す is the action you do, 乾く is something becoming dry on its own

Memory aid

Picture it

A forked pole planted upright — the drying rack you hang the washing on.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 干 mean?