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道Nihongo Path
喜

喜·rejoice

On-yomi
キ
Kun-yomi
よろこぶ

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
喜ぶよろこぶto be delighted
喜びよろこびjoy, delight
大喜びおおよろこびgreat delight
喜劇きげきcomedy

Example sentences

  1. 母は花をもらって喜びました。

    ははははなをもらってよろこびました。

    My mother was delighted to receive the flowers.

  2. 合格の知らせを聞いて、家族は大喜びした。

    ごうかくのしらせをきいて、かぞくはおおよろこびした。

    Hearing the news that I'd passed, my family was overjoyed.

  3. 彼女の喜びは言葉にできないほどだった。

    かのじょのよろこびはことばにできないほどだった。

    Her joy was beyond words.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

  • 喜嬉嬉 (嬉しい) is 喜 with 女 added on the left — 嬉しい is the feeling you have, 喜ぶ is showing it.

Common mistakes

  • 嬉しい describes your own feeling; 喜ぶ describes someone visibly showing joy, usually another person
  • Writing the verb as 喜こぶ — the okurigana is only ぶ

Memory aid

Picture it

A drum-like stand on top and a mouth 口 below — drums and voices together mean celebration.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 喜 mean?