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道Nihongo Path
掛

掛·hang, apply, take (time or money)

On-yomi
none
Kun-yomi
かけるかかるかかり

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
掛けるかけるto hang, to put on, to apply
掛かるかかるto take (time or money), to hang
掛け算かけざんmultiplication
掛け布団かけぶとんduvet, top futon

Example sentences

  1. 壁に絵を掛けました。

    かべにえをかけました。

    I hung a picture on the wall.

  2. 駅まで三十分ぐらい掛かります。

    えきまでさんじゅっぷんぐらいかかります。

    It takes about thirty minutes to the station.

  3. 学校で掛け算を習っています。

    がっこうでかけざんをならっています。

    We're learning multiplication at school.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

  • 掛卦卦 (divination sign) is the right half of 掛; 掛 adds the hand radical 扌.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up 掛ける (transitive: you hang it) with 掛かる (intransitive: it hangs / it takes time)
  • Over-using the kanji — in everyday writing 時間がかかる and 電話をかける are usually written in kana

Memory aid

Picture it

A hand (扌) next to two stacked 土 and a 卜 — hooks on a wall, with your hand hanging things on them.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 掛 mean?