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道Nihongo Path
鳴

鳴·cry (animal), sound, ring

On-yomi
メイ
Kun-yomi
なくなるならす

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
鳴くなくto cry, to chirp (of an animal)
鳴るなるto ring, to sound
鳴らすならすto ring something, to sound something
悲鳴ひめいa scream

Example sentences

  1. 朝から鳥が鳴いています。

    あさからとりがないています。

    Birds have been chirping since morning.

  2. 電話が鳴ったので急いで出ました。

    でんわがなったのでいそいででました。

    The phone rang, so I hurried to answer it.

  3. 暗い道で誰かの悲鳴が聞こえた。

    くらいみちでだれかのひめいがきこえた。

    I heard someone scream on the dark road.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Using 鳴く for a person crying — people cry 泣く
  • Mixing up 鳴る (it rings) with 鳴らす (I ring it)

Memory aid

Picture it

A mouth (口) next to a bird (鳥) — the bird is calling out.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 鳴 mean?