Quick answer
読 is the kanji for "Read". It is a JLPT N5 kanji. The main reading is よ.む (yomu). Stroke-order practice is available below.
Meaning
Read
Also : Reading · Recite · Pronounce
Learn 読 with SRS
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Readings
kun = Japanese reading · on = Chinese reading
Practice writing
Trace the kanji stroke by stroke with a visual guide.
Stroke Order
14 strokes
Radicals
Memory Aid
The speech radical (言) with an added component for reaching out — the mouth reaches toward written text, giving voice to silent words on the page.
よむ (yomu) sounds like 'yo-moo' — yo, the cow reads its own moo sounds aloud.
Example Sentences
毎晩、本を読みます。
まいばん、ほんをよみます。
I read a book every evening.
毎朝新聞を読みます。
まいあさしんぶんをよみます。
I read the newspaper every morning.
Vocabulary using 読
Grammar to study at this level
Last updated Jun 18, 2026
Learn 読 with Spaced Repetition
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