白 — Kanji Reference

白 (white): 5 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ハク、ビャク. Kun: しろ、しら、しろ-い.

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白

Property Value
Meaning white
Strokes 5
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ハク (haku)、ビャク (byaku)
Kun-reading (訓読み) しろ (shiro)、しら (shira)、しろ-い (shiro-i)
Radical 白 (shiro) [U+767D]

Stroke Order

The kanji 白 follows standard top-to-bottom, left-to-right rules. Note that the top stroke is a short vertical dash, not a horizontal one.

  1. Stroke 1: The short vertical dash at the top center.
  2. Stroke 2: The top horizontal line, which turns down to form the right side (a "corner" stroke).
  3. Stroke 3: The horizontal line inside the box.
  4. Stroke 4: The bottom horizontal line closing the box.
  5. Stroke 5: The final vertical line running down the center.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 白 is its own radical (Radical 106). Originally, it was a pictograph representing a grain of rice or a drop of light. Because it represents a clear, pure, or bright object, it evolved to mean "white." It is often used as a semantic component in characters related to light, clarity, or speech (as in "to make clear").

Mnemonic

Imagine a white egg standing upright. The top dash is the tip of the egg, the box is the shell, and the bottom line is the base. Alternatively, think of it as a "sun" (日) with an extra "ray" (the top dash) shining down, making everything look bright and white.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ハク (haku)

Word Reading Romaji English
白紙 はくし hakushi blank paper
明白 めいはく meihaku obvious/clear
白熱 はくねつ hakunetsu incandescence/intensity

ビャク (byaku)

Word Reading Romaji English
白夜 びゃくや byakuya midnight sun
白衣 びゃくい byakui white coat (lab coat)

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

しろ (shiro) / しろ-い (shiro-i)

Word Reading Romaji English
白い しろい shiroi white
白黒 しろくろ shirokuro black and white

しら (shira)

Word Reading Romaji English
白髪 しらが shiraga gray/white hair
白波 しらなみ shiranami white-capped waves

JLPT N5 Words Using 白

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
白い しろい shiroi white N5
白 しろ shiro white (color) N5
白黒 しろくろ shirokuro black and white N4
白髪 しらが shiraga gray hair N3
明白 めいはく meihaku obvious N2
白紙 はくし hakushi blank sheet N2
白熱 はくねつ hakunetsu white heat N2
白鳥 はくちょう hakuchou swan N3

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
雪は白いです。 ゆきはしろいです。 Yuki wa shiroi desu. The snow is white.
彼は白シャツを着ている。 かれはしろしゃつをきている。 Kare wa shiro shatsu o kite iru. He is wearing a white shirt.
答えは明白だ。 こたえはめいはくだ。 Kotae wa meihaku da. The answer is obvious.
白鳥が池にいる。 はくちょうがいけにいる。 Hakuchou ga ike ni iru. There is a swan in the pond.
彼は白髪が増えた。 かれはしらががふえた。 Kare wa shiraga ga fueta. He has more gray hair.
白紙に戻しましょう。 はくしにもどしましょう。 Hakushi ni modoshimashou. Let's start from a blank slate (start over).

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
白 しろ white Has a small dash on top.
日 ひ sun/day No dash on top; the middle line does not touch the sides.
自 じ self Has an extra stroke inside the box.

Usage Frequency Note

白 is a high-frequency kanji taught in the first grade of Japanese elementary school. It is essential for daily life, appearing in everything from colors and clothing to abstract concepts like "blank slates" or "obvious facts." It is equally common in formal writing and casual speech.