聞
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
hear, ask |
| Strokes |
14 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
ブン (bun)、モン (mon) |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
き-く (ki-ku)、き-こえる (ki-koeru) |
| Radical |
門 (もん - gate) [U+9580] |
Stroke Order
The kanji 聞 is written by first constructing the outer 門 (gate) radical, followed by the 耳 (ear) component inside.
- Stroke 1: Left vertical line of the gate.
- Stroke 2: Top horizontal and right vertical corner of the gate.
- Stroke 3: Small horizontal stroke inside the left gate.
- Stroke 4: Small vertical stroke inside the left gate.
- Stroke 5: Small vertical stroke inside the left gate.
- Stroke 6: Small horizontal stroke inside the left gate.
- Stroke 7: Right vertical line of the gate.
- Stroke 8: Top horizontal and right vertical corner of the gate.
- Stroke 9: Vertical stroke of the ear (left side).
- Stroke 10: Horizontal stroke of the ear (top).
- Stroke 11: Horizontal stroke of the ear (middle).
- Stroke 12: Horizontal stroke of the ear (bottom).
- Stroke 13: Vertical stroke of the ear (right side).
- Stroke 14: Final horizontal base stroke of the ear.
Radical Analysis
The kanji 聞 is a phono-semantic compound.
- Radical: 門 (gate). This provides the structural frame.
- Component: 耳 (ear). This provides the core meaning: hearing.
- Combined: An ear placed inside a gate represents the act of listening to sounds coming from outside or through a barrier.
Mnemonic
Imagine you are standing outside a large gate (門). You want to know what is happening inside, so you press your ear (耳) against the wood to hear (聞) the secrets being whispered on the other side.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
ブン (Bun)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 新聞 |
しんぶん |
shinbun |
newspaper |
| 見聞 |
けんぶん |
kenbun |
information/experience |
| 聞書 |
ききがき |
kikigaki |
transcript |
モン (Mon)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 聞音 |
もんおん |
mon'on |
sound monitoring |
| 伝聞 |
でんぶん |
denbun |
hearsay/rumor |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
き-く (Ki-ku)
- 音楽を聞く (おんがくをきく / ongaku o kiku): To listen to music.
- 先生の話を聞く (せんせいのはなしをきく / sensei no hanashi o kiku): To listen to the teacher's story.
き-こえる (Ki-koeru)
- 声が聞こえる (こえがきこえる / koe ga kikoeru): A voice can be heard.
- 遠くで音が聞こえる (とおくでおとがきこえる / tooku de oto ga kikoeru): A sound can be heard in the distance.
JLPT N5 Words Using 聞
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 聞く |
きく |
kiku |
to hear/ask |
N5 |
| 聞こえる |
きこえる |
kikoeru |
to be audible |
N5 |
| 新聞 |
しんぶん |
shinbun |
newspaper |
N5 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 先生に聞きます。 |
せんせいにききます。 |
Sensei ni kikimasu. |
I will ask the teacher. |
| 新聞を読みます。 |
しんぶんをよみます。 |
Shinbun o yomimasu. |
I read the newspaper. |
| 何か聞こえましたか。 |
なにかきこえましたか。 |
Nanika kikoemashita ka? |
Did you hear something? |
| 音楽を聞くのが好きです。 |
おんがくをきくのがすきです。 |
Ongaku o kiku no ga suki desu. |
I like listening to music. |
| 彼は名前を聞きました。 |
かれはなまえをききました。 |
Kare wa namae o kikimashita. |
He asked for the name. |
| 遠くで鳥の声が聞こえる。 |
とおくでとりのこえがきこえる。 |
Tooku de tori no koe ga kikoeru. |
I can hear bird calls in the distance. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 聞 |
きく |
Hear/Ask |
Contains 耳 (ear) inside the gate. |
| 開 |
ひらく |
Open |
Contains 開 (two hands) inside the gate. |
- Note: Both share the 門 (gate) radical. If you see an ear (耳), it is about hearing. If you see hands opening something, it is about opening.
Usage Frequency Note
聞 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in both formal and informal contexts. It is essential for basic communication, appearing in everything from asking for directions (michi o kiku) to reading the daily news (shinbun). It is one of the first 100 kanji learned by students in Japan.