英 — Kanji Reference
英 (English, heroic): 8 strokes, JLPT N5. On: エイ. Kun: none.
英
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Meaning | English, heroic |
| Strokes | 8 |
| JLPT Level | N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) | エイ |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) | none |
| Radical | 艹 (Grass radical / くさかんむり - U+8279) |
Stroke Order
The kanji 英 follows standard Japanese calligraphy rules: top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: Horizontal line on the left of the top radical.
- Stroke 2: Vertical line on the left.
- Stroke 3: Vertical line on the right.
- Stroke 4: Horizontal line connecting the top (completing the grass radical).
- Stroke 5: The top dot of the central part (央).
- Stroke 6: The horizontal line of 央.
- Stroke 7: The left sweeping stroke (撇) of 央.
- Stroke 8: The right sweeping stroke (捺) of 央.
Radical Analysis
The kanji 英 is composed of two main parts:
- Radical (艹): The "grass" radical (kusakanmuri). Historically, this radical often relates to plants or flowers.
- Phonetic/Semantic Component (央): This part means "center" or "middle."
In this kanji, the grass radical suggests "blooming" or "outstanding," while the phonetic component provides the sound ei. Together, they represent someone who stands out like a beautiful flower in the center, leading to the meaning of "heroic" or "excellent," which was later adopted to represent the English language (as a phonetic loan).
Mnemonic
Imagine a hero (英) standing in the center (央) of a field of grass (艹). Because he is so outstanding and brave, he is the one chosen to teach the English language to the world.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
エイ (ei)
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 英語 | えいご | eigo | English language |
| 英国 | えいこく | eikoku | United Kingdom / England |
| 英才 | えいさい | eisai | gifted person / talent |
| 英知 | えいち | eichi | wisdom / intelligence |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
Note: There are no standard Joyo kun-readings for this kanji.
JLPT N5 Words Using 英
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 英語 | えいご | eigo | English language | N5 |
| 英国 | えいこく | eikoku | United Kingdom | N4 |
| 英会話 | えいかいわ | eikaiwa | English conversation | N4 |
| 英字 | えいじ | eiji | English letters | N3 |
| 英雄 | えいゆう | eiyuu | hero | N2 |
| 英断 | えいだん | eidan | bold decision | N1 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私は英語を勉強しています。 | わたしはえいごをべんきょうしています。 | Watashi wa eigo o benkyou shite imasu. | I am studying English. |
| 英国へ旅行に行きたいです。 | えいこくへりょこうにいきたいです。 | Eikoku e ryokou ni ikitai desu. | I want to travel to the UK. |
| 彼は英才教育を受けた。 | かれはえいさいきょういくをうけた。 | Kare wa eisai kyouiku o uketa. | He received a gifted education. |
| 英会話のクラスに通っています。 | えいかいわのくらすにかよっています。 | Eikaiwa no kurasu ni kayotte imasu. | I am attending an English conversation class. |
| 彼は真の英雄だ。 | かれはしんのえいゆうだ。 | Kare wa shin no eiyuu da. | He is a true hero. |
| 彼女は英知に満ちている。 | かのじょはえいちにみちている。 | Kanojo wa eichi ni michite iru. | She is full of wisdom. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | How to distinguish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 英 | エイ | English/Hero | Has the grass radical (艹) on top. |
| 央 | オウ | Center | Lacks the grass radical; just the "center" component. |
| 映 | エイ | Reflect/Project | Has the sun radical (日) on the left instead of grass. |
Usage Frequency Note
英 is a very high-frequency kanji in modern Japanese. Because it is the primary character used to denote the English language (Eigo), it is one of the first kanji learned by students. It appears daily in news, academic settings, and business contexts. While it carries the meaning of "heroic" in words like eiyuu, its most common usage is strictly related to the English language and the United Kingdom.