道 — Kanji Reference

道 (road, way): 12 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ドウ、トウ. Kun: みち.

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道

Property Value
Meaning road, way, path, street
Strokes 12
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ドウ、トウ
Kun-reading (訓読み) みち
Radical 辶 (しんにょう - shinnyō) [U+8FB6]

Stroke Order

The character 道 follows the standard rule of writing the internal component first, followed by the radical (the "walking" component) which wraps around the bottom and right.

  1. Top component (首):
    • Stroke 1: Dot (top)
    • Stroke 2: Horizontal
    • Stroke 3: Vertical
    • Stroke 4: Horizontal
    • Stroke 5: Horizontal
    • Stroke 6: Vertical (the "neck" part)
    • Stroke 7: Horizontal (the "mouth" part)
    • Stroke 8: Vertical
    • Stroke 9: Horizontal
  2. Radical (辶):
    • Stroke 10: Dot
    • Stroke 11: Horizontal-vertical hook
    • Stroke 12: Long sweeping diagonal (the "tail" of the radical)

Radical Analysis

The main radical is 辶 (しんにょう - shinnyō), which represents movement or walking. The upper part is 首 (くび - kubi), meaning "head."

Historically, this kanji depicts a head (首) moving along a path (辶). Over time, it evolved to mean not just a physical road, but also a "way" of doing things, a moral path, or a specialized discipline (like Chadō — the way of tea).

Mnemonic

Imagine a head (首) walking down a long, winding road (辶). The head is looking for the right way to go. If you lose your head, you lose your way!

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ドウ (Dō)

Word Reading Romaji English
道路 どうろ dōro road
道具 どうぐ dōgu tool
道徳 どうとく dōtoku morals
茶道 さどう sadō tea ceremony

トウ (Tō)

Word Reading Romaji English
導道 どうどう dōdō grand/imposing
報道 ほうどう hōdō news/report

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

みち (michi)

Word Reading Romaji English
道 みち michi road/path
近道 ちかみち chikamichi shortcut
片道 かたみち katamichi one-way trip

JLPT N5 Words Using 道

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
道 みち michi road N5
道路 どうろ dōro road N4
近道 ちかみち chikamichi shortcut N3
片道 かたみち katamichi one-way N3
道具 どうぐ dōgu tool N4
歩道 ほどう hodō sidewalk N3
車道 しゃどう shadō roadway N3
柔道 じゅうどう jūdō judo N4
書道 しょどう shodō calligraphy N4
剣道 けんどう kendō kendo N4

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
この道はまっすぐです。 このみちはまっすぐです。 Kono michi wa massugu desu. This road is straight.
道路で車が止まっています。 どうろでくるまがとまっています。 Dōro de kuruma ga tomatte imasu. A car is stopped on the road.
近道を通って帰りましょう。 ちかみちをとおってかえりましょう。 Chikamichi o tōtte kaerimashō. Let's take a shortcut home.
彼は柔道を習っています。 かれはじゅうどうをならっています。 Kare wa jūdō o naratte imasu. He is learning judo.
道具を大切にしてください。 どうぐをたいせつにしてください。 Dōgu o taisetsu ni shite kudasai. Please take good care of your tools.
歩道を歩いてください。 ほどうをあるいてください。 Hodō o aruite kudasai. Please walk on the sidewalk.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
道 みち road/way Has the "head" (首) component on top.
通 とお(る) to pass Has the "tube/pipe" (甬) component. Used for "passing through."

Usage Frequency Note

道 is a high-frequency kanji used daily. It appears in everything from basic directions (michi) to abstract concepts like bushidō (the way of the warrior) or dō (the suffix for arts/disciplines). It is essential for both daily conversation and formal writing.