JLPT N5 Kanji Stroke Order: 20 Characters with Numbered Diagrams
Numbered stroke-order diagrams, stroke counts, readings and example words for the twenty kanji beginners write first.
This is a writing reference for the first twenty kanji most beginners meet: the ten numbers, the seven day-of-the-week characters, and 人, 大 and 小. Each one has a numbered stroke-order diagram, its stroke count, readings, and one example word.
If you want the reasoning behind the order rather than the individual characters, start with the seven Japanese kanji stroke-order rules. The rule number beside each diagram below points back to it.
The ten number kanji
Write these in order. 一, 二 and 三 are the clearest example of the top-to-bottom rule, and 十 introduces writing a horizontal stroke before the vertical that crosses it.
A single horizontal stroke, written left to right.
Top horizontal first, then the lower one.
Three horizontals, strictly top to bottom.
Frame first, contents next, closing stroke last.
Top horizontal, then the inner strokes, base last.
Top mark and horizontal first, then left-falling before the final dot.
The horizontal crosses first, the hooked stroke follows.
Left-falling stroke before the right-falling one.
The left-falling stroke starts the character.
Horizontal before the vertical that crosses it.
The seven day-of-the-week kanji
These give you 日曜日 to 土曜日, and they reuse the frame rules: build the outside of 日 and 月 before the strokes inside, and close the box last.
Frame first; the sealing stroke is written last.
Outer shape before the two inner horizontals.
Both side strokes come before the centre — the reverse of 小.
Centre stroke first, then the strokes on each side.
Horizontal, vertical, then left-falling before right.
Build the roof first, then work downwards.
Short horizontal, vertical, then the long base.
Three more characters worth writing early
人, 大 and 小 appear inside dozens of other kanji, so getting their stroke order right early pays off repeatedly.
Left-falling before right-falling.
Horizontal, then left-falling, then right-falling.
Centre stroke first, then the two sides.
All twenty at a glance
| Kanji | Strokes | Reading (on / kun) | Meaning | Example word | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 1 | イチ / ひと(つ) | one | 一月 (いちがつ) January | 1 |
| 二 | 2 | ニ / ふた(つ) | two | 二人 (ふたり) two people | 1 |
| 三 | 3 | サン / み(っつ) | three | 三日 (みっか) the third day | 1 |
| 四 | 5 | シ / よん, よ(っつ) | four | 四月 (しがつ) April | 5, 6 |
| 五 | 4 | ゴ / いつ(つ) | five | 五時 (ごじ) five o'clock | 1, 3 |
| 六 | 4 | ロク / む(っつ) | six | 六月 (ろくがつ) June | 1, 7 |
| 七 | 2 | シチ / なな(つ) | seven | 七月 (しちがつ) July | 3 |
| 八 | 2 | ハチ / や(っつ) | eight | 八月 (はちがつ) August | 7 |
| 九 | 2 | キュウ, ク / ここの(つ) | nine | 九月 (くがつ) September | 7 |
| 十 | 2 | ジュウ / とお | ten | 十月 (じゅうがつ) October | 3 |
| 日 | 4 | ニチ / ひ | day, sun | 日曜日 (にちようび) Sunday | 5, 6 |
| 月 | 4 | ゲツ / つき | moon, month | 月曜日 (げつようび) Monday | 5 |
| 火 | 4 | カ / ひ | fire | 火曜日 (かようび) Tuesday | 7 |
| 水 | 4 | スイ / みず | water | 水曜日 (すいようび) Wednesday | 4 |
| 木 | 4 | モク / き | tree, wood | 木曜日 (もくようび) Thursday | 3, 7 |
| 金 | 8 | キン / かね | gold, money | 金曜日 (きんようび) Friday | 1, 7 |
| 土 | 3 | ド / つち | earth, soil | 土曜日 (どようび) Saturday | 1, 3 |
| 人 | 2 | ジン, ニン / ひと | person | 三人 (さんにん) three people | 7 |
| 大 | 3 | ダイ, タイ / おお(きい) | big | 大学 (だいがく) university | 7 |
| 小 | 3 | ショウ / ちい(さい) | small | 小学校 (しょうがっこう) elementary school | 4 |
Stroke paths derived from KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are distributed under the same licence.
What to practise after these twenty
Twenty characters is roughly one sixth of the N5 range. When these feel automatic, continue with the 121 N5 kanji grouped by theme, and use the writing routine so the characters survive past the week you learned them. A printable set of practice pages is in the free workbook sample.
Common questions
Which kanji should I write first?
Start with the ten number kanji. They are short, they appear in dates, prices and counters from your first week of Japanese, and 一, 二, 三 and 十 introduce the two rules you will use most often — top to bottom, and horizontal before a crossing vertical.
Do I have to memorise the stroke count?
No. The count is a checking tool, not something to recite. After you write a character from memory, count your strokes against the number in the table; if they disagree, you have merged or split a stroke somewhere.
Are these the official JLPT N5 kanji?
There is no official published kanji list for the current JLPT. These twenty are simply the characters that appear earliest and most often in beginner material, which makes them the most useful place to start writing.