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Power

On’yomiりょく・りき・りい
Kun’yomiちから
MeaningsPower, Strength, Strong, Strain, Bear Up, Exert
2 strokes #62 most common Grade 1 Radical power
書き順 · Stroke order

How to write 力

Stroke order is not decoration — it determines how the character looks handwritten and how dictionaries index it.

2 strokes
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部首 · Radical

The radical of 力

Radical 19 of 214
Power

The radical is the part a paper dictionary files a kanji under, and it usually hints at meaning. 力 is filed under (power) — radical number 19 of the 214 in the Kangxi system.

Other kanji built on 力

練習 · Practice

Drill 力 right now

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Power りょく・りき・りい ちから
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熟語 · In real words

Words that use 力

Kanji are almost never met alone. These are the most common words built from this character, ordered by how often they actually appear in Japanese.

協力 きょうりょく cooperation; collaboration; help
共力 きょうりょく cooperation; collaboration; help
勢力 せいりょく influence; power; might
努力 どりょく effort; exertion; endeavour
実力 じつりょく (real) ability; true strength; merit
権力 けんりょく (political) power; authority; influence
能力 のうりょく ability; faculty
有力 ゆうりょく influential; prominent; leading
武力 ぶりょく armed might; military power; the sword
原子力 げんしりょく atomic energy; nuclear power
名乗り · Name readings

How 力 is read in names

Japanese names use readings that appear nowhere else in the language. These are 力's — the reason personal and place names are so hard to read even for native speakers.

じからつとむ
同音 · Sound-alikes

Kanji that sound like 力

Japanese has far more kanji than syllables, so one reading is shared by many characters. These are the ones you will confuse with 力 — learn them together, not separately.

画数 · 2 strokes

Other 2-stroke kanji

Useful when looking a character up by stroke count — and a common source of visual mix-ups.

頻度 · Frequency

Next in the frequency list

力 is the 62nd most common kanji in written Japanese. Learning in frequency order is the fastest route to reading real text.

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質問 · Questions

About the kanji 力

What does the kanji 力 mean?

力 means Power, Strength, Strong, Strain, Bear Up, Exert. It is the 62nd most common kanji in written Japanese.

How do you read the kanji 力?

力 is read on'yomi (Chinese-derived) りょく、りき、りい; kun'yomi (native Japanese) ちから.

How many strokes does 力 have?

力 is written with 2 strokes. The animated diagram on this page shows the correct order.

What level is the kanji 力?

Japanese schoolchildren learn it in grade 1.

What is the radical of 力?

The radical of 力 is 力 (power), radical number 19 of the 214 Kangxi radicals. The radical is the component a dictionary files the character under, and it usually points at the character's meaning.

What words use the kanji 力?

Common words written with 力 include 協力 (きょうりょく, cooperation; collaboration; help); 共力 (きょうりょく, cooperation; collaboration; help); 勢力 (せいりょく, influence; power; might).

Which kanji sound the same as 力?

力 shares a reading with 緑 (りょく), 綠 (りょく), among others. Same-sounding kanji are one of the most common sources of confusion in Japanese.

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