画数(かくすう)

かくすう
noun
stroke count
education
1. stroke count (of a kanji or character)
The number of brush strokes needed to write a kanji character. Used in kanji dictionaries as one method of looking up characters, and also considered significant in fortune-telling based on the stroke count of one's name.
この漢字(かんじ)の画数(かくすう)は何(なん)画(かく)ですか。
How many strokes does this kanji have?
画数(かくすう)の多(おお)い漢字(かんじ)は書(か)くのが大変(たいへん)だ。
Kanji with many strokes are difficult to write.
名前(なまえ)の画数(かくすう)で運勢(うんせい)を占(うらな)う姓名判断(せいめいはんだん)は、日本(にほん)で根強(ねづよ)い人気(にんき)がある。
Seimei handan, which tells fortunes based on the stroke count of one's name, remains persistently popular in Japan.

Usage

Stroke count is one of the three main methods for looking up kanji in a traditional dictionary, alongside radicals (部首(ぶしゅ)) and readings. When you know neither the reading nor the radical of a kanji, you can count its strokes and search by 画数(かくすう).

Cultural note

姓名判断(せいめいはんだん) (name fortune-telling) uses the 画数(かくすう) of a person's name to predict luck and compatibility. Many Japanese parents consider stroke counts when choosing names for their children.

Common collocations

  • 画数(かくすう)が多(おお)い: has many strokes
  • 画数(かくすう)で引(ひ)く: look up by stroke count
  • 総画数(そうかくすう): total stroke count

Related Words

Compare: 筆順(ひつじゅん) (stroke order)
Compare: 書(か)き順(じゅん) (stroke order (of a character))
general
Added 2026.2.26 18:45 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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