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.
この漢字の画数は何画ですか。
How many strokes does this kanji have?
画数の多い漢字は書くのが大変だ。
Kanji with many strokes are difficult to write.
名前の画数で運勢を占う姓名判断は、日本で根強い人気がある。
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) and readings. When you know neither the reading nor the radical of a kanji, you can count its strokes and search by 画数.
CULTURAL NOTE:
姓名判断 (name fortune-telling) uses the 画数 of a person's name to predict luck and compatibility. Many Japanese parents consider stroke counts when choosing names for their children.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 画数が多い: has many strokes
- 画数で引く: look up by stroke count
- 総画数: total stroke count