Recognize 進 in 進む, 進める and 進学; learn each complete word in context.

The idea

進む (すすむ) means to advance; to proceed; 進める (すすめる) means to advance; to move something forward; 進学 (しんがく) means advancement to further education. 進 has 11 strokes; follow the linked KanjiVG diagram to write them in order. Learn each reading with its word. Sino-Japanese reading: シン（進学）; Japanese-origin reading: すす（進む）.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
進むすすむto advance; to proceed
進めるすすめるto advance; to move something forward
進学しんがくadvancement to further education

Examples

  • この道みちをまっすぐ進すすみます。Go straight along this road.
  • 準備じゅんびが順調じゅんちょうに進すすんでいます。Preparations are progressing smoothly.
  • 仕事しごとを予定よていどおりに進すすめます。We will move the work forward as planned.
  • 話はなし合あいをこのまま進すすめてください。Please continue the discussion as it is.
  • 彼かれは大学だいがくに進学しんがくしました。He went on to university.
  • 姉あねは高校こうこう卒業後そつぎょうごに大学だいがくへ進学しんがくします。My older sister will go on to university after high school.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

進む is intransitive: progress happens or someone moves forward. 進める is transitive: someone moves a task or discussion forward. 進学 means moving on to a higher stage of education. Compare 進 and 選; their components differ: 進＝辶＋隹；選＝辶＋巽.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 進む in hiragana.

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    すすむ

    進む is read すすむ and means to advance; to proceed.

  2. Write the reading of 進める in hiragana.

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    すすめる

    進める is read すすめる and means to advance; to move something forward.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿学（しんがく）.

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    進

    進 completes 進学, read しんがく; the word means advancement to further education.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 進 from memory, then read 進む and 進める aloud and make a sentence with one of them.