Explore 鳴 in animal calls and everyday sounds. Learn each reading with the whole word.
The idea
鳴 has 14 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 鳴く（なく） describes an animal calling, while 鳴る（なる） describes something sounding. 鳴き声（なきごえ） means an animal’s call.
Examples
- 朝、鳥が鳴いています。A bird is singing in the morning.
- 庭で虫が鳴いています。Insects are chirping in the garden.
- 時計が六時に鳴りました。The clock rang at six.
- 電話が鳴っています。The phone is ringing.
- 犬が小さな声で鳴きました。The dog made a quiet sound.
- 鳥の鳴き声が聞こえます。I can hear a bird calling.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
鳴く and 鳴る have different endings and uses. A phone 鳴る; a bird 鳴く. Do not confuse 鳴 with its component 鳥.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 鳴く in hiragana.
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なく
鳴く is read なく; a bird can 鳴く.
Write the reading of 鳴き声 in hiragana.
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なきごえ
鳴き声 is read なきごえ; it is the sound an animal makes.
Choose the kanji for a ringing phone: 電話が＿る［鳴／鳥］.
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鳴
鳴 completes 鳴る（なる）: a phone rings.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 鳴く in hiragana.
Write the reading of 鳴き声 in hiragana.
Choose the kanji for a ringing phone: 電話が＿る［鳴／鳥］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 鳴 using the diagram, then say 鳴く and 鳴き声 aloud and make a sentence about a sound.