Meet 綿 in words for cotton, cotton cloth and padding. Learn each reading together with a whole word.

The idea

綿 has 14 strokes. Follow the linked stroke-order diagram. It is わた in 綿, めん in 綿花（めんか）, and もめん in 木綿（もめん）. The table connects each word to its meaning.

Patterns to compare
WordReadingMeaning
綿わたcotton; cotton wool
木綿もめんcotton cloth
綿花めんかcotton crop or fibre

Examples

  • このシャツは綿めんでできています。This shirt is made of cotton.
  • 木綿もめんのタオルを買かいました。I bought a cotton towel.
  • 畑はたけに綿花めんかが育そだっています。Cotton is growing in the field.
  • 傷きずに綿わたを当あててください。Please put cotton wool on the wound.
  • この布団ふとんには綿わたが入はいっています。This futon is filled with cotton.
  • 綿めんの布ぬのは水分すいぶんを吸すいやすいです。Cotton fabric absorbs moisture easily.

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

Watch out

綿花 means the cotton crop or fibre, while 綿 can also mean cotton wool or padding. 木綿 is cotton cloth; do not read it mechanically as きめん.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 綿 in hiragana.

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    わた

    綿 is わた here: cotton or cotton wool. Remember the reading with the word.

  2. Write the reading of 木綿 in hiragana.

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    もめん

    木綿 is もめん, cotton cloth. Learn this reading as a whole word.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿花（めんか）［綿／絹］.

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    綿

    綿 completes 綿花（めんか）, meaning cotton as a crop or fibre. 絹 means silk.

Use it today

Write 綿 using the diagram, cover the table, then read 木綿 and 綿花 aloud. Make a sentence about a cotton object.