Recognize 越 in 越える, 引っ越す and 年越し; learn each complete word in context.

The idea

越える (こえる) means to cross over; to go beyond; 引っ越す (ひっこす) means to move house; 年越し (としこし) means seeing in the new year. 越 has 12 strokes; follow the linked KanjiVG diagram to write them in order. Learn each reading with its word. Sino-Japanese reading: エツ（越年）; Japanese-origin reading: こ（越える）.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
越えるこえるto cross over; to go beyond
引っ越すひっこすto move house
年越しとしこしseeing in the new year

Examples

  • この道みちは山やまを越こえます。This road crosses the mountain.
  • 橋はしを越こえると、駅えきが見みえます。After crossing the bridge, you can see the station.
  • 来月らいげつ、大阪おおさかに引ひっ越こします。I am moving to Osaka next month.
  • 友達ともだちは駅えきの近ちかくに引ひっ越こしました。My friend moved near the station.
  • 今年ことしは家族かぞくと年越としこしをします。This year I will see in the new year with my family.
  • 大晦日おおみそかに年越としこしそばを食たべます。We eat year-crossing soba on New Year’s Eve.

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

Watch out

越える commonly means crossing a boundary or obstacle; 超える often emphasizes exceeding a numerical limit, though usage can overlap. 引っ越す means moving residence, and 年越し is the transition into a new year. Compare 越 and 起; their components differ: 越＝走＋戉；起＝走＋己.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 越える in hiragana.

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    こえる

    越える is read こえる and means to cross over; to go beyond.

  2. Write the reading of 引っ越す in hiragana.

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    ひっこす

    引っ越す is read ひっこす and means to move house.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: 年＿し（としこし）.

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    越

    越 completes 年越し, read としこし; the word means seeing in the new year.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 越 from memory, then read 越える and 引っ越す aloud and make a sentence with one of them.