Explore 劇 in plays and in words describing intense change. Learn each reading in a complete word.

The idea

劇 has 15 strokes and is read げき in 劇場（げきじょう）, 演劇（えんげき）, 悲劇（ひげき） and 急激（きゅうげき）. Follow the linked stroke-order diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
劇場げきじょうWe watched a play at the theater.
演劇えんげきMy sister studies theater at university.
悲劇ひげきThis tragedy is still performed today.
急激きゅうげきThe sudden change in temperature surprised me.

Examples

  • 劇場げきじょうで劇げきを見みました。We watched a play at the theater.
  • 姉あねは大学だいがくで演劇えんげきを学まなんでいます。My sister studies theater at university.
  • 子供こどもたちは短みじかい劇げきを演えんじました。The children performed a short play.
  • この悲劇ひげきは今いまも上演じょうえんされています。This tragedy is still performed today.
  • 気温きおんの急激きゅうげきな変化へんかに驚おどろきました。The sudden change in temperature surprised me.
  • その薬くすりは効果こうかが強つよいです。The medicine has a strong effect.

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

Watch out

演劇 is the art of theater; 劇場 is a theater venue. 急激 describes a sudden, drastic change rather than a performance.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 劇場 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    げきじょう

    劇場 is げきじょう: it is the venue where we watched a play.

  2. Write the reading of 演劇 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    えんげき

    演劇 is えんげき: the sentence describes studying theater as an art.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 急＿（きゅうげき）［劇／場］.

    Show answer or example answer

    劇

    劇 completes 急激（きゅうげき）, meaning sudden or drastic, as in a sharp temperature change.

Use it today

Write 劇 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 劇場 and 演劇, then make a sentence with one.