Recognise 顔 in complete Japanese words. These examples show faces, smiles and profiles in context.

The idea

顔 has 18 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Compare 顔（かお） with 笑顔（えがお）: learn readings with whole words. N3 is an editorial estimate, not an official JLPT kanji list.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
顔かおI wash my face in the morning.
笑顔えがおI greet people with a smile.
横顔よこがおHis profile appears in the photo.
笑顔にえがおにThe child smiled.

Examples

  • 朝あさ、顔かおを洗あらいます。I wash my face in the morning.
  • 笑顔えがおで挨拶あいさつします。I greet people with a smile.
  • 彼女かのじょは顔かおが赤あかいです。Her face is red.
  • 母ははの顔かおを写真しゃしんで見みます。I look at my mother’s face in a photo.
  • 彼かれの横顔よこがおが写真しゃしんに写うつっています。His profile appears in the photo.
  • 子こどもは笑顔えがおになりました。The child smiled.

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

Watch out

顔 alone is かお. In 笑顔, however, the whole word is えがお, not わらいかお; 横顔 is よこがお. Compare 顔 with 願: their left sides differ.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 顔 in hiragana.

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    かお

    顔 is read かお. In context: I wash my face in the morning.

  2. Write the reading of 笑顔 in hiragana.

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    えがお

    笑顔 is read えがお. In context: I greet people with a smile.

  3. Write this lesson’s kanji in the blank: ＿（かお）.

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    顔

    顔 completes 顔, read かお. In context: I wash my face in the morning.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 顔 from memory, and read 顔 and 笑顔 aloud. Then check the examples and make a sentence of your own.