Japanese kanji 軒: buildings and eaves

The idea

軒 has 10 strokes; follow the linked diagram. As a counter for houses and shops it is けん: 一軒 is いっけん and 三軒 is さんげん. Alone, 軒 is のき, the eaves of a roof.

Examples

• 駅えきの前まえに店みせが一軒いっけんあります。There is one shop in front of the station.
• 通とおりに古ふるい家いえが三軒さんげん並ならんでいます。Three old houses stand in a row on the street.
• 今日きょうは四軒よんけんの店みせを回まわりました。Today I visited four shops.
• 雨あめが降ふってきたので、軒のきの下したで待まちました。It started raining, so I waited under the eaves.
• 軒先のきさきに風鈴ふうりんが下さがっています。A wind chime hangs from the eaves.
• 一軒家いっけんやに住すみたいです。I want to live in a detached house.

Watch out

軒 counts buildings or establishments, not individual apartments within a building. Its pronunciation changes after some numbers; do not read 三軒 as さんけん.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 一軒 in hiragana.

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   いっけん

   一軒 is いっけん: the final sound of 一 becomes a small っ before けん.

2. Write the reading of 三軒 in hiragana.

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   さんげん

   三軒 is さんげん: けん becomes voiced after さん.

3. Write the kanji for のき (eaves).

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   軒

   軒 is のき when it means the eaves; 軒先（のきさき） refers to the edge of the eaves.

Use it today

Write 軒 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 一軒 and 軒先, then describe a street or a roof.