Meet 朝 in 朝 and 今朝. The examples connect each word’s reading with a useful context.

The idea

朝 has 12 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Learn 朝（あさ） and 今朝（けさ） as complete words: a character’s reading depends on the word.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
朝あさI open the window in the morning.
今朝けさI got up early this morning.
毎朝まいあさI drink tea every morning.
朝食ちょうしょくI ate breakfast at the hotel.

Examples

  • 朝あさは窓まどを開あけます。I open the window in the morning.
  • 朝あさの空気くうきは気持きもちがいいです。The morning air feels pleasant.
  • 今朝けさは早はやく起おきました。I got up early this morning.
  • 毎朝まいあさお茶ちゃを飲のみます。I drink tea every morning.
  • 朝食ちょうしょくはホテルで食たべました。I ate breakfast at the hotel.
  • 朝日あさひが山やまの向むこうから見みえます。The morning sun can be seen beyond the mountain.

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

Watch out

今朝 is read けさ as a whole, not こんあさ. 朝食 uses ちょう; 朝ご飯 is another word for breakfast. Compare the shapes of 朝 and 潮; they are different characters.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 朝 in hiragana.

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    あさ

    朝 is read あさ. In context: I open the window in the morning.

  2. Write the reading of 今朝 in hiragana.

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    けさ

    今朝 is read けさ. In context: I got up early this morning.

  3. Write the missing kanji: ＿（あさ）.

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    朝

    朝 completes 朝, read あさ. In context: I open the window in the morning.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 朝 from memory, read 朝 and 今朝 aloud, then make a sentence with one of them.