Meet 令 in words used for orders and official announcements, and in the era name 令和.

The idea

令 has five strokes; use the linked diagram for their order. Its common reading れい appears in 命令（めいれい）, 法令（ほうれい） and 発令（はつれい）. Learn the compounds as whole words.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
命令めいれいThe captain gave an order.
法令ほうれいThe law came into force last year.
発令はつれいA warning has been issued.
令和れいわThe name of the era is Reiwa.

Examples

  • 船長せんちょうが命令めいれいを出だしました。The captain gave an order.
  • 命令めいれいに従したがってください。Please follow the order.
  • その法令ほうれいは去年きょねん施行しこうされました。The law came into force last year.
  • 警報けいほうが発令はつれいされました。A warning has been issued.
  • 司令官しれいかんが部隊ぶたいを指揮しきします。The commander leads the troops.
  • 元号げんごうは令和れいわです。The name of the era is Reiwa.

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

Watch out

命令 is an order; 法令 refers to laws and regulations, while 発令 is the issuing of an order or warning. 令和 is an era name, not a command.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 命令 in hiragana.

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    めいれい

    命令 is めいれい: the captain gives an order. Remember both parts together.

  2. Write the reading of 法令 in hiragana.

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    ほうれい

    法令 is ほうれい: it means a law or regulation. The first vowel is long.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 発＿（はつれい）［令／今］.

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    令

    令 completes 発令（はつれい）, issuing an order or warning. 今 is a different character.

Use it today

Write 令 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 命令 and 法令, then make a sentence with one.