Explore 親 through parents, friendship and kindness. Connect each reading with a complete word and a useful context.

The idea

親 has 16 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. Read 両親（りょうしん）, 親友（しんゆう）, 親切（しんせつ）, 親（おや） as whole words. The table shows each reading in context.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
両親りょうしんMy parents are well.
親友しんゆうI walk through the park with a close friend.
親切しんせつThis person is kind.
親おやI call my parents.

Examples

  • 父親ちちおやが子供こどもと遊あそんでいます。A father is playing with a child.
  • 親友しんゆうと公園こうえんを歩あるきます。I walk through the park with a close friend.
  • 両親りょうしんは元気げんきです。My parents are well.
  • 親おやに電話でんわします。I call my parents.
  • この人ひとは親切しんせつです。This person is kind.
  • 親おやに相談そうだんします。I ask my parents for advice.

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

Watch out

親 means a parent or parents, while 両親 explicitly means both parents. 親切 means kind, not a family relationship. Compare 親 with 新: notice their different parts.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 両親 in hiragana.

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    りょうしん

    両親 is read りょうしん. In context: My parents are well. Learn the reading with the whole word.

  2. Write the reading of 親友 in hiragana.

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    しんゆう

    親友 is read しんゆう. In context: I walk through the park with a close friend. Learn the reading with the whole word.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿切（しんせつ）［親／新］.

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    親

    親 completes 親切, read しんせつ. In context: This person is kind.

Use it today

Write 親 using the stroke-order diagram. Cover the table, read 両親 and 親友, and make a sentence with one of them.