Explore 和 in the words 平和 and 和食. Learn the reading and meaning of each complete word in context.

The idea

Kanji may have Japanese-origin and Chinese-origin readings; learn each with its word. Compare 平和（へいわ） and 和食（わしょく）. 和 has 8 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
平和へいわpeace
和食わしょくJapanese cuisine
和らぐやわらぐto soften; to ease

Examples

  • 世界せかいの平和へいわを願ねがっています。I hope for world peace.
  • 家族かぞくと平和へいわについて話はなしました。I talked about peace with my family.
  • 日曜日にちようびに家いえで和食わしょくを作つくりました。I cooked Japanese food at home on Sunday.
  • 和食わしょくの店みせで昼ひるご飯はんを食たべました。I had lunch at a Japanese restaurant.
  • 話はなすと不安ふあんが和やわらぎました。Talking eased my anxiety.
  • 春はるになり、寒さむさが和やわらぎました。Spring arrived, and the cold eased.

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

Watch out

平和 means peace, while 和食 refers to Japanese cuisine; the character takes different meanings in different words. Compare the components: 和：禾＋口／利：禾＋刂。

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 平和 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    へいわ

    平和 is read へいわ; it means peace. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  2. Write the reading of 和食 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    わしょく

    和食 is read わしょく; it means Japanese cuisine. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿らぐ（やわらぐ）.

    Show answer or example answer

    和

    和 completes 和らぐ, read やわらぐ; the word means to soften; to ease.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 和 from memory, and read 平和 and 和食 aloud. Then check the readings and meanings.