Explore 頂 in words for a summit and in the humble verb for receiving.

The idea

頂 has 11 strokes; use the linked diagram for stroke order. Read 山頂（さんちょう） and 頂上（ちょうじょう） as whole compounds. 頂（いただき） means a summit, while 頂く（いただく） is a humble verb for receiving or eating and drinking.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
山頂さんちょうWe reached the summit of the mountain.
頂上ちょうじょうSnow remains on the summit.
頂くいただくI received a book from my teacher.
頂いただきA castle stands on the top of the hill.

Examples

  • 私わたしたちは山頂さんちょうに着つきました。We reached the summit of the mountain.
  • 頂上ちょうじょうにはまだ雪ゆきがあります。Snow remains on the summit.
  • 先生せんせいから本ほんを頂いただきました。I received a book from my teacher.
  • 私わたしはお茶ちゃを頂いただきます。I will have some tea.
  • ご返事へんじを頂いただき、ありがとうございます。Thank you for your reply.
  • 丘おかの頂いただきに城しろがあります。A castle stands on the top of the hill.

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

Watch out

頂く lowers the speaker’s own action; do not use it to elevate someone else’s action. It is often written いただく in kana, especially as an auxiliary.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 山頂 in hiragana.

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    さんちょう

    山頂 is さんちょう: 山 means mountain and 頂 here is read ちょう.

  2. Write the reading of 頂く in hiragana.

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    いただく

    頂く is いただく, a humble way to say receive, eat or drink.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 山＿（さんちょう）［頂／頭］.

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    頂

    頂 completes 山頂（さんちょう）, meaning mountain summit; 頭 means head.

Use it today

Write 頂 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 山頂 and 頂く, then make a sentence with one.