Explore 起 through waking, raising and events. Connect each reading with a complete word and a useful context.

The idea

起 has 10 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. Read 起きる（おきる）, 起こす（おこす）, 起こる（おこる）, 起床（きしょう）, 早起き（はやおき） as whole words. The table shows each reading in context.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
起きるおきるI get up at six every morning.
起こすおこすMy mother wakes the child.
起こるおこるAn earthquake occurred at night.
起床きしょうWake-up time is six in the morning.
早起きはやおきI will get up early tomorrow.

Examples

  • 毎朝まいあさ、六時ろくじに起おきます。I get up at six every morning.
  • 母ははが子こどもを起おこします。My mother wakes the child.
  • 夜よるに地震じしんが起おこりました。An earthquake occurred at night.
  • 明日あしたは早起はやおきします。I will get up early tomorrow.
  • 弟おとうとを七時しちじに起おこしてください。Please wake my younger brother at seven.
  • 起床きしょう時間じかんは午前ごぜん六時ろくじです。Wake-up time is six in the morning.

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

Watch out

起きる means to get up; 起こす wakes someone, while 起こる means to happen. Do not confuse 起こる with 怒る, to get angry. Compare 起 with 走: notice their different parts.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 起きる in hiragana.

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    おきる

    起きる is read おきる. In context: I get up at six every morning. Learn the reading with the whole word.

  2. Write the reading of 起こす in hiragana.

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    おこす

    起こす is read おこす. In context: My mother wakes the child. Learn the reading with the whole word.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿こる（おこる）［起／走］.

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    起

    起 completes 起こる, read おこる. In context: An earthquake occurred at night.

Use it today

Write 起 using the stroke-order diagram. Cover the table, read 起きる and 起こす, and make a sentence with one of them.