Recognize 冬 in 冬 and 冬休み. Connect each word’s reading with its meaning in context.

The idea

冬 has 5 strokes; follow the linked KanjiVG diagram for their order. Read 冬（ふゆ） and 冬休み（ふゆやすみ） as whole words: a kanji’s reading depends on the word.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
冬ふゆThe days are short in winter.
冬休みふゆやすみI’ll see my grandfather during winter break.
冬季とうきThe shop closes early during the winter season.

Examples

  • 冬ふゆは日ひが短みじかいです。The days are short in winter.
  • 冬ふゆにここで雪ゆきが降ふります。It snows here in winter.
  • 冬ふゆ休やすみに祖父そふに会あいます。I’ll see my grandfather during winter break.
  • 冬ふゆ休やすみは二週間にしゅうかんです。Winter break lasts two weeks.
  • 冬季とうきは店みせが早はやく閉しまります。The shop closes early during the winter season.
  • 冬季とうきの営業えいぎょう時間じかんを確認かくにんします。I check the winter opening hours.

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

Watch out

冬 is ふゆ; in the more formal compound 冬季 it is とう. Do not assume that every word containing 冬 has the same meaning or reading. Compare 冬 with 文; pay attention to ⺀ when distinguishing their shapes.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 冬 in hiragana.

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    ふゆ

    冬 is read ふゆ. In context: The days are short in winter.

  2. Write the reading of 冬休み in hiragana.

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    ふゆやすみ

    冬休み is read ふゆやすみ. In context: I’ll see my grandfather during winter break.

  3. Write the missing kanji: ＿季（とうき）［冬／文］.

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    冬

    冬 completes 冬季, read とうき. In context: The shop closes early during the winter season.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 冬 from memory and read 冬 and 冬休み aloud. Check your readings against the examples.