The kanji 力 (strength), 和 (peace, harmony), 愛 (love), and related characters 勇, 信, and 夢: meanings, readings, components, stroke counts, and notes for writing them with a brush.
- 力 is one of the simplest kanji at 2 strokes, which makes the quality of each stroke very visible.
- 和 means harmony and peace, and also refers to Japan itself, as in washoku. The everyday word for peace is 平和 (heiwa).
- 愛 has 13 strokes, so spacing and balance matter more than with simpler characters.
- Choose a kanji for its meaning in Japanese, and check the meaning with the teacher before writing.
Next Step
Write your kanji with a brush
The beginner class is 60 minutes, guided in English. You practice strokes, then write one final piece to take home.
力: strength
力 is read chikara on its own and ryoku or riki in compounds, as in 協力 (kyoryoku, cooperation). Its meanings include power and strength. It is taught in the first year of Japanese elementary school.
It is a pictograph. Wiktionary records two interpretations of what it originally showed: an arm bending out from the side of the body, or a wooden plough. Either way, the idea of physical effort carries through to its modern meaning.
With only two strokes, 力 leaves nothing to hide behind. The first stroke runs across, turns down, and ends in a small hook. The second is a long sweep down to the left. Beginners often find it harder than it looks, because a weak hook or a thin sweep is easy to see.
和: peace and harmony
和 is read wa, and in some words o or ka. Its meanings include harmony, peace, softening, and Japanese style. It appears in words such as 和食 (washoku, Japanese food) and 和服 (wafuku, Japanese clothing). The common word for peace is 平和 (heiwa), which combines 平 (flat, even, calm) with 和.
According to Wiktionary, 和 is a phono-semantic compound: 禾 on the left gives the sound, and 口 (mouth) on the right gives the meaning. An older form, 龢, contained a component for a flute, which may have pointed to harmony in music.
With 8 strokes and two side-by-side parts, the main challenge is balance. A common approach is to keep the 口 on the right smaller than the left part.
- 和 alone: harmony, peace, Japan
- 平和 (heiwa): peace, a peaceful state
- 8 strokes; left part 禾, right part 口
愛: love
愛 is read ai. Its meanings include love and affection, and it appears in words such as 愛情 (aijo, affection). It is taught in the fourth year of elementary school.
The character has 13 strokes. Wiktionary describes its origin as an older character, 㤅, built from a sound component (旡) above 心 (heart). The top part of the modern form is a later change in shape from that sound component, and the 夂 at the bottom was added in ancient times and is generally treated as carrying no meaning of its own. The 心 (heart) in the middle is still easy to spot.
Because there are many strokes stacked vertically, 愛 can easily become too tall. A teacher will usually show you how to keep the middle part compact so the character stays balanced.
Three related choices: courage, trust, and dream
If strength, peace, or love is close to what you want but not quite right, these characters are often considered alongside them.
- 勇 (yu, courage; 9 strokes): 甬 gives the sound and 力 gives the meaning, so strength is built into the character.
- 信 (shin, trust, faith; 9 strokes): 人 (person) beside 言 (words). Wiktionary lists it as a phono-semantic compound, and notes that the early Chinese dictionary Shuowen treats it as a compound of meanings.
- 夢 (yume, dream; 13 strokes): a common choice for a single-character piece with a forward-looking meaning.
Choosing and writing your kanji
English words do not always match one kanji. Love, for example, can be expressed with more than one word in Japanese. Peace can be 和 or 平和 depending on whether you want one character or a word. If you know what you want to express, describe it to the teacher and ask which character fits best.
Simple characters like 力 suit a first attempt because each stroke gets your full attention. Characters with more strokes like 愛 or 夢 take more practice to balance but make a fuller page. In the beginner class you practice strokes first and then write one final piece, so there is time to try a character a few times before choosing the copy you keep.