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厄

厄 — unlucky, misfortune, bad luck

Learn the correct stroke order for 厄 (unlucky), a 4-stroke kanji.

JLPT N1Secondary school4 strokes

Stroke Order

1234
Stroke 0 / 4
On'yomi (音読み)ヤクyaku
Kun'yomi (訓読み)—
Strokes4
Radical厂
Frequency#2123
Meaningsunlucky, misfortune, bad luck, disaster

Step-by-Step Diagram

1
2
3
4

Try Writing It

Practice writing each stroke in the correct order and direction. Start from the green dot.

Draw stroke 1 of 4 — start from the green dot

Common Words

厄介やっかいtrouble; burden; nuisancena-adjective
厄年やくどしunlucky year; critical year; year (esp. age 25 and 42 for men, 19 and 33 for women) that is considered unlucky (orig. in Onmyōdō)noun
厄やくmisfortune; bad luck; evilnoun

Usage & Examples

Usage Notes

The kanji 厄 (unlucky) is part of the secondary school kanji set and appears at JLPT N1 level. It has 4 strokes with radical 厂.

In newspaper frequency rankings, 厄 is #2123, making it a moderately common kanji.

Example Words in Context

厄介やっかい — trouble; burden; nuisance
厄年やくどし — unlucky year; critical year; year (esp. age 25 and 42 for men, 19 and 33 for women) that is considered unlucky (orig. in Onmyōdō)
厄やく — misfortune; bad luck; evil

Practice Sheet

Trace then write on your own. Print this row as a PDF practice sheet.

Related Kanji

Same radical (厂)

厚thick厘rin原meadow厳stern

Same reading

益benefit躍leap訳translate疫epidemic

Frequently Asked Questions

How many strokes does 厄 have?

The kanji 厄 (unlucky) has 4 strokes. Watch the animation above to see the correct order.

What is the correct stroke order for 厄?

厄 follows the standard Japanese stroke order as taught in schools. Use the step-by-step diagram or the "Try Writing" tool above to practice each stroke in sequence.

What does 厄 mean?

厄 means: unlucky, misfortune, bad luck, disaster. On'yomi readings: ヤク.

What JLPT level is 厄?

厄 is a JLPT N1 kanji. This is an advanced kanji.