膨

膨 — swell, get fat, thick

Learn the correct stroke order for 膨 (swell), a 16-stroke kanji.

JLPT N1Secondary school16 strokes

Stroke Order

Stroke 0 / 16

On'yomi (音読み)ボウbou

Kun'yomi (訓読み)ふく.らむfukuramu、ふく.れるfukureru

Strokes16

Radical肉

Frequency#1293

Meaningsswell, get fat, thick

Step-by-Step Diagram

Try Writing It

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

Draw stroke 1 of 16 — start from the green dot

Common Words

膨張ぼうちょうexpansion; swelling; increasenoun

膨大ぼうだいhuge; vast; enormousna-adjective

膨らむふくらむto expand; to swell (out); to get bigverb

膨れるふくれるto swell (out); to expand; to be inflatedverb

膨らますふくらますto swell; to expand; to inflateverb

Usage & Examples

Usage Notes

The kanji 膨 (swell) is part of the secondary school kanji set and appears at JLPT N1 level. It has 16 strokes with radical 肉.

In newspaper frequency rankings, 膨 is #1293, making it a moderately common kanji.

Example Words in Context

膨張ぼうちょう — expansion; swelling; increase

膨大ぼうだい — huge; vast; enormous

膨らむふくらむ — to expand; to swell (out); to get big

Practice Sheet

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

Related Kanji

Same radical (肉)

肉meat 肌texture 肝liver 肖resemblance 肘elbow 育bring up 肩shoulder 肥fertilizer

Same reading

房tassel 冒risk 謀conspire 妨disturb 矛halberd 乏destitution 傍bystander 霧fog

Frequently Asked Questions

How many strokes does 膨 have?

The kanji 膨 (swell) has 16 strokes. Watch the animation above to see the correct order.

What is the correct stroke order for 膨?

膨 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 膨 mean?

膨 means: swell, get fat, thick. On'yomi readings: ボウ. Kun'yomi readings: ふく.らむ, ふく.れる.

What JLPT level is 膨?

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