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食

食 — eat, food

Learn the correct stroke order for 食 (eat), a 9-stroke kanji.

JLPT N5Grade 29 strokes

Stroke Order

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Stroke 0 / 9
On'yomi (音読み)ショクshoku、ジキjiki
Kun'yomi (訓読み)く.うkuu、く.らうkurau、た.べるtaberu、は.むhamu
Strokes9
Radical食
Frequency#328
Meaningseat, food

Step-by-Step Diagram

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Try Writing It

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

Draw stroke 1 of 9 — start from the green dot

Common Words

飲食いんしょくfood and drink; eating and drinkingnoun
会食かいしょくeating together; dining together; having a meal togethernoun
外食がいしょくeating out; dining outnoun
間食かんしょくeating between meals; snackingnoun
給食きゅうしょくprovision of lunch (e.g. at office, school, etc.); providing a meal; lunch servicenoun
軽食けいしょくlight meal; snack; refreshmentsnoun

Usage & Examples

Usage Notes

The kanji 食 (eat) is taught in grade 2 of Japanese elementary school and appears at JLPT N5 level. It has 9 strokes with radical 食.

In newspaper frequency rankings, 食 is #328, making it one of the most commonly used kanji.

Example Words in Context

飲食いんしょく — food and drink; eating and drinking
会食かいしょく — eating together; dining together; having a meal together
外食がいしょく — eating out; dining out

Practice Sheet

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

Related Kanji

Same radical (食)

飢hungry飲drink飯meal飾decorate飼domesticate飽sated養foster餓starve

Frequently Asked Questions

How many strokes does 食 have?

The kanji 食 (eat) has 9 strokes. Watch the animation above to see the correct order.

What is the correct stroke order for 食?

食 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 食 mean?

食 means: eat, food. On'yomi readings: ショク, ジキ. Kun'yomi readings: く.う, く.らう, た.べる, は.む.

What JLPT level is 食?

食 is a JLPT N5 kanji. This is a beginner-level kanji.