Dream 夢
yume1 character13 strokes
夢 (yume) means dream: both the dreams you have while asleep and the hopes and goals you hold for your future.
Free practice sheet
Print at 100%, actual size. Enter your email once and every free sheet downloads right away.
Meaning 意味
What 夢 means
The Japanese kanji for dream, read yume.
Like the English word, 夢 means the dreams you see in your sleep. It also means a wish or goal for the future, such as the person you hope to become.
When people write it in Japan. People write 夢 as one large character to express their dreams for the future or their goals for the new year. It is a popular choice for kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year.
Japanese children learn this kanji in 5th grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 夢
Three things to watch
- This is a single character, so write it large in the center of the sheet. Keep the grass radical on top (kusakanmuri) small and give the lower part plenty of room.
- In the wide middle part, keep the gaps between strokes about equal so it does not look squashed.
- In 夕 at the bottom, stretch the sweep to the lower left long. Then place the final dot firmly to finish the character.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
Free for personal practice and classroom use. Please do not sell or re-post the files. Share a link to this page instead.
More free sheets
Heart & character
While the sets are on their way
The book is out now.
Japanese Calligraphy for Beginners takes you from holding the brush to writing whole words, step by step, in English. Every model inside was brushed by our teachers.
Starter Set, $72.99 with the book, brush, ink and paper: coming soon.