

Light ひかり
hikari3 characters6 strokes
ひかり (hikari) means light, the brightness that comes from the sun or a lamp, and it is often used as a symbol of hope and warmth.
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Meaning 意味
What ひかり means
The Japanese word for light, written in hiragana and read hikari.
Hikari is light, the brightness that comes from the sun or a lamp and lights up everything around it. It is also used as an image of hope and warmth.
Written here in hiragana instead of the kanji 光, the word looks soft and round.
When people write it in Japan. Hikari suits pieces for the start of a new year, or any work that carries hope for a bright future.
Written in kana, the Japanese syllables children learn first.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for ひかり
Three things to watch
- In ひ, draw a short line to the right at the start, then turn back. Make the bottom a large, round curve, rise to the upper right, then sweep down to the right.
- In か, end the stroke that turns from horizontal to downward with a flick to the left. Place the dot on the right apart from it, pointing to the lower right.
- Keep り narrower than the other two characters. Make the left stroke short, and bring the right stroke down long before sweeping down to the left.
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.
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