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寒椿 (Winter Camellia) in regular script (kaisho), Japanese calligraphy model sheet

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Winter Camellia

kantsubaki2 characters25 strokes

寒椿 (kantsubaki) means a winter camellia: a camellia that blooms in the cold of winter, its vivid flowers opening even in the chill.

Free practice sheet

Regular script · PDF, 2 pages (model + tracing) · 172 KB

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Meaning

What means

The Japanese word for Winter Camellia, written with 2 kanji and read kantsubaki.

Kantsubaki is a camellia that blooms in the cold of winter. The word describes its vivid flowers opening even in the cold.

When people write it in Japan. Kantsubaki is a good word for winter pieces and for practicing kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year.

cold12 strokes · Taught in 3rd grade in Japan
camellia13 strokes · Beyond the everyday kanji list

One of these kanji is beyond the everyday list, a challenge even for adults in Japan.

How to write it

Brush tips for

Regular script (kaisho)

  1. In 寒, write the roof radical at the top (ukanmuri) wide, so it covers the part below.
  2. Space the horizontal strokes in the middle of 寒 about evenly. Open the sweeps down to the left and right at the bottom wide.
  3. In 椿, write the tree radical on the left (kihen) tall and narrow. In the 春 on the right, space the horizontal strokes evenly and let the sweeps stretch out freely.

Semi-cursive script (gyōsho)

  1. In 寒, write the roof radical at the top (ukanmuri) so the brush flows from the dot into the horizontal stroke.
  2. Move the brush through the horizontal strokes in the middle of 寒 as if linking them. Open the sweeps to the left and right wide.
  3. In 椿, let the tree radical on the left (kihen) flow from its vertical stroke into the next stroke. Balance it with the 春 on the right.

Stroke order

Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.

Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.

How to practice

Trace first, then copy

  1. PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
  2. TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
  3. 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.

Ready to write ?Model + tracing sheet · US Letter or A4 · free
Cover of Japanese Calligraphy for Beginners by Sanayuki Morita

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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.

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