

The First Sun 初日
hatsuhi2 characters11 strokes
初日 (hatsuhi) means the first sun: the sun that rises on the morning of New Year's Day, January 1, marking the start of a new year.
Free practice sheet
Print at 100%, actual size. Enter your email once and every free sheet downloads right away.
Meaning 意味
What 初日 means
The Japanese word for The First Sun, written with 2 kanji and read hatsuhi.
Hatsuhi is the sun that rises on the morning of New Year's Day, January 1. It is also called hatsuhinode, the first sunrise, and the word stands for the beginning of a new year.
When people write it in Japan. Hatsuhi is a common word for kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year, and for practice in January.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 4th grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 初日
Three things to watch
- In 初, write the clothing radical on the left (koromohen) narrow. Do not leave too much space between it and the 刀 (sword) on the right.
- Stop the last dot of the clothing radical firmly instead of sweeping it to the right.
- 日 is a tall, narrow character. Keep it narrow and give it plenty of height.
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.


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.
