Shooting Star ながれ星
nagareboshi4 characters20 strokes
ながれ星 (nagareboshi) means a shooting star, a star that streaks across the night sky, leaving a line of light before it vanishes.
Free practice sheet
Print at 100%, actual size. Enter your email once and every free sheet downloads right away.
Meaning 意味
What ながれ星 means
The Japanese word for Shooting Star, written in kanji and kana, read nagareboshi.
Nagareboshi, literally a flowing star, is a shooting star that slides across the night sky in a streak of light. People say that if you repeat a wish three times before it disappears, the wish will come true.
The word is usually written 流れ星. Here the first part is in hiragana, which keeps the word light and easy to brush.
When people write it in Japan. Nagareboshi suits pieces about the night sky and space, or any work you want to fill with a wish or a dream.
Japanese children learn this kanji in 2nd grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for ながれ星
Three things to watch
- 星 has more strokes, but do not make it too large. Keep it about the same size as the three hiragana before it.
- In 星, keep the 日 at the top small and compact. Make the 9th stroke, the bottom horizontal, the longest so it supports the character.
- In れ, make the vertical stroke on the left long. On the right side, turn back, then stretch the end to the right and flick it upward.
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.