Happiness 幸せ
shiawase2 characters11 strokes
幸せ (shiawase) means happiness: the feeling of a heart that is full and content, when life feels glad and joyful.
Free practice sheet
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Meaning 意味
What 幸せ means
The Japanese word for happiness, written in kanji and kana, read shiawase.
幸せ is the feeling of a heart that is satisfied, glad and joyful.
The word is written with the kanji 幸 followed by the hiragana せ. The rounded kana after the square kanji gives the word a soft, gentle look on paper.
When people write it in Japan. People in Japan write 幸せ to express the joy of everyday life with family and friends, or a wish for everyone's happiness.
Japanese children learn this kanji in 3rd grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 幸せ
Three things to watch
- 幸 has 4 horizontal lines. Let each one rise slightly to the right, and space them about evenly.
- Bring the last vertical line of 幸 straight down through the center of the character.
- Write せ a little smaller than 幸. Let the curve at the bottom flow gently to 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 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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