An introduction to Japanese - Syntax, Grammar & Language

(Joyce) #1

1.3. KANJI 23


angled strokes

stroke drawing order examples
㇄ top to boĴom, then left to right, as one stroke 兦,
㇅ left to right, then top to boĴom, then left to right
㇇ left to right, then a hook curving down left
㇆ left to right, then top to boĴom with a serif to the upper left ,
Í left to right, then top to boĴom
top to boĴom, then left to right with a serif upward at the end
top left to right, then down right with an upward serif at the end ,丮

multi-angled strokes

stroke drawing order examples
㇉ top to boĴom, then the same as above, as one stroke 丂
㇈ top left to right, then like
㇋ top left to right, top to boĴom, left to right, then curving down left ,
㇌ a connected stroke consisting of㇇and㇁

When kanji are composed of multiple strokes (which is virtually all
kanji), several compositional rules apply:



  1. Strokes that do not intersect each other, follow each other in a top to
    boĴom, left to right fashion.

  2. Kanji used to form complex kanji also follow this rule. So乴wriĴen
    first as , which is first , then , and then gets underneat that.

  3. When strokes intersect, the following rules apply:


(a) For a vertical/horizontal intersection where the vertical stroke
does not protrude at the boĴom, such as in , draw the top
horizontal first, then the vertical (forming ), then the rest.
(b)For a vertical/horizontal intersection where the vertical stroke
does protrude at the boĴom, such as in , or , draw all
horizontals first, and finally the vertical.
(c) For crossed strokes such as in or , the stroke that runs
upper-right to lower-left is drawn first.
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