楷 means “standard script, model”

かい · kai

Also: square character style, correctness

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カイ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 13 strokes

The story

A tree (木) with all (皆) its branches standing straight: the model of correct form. 楷 names 楷書, the square, upright style with every stroke written apart, the first style children learn in school calligraphy, before flowing 行書 and 草書.

Used in 楷書 (kaisho, standard script) and 楷書体 (kaishotai, standard-script typeface)

More from Poems & Songs

• 諧 harmony
• 響 echo
• 鈴 bell
• 俳 haiku
• 句 phrase
• 朗 clear
• 謡 song
• 琴 koto
• 墨 ink
• 譜 musical score
• 叙 narrate
• 吟 chant

Learn 楷 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.