筆 means “brush, pen”

ふで · fude

Also: writing brush, writing, painting brush, handwriting

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ふで

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ヒツ

Taught in grade 3 · 12 strokes

The story

Bamboo (⺮) holding the finished work (聿): a 筆 is where thought becomes art. Japanese calligraphy masters spend decades perfecting a single stroke, believing the brush reveals the writer's spirit.

Used in 筆者 (hissha, author) and 毛筆 (mouhitsu, writing brush)

Words with 筆

• 筆者 (ひっしゃ, hissha): author / writer

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

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