竜 means “dragon”

りゅう · ryuu

Also: imperial

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

たつ, いせ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

リュウ, リョウ, ロウ

Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

Unlike fearsome Western dragons, Japanese 竜 are wise water gods who bring rain and protect rivers. Dragon dances at festivals celebrate their benevolent power over storms and seas.

Used in 恐竜 (kyouryuu, dinosaur) and 竜巻 (tatsumaki, tornado)

More from Animals & Creatures

• 亀 turtle
• 猿 monkey
• 鯨 whale
• 狐 fox
• 蛙 frog
• 犬 dog
• 猫 cat
• 牛 cow
• 馬 horse
• 虫 insect
• 羊 sheep
• 豚 pig

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

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