革 means “leather, reform”

かわ · kawa

Also: skin, become serious

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

かわ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カク

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 6 · 9 strokes

The story

A whole animal hide stretched out to dry, head at the top and legs spread wide: 革 is leather, the hide with its hair scraped off. Turning raw skin into leather changes it completely, and so do 改革, reform, and 革命, revolution.

Used in 革靴 (kawagutsu, leather shoes), 改革 (kaikaku, reform), and 革命 (kakumei, revolution)

More from Build & Renew

• 減 decrease
• 再 again
• 造 make
• 復 return
• 移 move
• 超 exceed
• 伸 stretch
• 延 prolong
• 築 build
• 昇 rise
• 設 set up
• 改 revise

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

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