課 means “lesson, section, assignment”

か · ka

Also: chapter, department

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カ

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 4 · 15 strokes

The story

Words (言) expected to bear fruit (果): a task set with results in mind. Japanese textbooks are divided into 課, so 第一課 is Lesson One; at the office a 課 is a section run by the 課長, and 放課後 is the free time after school.

Used in 課長 (kachou, section chief), 課題 (kadai, assignment/task), and 放課後 (houkago, after school)

More from Lessons & Skills

• 専 specialty
• 史 history
• 歴 history
• 講 lecture
• 卒 graduate
• 略 abbreviate
• 練 practice
• 績 achievement
• 簡 simple
• 訓 instruction
• 準 standard
• 技 skill

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

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