Readings: がん (Onyomi), かお (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Face
The kanji 顔 is a phonetic-semantic compound. It is a simplification of the older character 顏, which originally depicted a head (頁) and a phonetic component. Over time, it came to specifically represent the face.
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 顔 consists of 18 strokes. It begins with the three strokes of 立 (top), followed by the left component, and then the 頁 (page/head) radical on the right. The 頁 radical starts with a short horizontal stroke, a vertical stroke, another short horizontal stroke, followed by the prominent vertical stroke with a hook, a long horizontal stroke, and finally the three bottom short strokes.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 頁 |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 18 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | 2 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ガン (gan)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- かお (kao)
Common Words Using 顔
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 顔面 | がんめん | facial surface |
| 洗顔 | せんがん | face washing |
| 美顔 | びがん | facial beauty |
| 童顔 | どうがん | childlike face |
| 顔料 | がんりょう | pigment, paint |
| 整顔 | せいがん | facial alignment/correction |
| 厚顔 | こうがん | impudent, brazen |
| 顔面神経 | がんめんしんけい | facial nerve |
| 顔相 | がんそう | physiognomy, facial features |
| 全顔 | ぜんがん | whole face (technical term) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 顔 | かお | face |
| 笑顔 | えがお | smiling face |
| 泣き顔 | なきがお | crying face |
| 怒り顔 | おこりがお | angry face |
| 素顔 | すがお | bare face, natural face |
| 顔色 | かおいろ | complexion |
| 顔つき | かおつき | look, expression |
| 顔見知り | かおみしり | acquaintance |
| 顔文字 | かおもじ | emoji, emoticon |
| 横顔 | よこがお | profile (of a face) |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼女は笑顔が素敵です。
Kana: かのじょはえがおがすてきです。
Romaji: Kanojo wa egao ga suteki desu.
English: Her smiling face is lovely.
Japanese: 毎日、顔を洗います。
Kana: まいにち、かおをあらいます。
Romaji: Mainichi, kao o araimasu.
English: I wash my face every day.
Japanese: 彼の顔色はあまり良くない。
Kana: かれのかおいろはあまりよくない。
Romaji: Kare no kaoiro wa amari yokunai.
English: His complexion isn’t very good.
Japanese: 鏡で自分の顔を見た。
Kana: かがみでじぶんのかおをみた。
Romaji: Kagami de jibun no kao o mita.
English: I looked at my face in the mirror.
Japanese: 初めて会ったのに、なぜか顔見知りだった。
Kana: はじめてあったのに、なぜかかおみしりだった。
Romaji: Hajimete atta noni, nazeka kaomishiri datta.
English: Even though we met for the first time, somehow we were acquaintances.
Japanese: 子供は泣き顔で母親に抱きついた。
Kana: こどもはなきがおでははおやにだきついた。
Romaji: Kodomo wa nakigao de hahaoya ni dakitsuita.
English: The child, with a crying face, hugged its mother.
Japanese: 彼女は化粧をしていない素顔も美しい。
Kana: かのじょはけしょうをしていないすがおもうつくしい。
Romaji: Kanojo wa keshō o shite inai sugao mo utsukushii.
English: Her bare face without makeup is also beautiful.
Japanese: 彼の怒り顔を見て、みんな静かになった。
Kana: かれのおこりがおをみて、みんなしずかになった。
Romaji: Kare no okorigao o mite, minna shizuka ni natta.
English: Seeing his angry face, everyone became quiet.
Japanese: この顔文字は「笑い」を意味します。
Kana: このかおもじは「わらい」をいみします。
Romaji: Kono kaomoji wa “warai” o imi shimasu.
English: This emoticon means “laughter.”
Japanese: 彼の横顔はとてもハンサムだ。
Kana: かれのよこがおはとてもはんさむだ。
Romaji: Kare no yokogao wa totemo hansamu da.
English: His profile is very handsome.
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