Readings: キョウ (Onyomi), さけ.ぶ (Kunyomi)
Meaning: shout, cry, yell
The kanji 叫 is a phonetic-semantic compound. It combines 口 (kuchi, “mouth”) as the semantic component and 叫 as the phonetic component, which visually depicts a person shouting.
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 叫 has 5 strokes. It starts with the 口 (kuchi/mouth) radical, which is written in three strokes (vertical, horizontal with a hook, and a closing horizontal). Then, a long horizontal stroke is drawn above the mouth, followed by a final vertical stroke that descends through the horizontal stroke, ending with a slight hook.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 口 |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 5 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | 6 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- キョウ (Kyou)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- さけぶ (sakebu)
Common Words Using 叫
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絶叫 | ぜっきょう | scream, shriek |
| 号叫 | ごうきょう | loud cry, howl (literary) |
| 叫喚 | きょうかん | clamor, uproar, shouting and screaming |
| 呼叫 | こきょう | calling, signaling (technical/formal) |
| 雄叫び | おたけび | war cry, roar |
| 絶叫マシン | ぜっきょうマシン | screaming machine (e.g., roller coaster) |
| 大絶叫 | だいぜっきょう | big scream/shriek |
| 狂叫 | きょうきょう | wild cry, frantic shout (literary) |
| 悲叫 | ひきょう | tragic cry (less common) |
| 叫号 | きょうごう | shouting, yelling (literary, old-fashioned) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 叫ぶ | さけぶ | to shout, to yell, to cry out |
| 叫び声 | さけびごえ | a cry, a shout |
| 叫び | さけび | a shout, a cry (noun) |
| 叫び出す | さけびだす | to start shouting |
| 叫び続ける | さけびつづける | to keep shouting |
| 叫び散らす | さけびちらす | to scream all over the place, to shout wildly |
| 叫び上がる | さけびあがる | to shout up, to raise a shout |
| 叫び泣く | さけびなく | to cry out and weep |
| 叫び騒ぐ | さけびさわぐ | to shout and make a fuss |
| 叫び止む | さけびやむ | to stop shouting |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼は助けを求めて叫んだ。
Kana: かれはたすけをもとめてさけんだ。
Romaji: Kare wa tasuke o motomete sakenda.
English: He shouted for help.
Japanese: 子供が公園で楽しそうに叫んでいる。
Kana: こどもがこうえんでたのしそうにさけんでいる。
Romaji: Kodomo ga kōen de tanoshisō ni sakende iru.
English: The children are shouting happily in the park.
Japanese: 彼女は突然、恐怖で叫び声を上げた。
Kana: かのじょはとつぜん、きょうふでさけびごえをあげた。
Romaji: Kanojo wa totsuzen, kyōfu de sakebigoe o ageta.
English: She suddenly let out a cry of fear.
Japanese: 絶叫マシンに乗ると、みんなが叫び出す。
Kana: ぜっきょうマシンにのると、みんながさけびだす。
Romaji: Zekkyō mashin ni noru to, minna ga sakebidasu.
English: When riding a screaming machine (roller coaster), everyone starts shouting.
Japanese: 心の中で「やめて」と叫んだ。
Kana: こころのなかで「やめて」とさけんだ。
Romaji: Kokoro no naka de “yamete” to sakenda.
English: I cried out “Stop!” in my heart.
Japanese: 怒りで彼は我を忘れて叫んだ。
Kana: いかりでかれはわれをわすれてさけんだ。
Romaji: Ikari de kare wa ware o wasurete sakenda.
English: In anger, he lost himself and shouted.
Japanese: 遠くから誰かの叫び声が聞こえた。
Kana: とおくからだれかのさけびごえがきこえた。
Romaji: Tōku kara dareka no sakebigoe ga kikoeta.
English: I heard someone’s shout from afar.
Japanese: 彼は全力を尽くして勝利を叫んだ。
Kana: かれはぜんりょくをつくしてしょうりをさけんだ。
Romaji: Kare wa zenryoku o tsukushite shōri o sakenda.
English: He gave his all and shouted for victory.
Japanese: 群衆は熱狂的になまえを叫んだ。
Kana: ぐんしゅうはねっきょうてきになまえをさけんだ。
Romaji: Gunshū wa nekkyōteki ni namae o sakenda.
English: The crowd enthusiastically shouted names.
Japanese: 夢の中で何度も叫んでいた。
Kana: ゆめのなかでなんどもさけんでいた。
Romaji: Yume no naka de nandomo sakende ita.
English: I was shouting many times in my dream.
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