Kanji 読

音読おんよみ: ドク・トク・トウ

訓読くんよみ: よむ

画数かくすう: 14

部首ぶしゅ: 言（ごんべん）

Meaning

To read

  • Basic forms
  • 読む — to read / base form
  • 読みます — polite / I read / masu form
  • 読んだ — past / read (past tense) / ta form
  • 読んで — te-form / read (and …) / linking or request
  • 読まない — negative / don’t read / negative form
  • 読めば — if I read / conditional
  • 読め・読んでみろ — read! / try reading! / imperative
  • Other common forms
  • 読みたい — want to read / 〜たい form
  • 読める — can read / potential form
  • 読まれた — was read / passive
  • 読ませる — make someone read / causative
  • 読んでいた — was reading / past progressive
  • More
  • 読もう — let’s read / 〜よう form
  • 読んでいる — reading / in the middle of reading / progressive
  • 読まれている — being read / passive progressive
読む (よむ) is a godan (う-verb). The final む changes to み / め / ま depending on the form — for example, 読みます, 読める, 読まない. It’s used for books, signs, messages, or even “reading the air” (空気を読む).
  • 読書どくしょ — reading (books)
  • 読者どくしゃ — reader
  • 音読おんどく — reading aloud
  • 速読そくどく — speed reading
  • 朗読ろうどく — recitation

読 is formed by 言 (speech) and 売 (to sell), symbolizing drawing out meaning from words — “reading.” It applies to both silent and vocal reading and is central in both academic and daily life vocabulary.

毎日まいにち本ほんを読よみます。
I read books every day.

読書どくしょが趣味しゅみです。
Reading is my hobby.

書
Creates
読書どくしょ — reading (books)
◀︎ Sayings+ ▶︎