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Components

鶴 means 'crane'

Animation / stroke order not available.

Strokes : 21 Frequency: 1282 JLPT: N1 Usefulness: 5 Study set: 5-17 Grade: 8 Intermediate lesson: - Beginner lesson: - Begins 13 words Used in 33 words Used in 1215 names Component in 1 kanji (0 Jōyō)

Jōyō (常用)

Common readings

Kun

つる crane

Additional readings

On カク

Name たずずかつづ

Variants

鹤 (Chinese)

Notes

Read about the role of cranes in Japanese culture in our Point of Interest

つる

鶴

cranes in Japanese culture. Read the fairy tale

in the Reading Corner.

A Joy o' Kanji essay is available for 鶴 - click the badge to download

Cranes once lived in large flocks in Japan but have since become scarce. By contrast, the image of the crane pops up everywhere. As a symbol of 'longevity' and 'good fortune,' this bird appears in proverbs, paintings, ceramics, poems, Noh dramas, songs, folktales, and even math problems! Find out about the significance of folded paper cranes and the true story of Sadako Sasaki.

View in the essay collection All Joy o' Kanji essays

The essay is also included in the following Thematic Bundles

Strongly Symbolic Animals

竜亀虎鶴

English speakers see cats and dogs as enemies, but the Japanese and Chinese perceive the dragon and tiger as well-matched rivals. The dragon symbolizes everything from imperial power and water to China itself, whereas the tiger represents earthly matter and India, also inspiring scads of expressions about risks. Meanwhile, both cranes and turtles are emblems of longevity and good fortune. Moreover, the crane appears in proverbs, paintings, origami, ceramics, fabrics, poems, Noh dramas, songs, folktales, and even math problems, as well as figurative expressions, whereas the turtle symbolizes slowness, wisdom, experience, divisiveness, ugliness, and sexual attractiveness.

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All Thematic Bundles

Components

⿰ 隺 (寉) crane; flying bird 鳥 bird

Explore these components visually on The Kanji Map ⇗

Mastery

Flashcards

Most useful words by reading

In the most useful 10,000 words in Japanese, 鶴 is used 1 time, read 1 way.

Across all words in Japanese, 鶴 is used 31 times, read 2 ways (with 2 variations).

Showing: Usage across all words in Japanese Usage in the 10,000 most useful words in Japanese

カク : 5 words FIND ALL

かくしゅ

鶴首

noun, 'suru' verb

looking forward to

(click the word for examples and links)

つる : 12 words FIND ALL

つる

鶴

Most common form: つる

noun

crane (any bird of the family Gruidae, esp. the red-crowned crane, Grus japonensis)

(click the word to view an additional 1 reading and 3 forms, useful expressions, examples and links)

つる (read as づる) : 13 words FIND ALL

くろづる

黒鶴

noun

common crane (Grus grus) (often written with kana only)

(click the word for examples and links)

ず: 1 word. FIND ALL

あしたず

葦田鶴

noun

crane (see also: 鶴; archaic)

(click the word for examples and links)

An additional 2 less common words include 鶴 but the reading has not yet been categorized.

Quick links

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More information

Wiktionary ⇗ | Unicode.org ⇗ | Google Japan ⇗ | Hanziyuan etymology ⇗

Additional data

Henshall: - Joy o' Kanji : 2072 Key to Kanji: -