字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

guidance, leading, conduct, usher

On’yomi ドウ
Kun’yomi みちび.く
Nanori みち

Origin

The character 導 combines two components to express the idea of guidance. The top part, 道, serves as a sound hint — it tells you roughly how to pronounce the character (similarly to "dō"). The bottom part, 寸, is a classifier that originally related to measurement or extent, but here it helps categorize the overall meaning as relating to leading or conducting something. Together, these components create a character whose shape signals both its sound and its semantic category, allowing the character to mean "to guide" or "to lead."

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

導 15 strokes

Components

  • 道 sound hint top
  • 寸 radical bottom

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

  • 指導 しどう guidance; leadership
  • 主導 しゅどう leadership; initiative
  • 先導 せんどう guidance; leadership
  • 導く みちびく to guide; to lead
  • 導入 どうにゅう introduction; bringing in
  • 誘導 ゆうどう guidance; leading
  • 指導者 しどうしゃ leader; guide
  • 主導権 しゅどうけん hegemony; leadership

Related kanji

Same radical

Reference

Strokes
15
Kangxi radical
41
Grade
Grade 5 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#354 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+05C0E