Meaning
The kanji 帆 (ほ / ハン) means sail — the cloth panel raised on a mast to catch the wind and drive a vessel forward. The structure of the character reflects this directly.
帆 has two components. On the left is 巾 (きん), the cloth radical — fabric, a towel, a hanging banner. On the right is 凡 (ハン), which contributes the phonetic hint. A piece of cloth (巾) catching the wind: that is exactly what a sail does. The character was built as a pictophonetic compound, with 巾 signaling material and 凡 signaling sound.
帆 has 6 strokes and is a grade-8 Jōyō kanji, introduced in middle school rather than primary school. Outside nautical contexts, it appears constantly in the four-character idiom 順風満帆 — used whenever a project or life is going exactly as planned. That one idiom alone makes 帆 essential for N1 and beyond.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
On'yomi: ハン (han). This reading appears in formal compound words (熟語) drawn from nautical terminology, materials, and set idioms. Whenever 帆 pairs with another kanji in a literary or technical context, ハン is almost certainly the correct reading.
- 帆船 (hansen) — sailing ship; a vessel powered by wind rather than a motor. Common in historical dramas and maritime literature.
- 帆走 (hansō) — sailing; propelling a boat by wind power. Used in both recreational and competitive contexts.
- 帆布 (hanpu) — canvas; the heavy woven cloth originally made for sails, now standard for bags, tents, and outdoor gear.
- 出帆 (shuppan) — setting sail; departure of a ship from port. Note: sounds identical to 出版 (publishing), so context is everything.
- 満帆 (manpan) — full sail; all sails raised and filled with wind. Most common as part of the idiom 順風満帆.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
Kun'yomi: ほ (ho) — the native Japanese word for sail. It surfaces in poetic compounds, traditional terms, and one well-known food name.
- 帆 (ho) — sail; the standalone word, used in poetry and everyday speech alike.
- 白帆 (shira-ho) — white sail; a classical image of a vessel gliding across open water. Frequent in haiku and traditional verse.
- 帆掛け船 (hokake-bune) — sailboat; a traditional term for a wooden boat with a raised sail. 帆掛け literally means "sail-hoisting."
- 帆立て貝 (hotate-gai) — scallop; named for the resemblance of its shell to a raised sail (帆立て = hoisting a sail). A practical vocabulary item for any restaurant menu.
Common Words & Compounds
Key vocabulary featuring 帆, grouped by theme.
Nautical and Physical Terms:
- 帆船 (hansen) — sailing ship; appears in historical dramas, maritime museums, and adventure stories.
- 帆走 (hansō) — sailing; moving a vessel by wind. Also used in club and competition names.
- 帆布 (hanpu) — canvas; durable fabric found on bags, tents, and industrial goods. Watch for it on product labels.
- 帆掛け船 (hokake-bune) — traditional sailboat; a classic image of old Japan's coastal trade routes.
- 白帆 (shira-ho) — white sail; a poetic expression evoking the serenity of open water, common in haiku.
- 帆柱 (hobashira) — mast; the vertical pole that supports the sail. 柱 (はしら) means "pillar" or "post."
Movement and Departure:
- 出帆 (shuppan) — setting sail; used literally for a ship leaving port, and figuratively for the start of any new endeavor.
- 満帆 (manpan) — full sail; all sails fully deployed.
Essential Idiom:
- 順風満帆 (junpū manpan) — smooth sailing; literally "favorable wind, full sails." This four-character idiom (四字熟語) describes a situation where everything proceeds without obstacles. Expect to hear it in graduation speeches, job interviews, and business presentations. It is the single most practical reason to learn 帆 at the N1 level.
Food:
- 帆立て貝 (hotate-gai) — scallop; one of Japan's most popular seafood ingredients, named for its sail-shaped shell. On menus across the country.
Example Sentences
船の帆が風を受けて大きくふくらんだ。
Fune no ho ga kaze wo ukete ōkiku fukuranda.
The ship's sail swelled large as it caught the wind.
彼の人生はまさに順風満帆だと言えるだろう。
Kare no jinsei wa masa ni junpū manpan da to ieru darō.
You could say his life is smooth sailing — everything going exactly as planned.
帆船が夕日を背に港をゆっくりと出た。
Hansen ga yūhi wo se ni minato wo yukkuri to deta.
The sailing ship slowly left the harbor with the setting sun behind it.
今夜の夕食は帆立て貝のバターソテーにしよう。
Kon'ya no yūshoku wa hotate-gai no batā sotē ni shiyō.
Let's have butter-sautéed scallops for dinner tonight.
帆走は風と波を読む技術が必要だ。
Hansō wa kaze to nami wo yomu gijutsu ga hitsuyō da.
Sailing requires the skill to read both wind and waves.
白帆が青い海の上に静かに浮かんでいた。
Shira-ho ga aoi umi no ue ni shizuka ni ukande ita.
A white sail floated quietly on the blue sea.
帆布のトートバッグは丈夫で長持ちするのが魅力だ。
Hanpu no tōto baggu wa jōbu de nagamochi suru no ga miryoku da.
The appeal of canvas tote bags is their durability and long lifespan.
プロジェクトは今のところ順風満帆に進んでいます。
Purojekuto wa ima no tokoro junpū manpan ni susunde imasu.
The project is progressing smoothly so far.
船は出帆し、やがて水平線の向こうへと消えた。
Fune wa shuppan shi, yagate suiheisen no mukō e to kieta.
The ship set sail and vanished beyond the horizon.
Memory Tip
Look at 巾 on the left — the cloth radical. Picture that fabric pinned to a tall pole, filling with wind. A sailor shouts 「ほ！」 as the boat surges forward: that is the kun'yomi ほ (ho). For ハン (han), imagine a crewman named Han who always handles the rigging. One scene covers both readings. Next time you order 帆立て貝, notice how the shell fans open like a raised sail — a built-in flashcard on the dinner table.