Meaning
図 means diagram, figure, map, drawing, and plan. You'll run into it constantly — on the navigation map on your phone (地図), in the illustrated field guides stacked at any bookstore (図鑑), or on the blueprints tacked up at a construction site. The character represents something visually laid out to communicate information: a chart, a floor plan, a sketch.
Seven strokes, taught in 2nd grade of Japanese elementary school. The radical is 囗 (くにがまえ), the enclosure radical — visible as the outer frame of the character. The small element inside suggests content organized within that boundary, which is exactly what a diagram does.
図 is the shinjitai (post-war simplified) form of the traditional 圖, a far more complex character. The original combines 囗 (enclosure) with 啚, an element tied to granaries — the sense of goods carefully laid out within a space. That meaning of organized space gradually broadened to any drawn plan or visual representation. Today's 図 keeps the enclosure frame while cutting stroke count sharply.
There's a figurative layer too. 図る (はかる) means to plan, to attempt, or to scheme — often with a calculated motive. So 図 covers both the concrete (a drawn map) and the intentional (a deliberate plan).
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
図 has two on'yomi: ズ and ト. Both appear in compound words (熟語). The right reading becomes natural with vocabulary exposure.
ズ (zu) — The common reading. Most everyday compounds use this.
- 地図 (chizu) — map
- 図形 (zukei) — geometric figure, shape
- 図解 (zukai) — illustration, diagrammatic explanation
- 図表 (zuhyou) — chart, graph, table
- 図面 (zumen) — blueprint, drawing, plan
ト (to) — Less frequent, but shows up in formal and literary vocabulary.
- 図書 (tosho) — books, publications (formal/literary term)
- 図書館 (toshokan) — library
- 意図 (ito) — intention, purpose, aim
- 企図 (kito) — plan, scheme, project
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
はかる (hakaru) — To plan, to attempt, or to scheme; often implies a calculated motive. Multiple kanji share this reading with different nuances: 図る for plotting or seeking, 計る for measuring, 謀る for conspiring. The kanji choice signals the intent.
- 便宜を図る (bengi wo hakaru) — to act in someone's interests, to accommodate
- 解決を図る (kaiketsu wo hakaru) — to seek a resolution, to try to solve
Common Words & Compounds
図 turns up across a wide range of vocabulary. Key compounds, grouped by use:
Maps & Visual Layouts
- 地図 (chizu) — map
- 略図 (ryakuzu) — rough sketch, simplified map
- 図面 (zumen) — blueprint, architectural drawing
- 構図 (kouzu) — composition (of a painting or photo)
Reference & Study
- 図書館 (toshokan) — library
- 図鑑 (zukan) — illustrated reference book, field guide
- 図書 (tosho) — books, publications
- 図工 (zukou) — arts and crafts (elementary school subject)
Diagrams & Data
- 図解 (zukai) — illustrated explanation, diagram
- 図形 (zukei) — figure, geometric shape
- 図表 (zuhyou) — chart, graph
- 図案 (zuan) — design, pattern, motif
Plans & Intentions
- 意図 (ito) — intention, purpose
- 企図 (kito) — plan, scheme
- 図る (hakaru) — to plan, to attempt, to scheme
Example Sentences
地図を見ながら歩きました。
Chizu wo mi nagara arukimashita.
I walked while looking at the map.
図書館で本を借りました。
Toshokan de hon wo karimashita.
I borrowed a book from the library.
この図鑑には鳥の写真がたくさんあります。
Kono zukan ni wa tori no shashin ga takusan arimasu.
This illustrated guide has lots of photos of birds.
先生は黒板に図形を描きました。
Sensei wa kokuban ni zukei wo kakimashita.
The teacher drew geometric shapes on the blackboard.
彼の意図がよくわかりません。
Kare no ito ga yoku wakarimasen.
I don't really understand his intentions.
この図解を見れば、使い方がわかります。
Kono zukai wo mireba, tsukaikata ga wakarimasu.
If you look at this diagram, you'll understand how to use it.
建築家が図面を引いています。
Kenchikuka ga zumen wo hiite imasu.
The architect is drawing up blueprints.
問題の解決を図るために話し合いました。
Mondai no kaiketsu wo hakaru tame ni hanashiaimashita.
We held a discussion to try to resolve the problem.
子供たちは図工の授業でお面を作りました。
Kodomotachi wa zukou no jugyou de omen wo tsukurimashita.
The children made masks in their arts and crafts class.
Related Kanji
- 明 — Bright, Clear, Light (Kanji N4)
- 地 — Ground, Earth, Land (Kanji N4)
- 昼 — Daytime, Noon, Midday (Kanji N4)
- 場 — Place, Location, Scene (Kanji N4)
- 自 — Self, Myself, Naturally, From (Kanji N4)
- 家 — House, Home, Family (Kanji N4)
Memory Tip
Picture 図 as a box with a map inside. The outer square (囗) is the frame; the strokes inside represent roads, borders, or data arranged within it. That small map thumbnail on your phone? That's your 図.
地図 (map) is one of the first Japanese words you'll encounter in the wild — use it as your anchor for this kanji. When writing 図, draw the outer box first, then fill in the interior, just as you'd sketch the borders of a map before adding the details.