描く
kaku[ka̠kɯ̟]
The Japanese verb for 'draw' is 描く (kaku).
The verb 描く is the standard way to express the act of drawing or illustrating in Japanese. To specifically say "drawing a picture," you can use the phrase 絵を描く.
Meaning: to produce a picture (verb)
Which one should you use?
Japanese has a homophone, 書く, which is also pronounced 'kaku' but means 'to write'. While 描く is used for drawing or painting a picture, 書く is used specifically for writing text or characters.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 描く is 描いた, meaning "drew" or "painted". The te-form, used for connecting sentences or making requests, is 描いて.
How do you pronounce it?
kaku
Did you know?
- Japanese distinguishes between drawing a line and drawing a picture, using different verbs like 引く 'hiku' for a simple line and 描く 'kaku' for art.
- The verb 描く is actually a combination of the words for 'picture' and 'write'. This means that, etymologically, the Japanese way to say 'to draw' is to 'write a picture'.
- When using the verb in its more formal or literary form, 描く can also mean to 'depict' or 'portray' a scene in a story, much like an author 'draws' a character's emotions.
Examples in context
- 絵を描くのは好き？Do you like to draw?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes to draw using the form 描く.Tatoeba #9510587 by small_snow, translation #3825077 by CK
- 私は絵を描くのが好きです。I like to draw pictures.This sentence is useful for stating a preference for drawing pictures using the form 描く.Tatoeba #157925 by tommy_san, translation #256602 by CK
- 絵を描くのが好きな生徒もいますよ。Some of the students like to draw pictures.This sentence is useful for describing students who enjoy drawing pictures using the form 描く.Tatoeba #11266759 by bunbuku, translation #45912 by CK
- 彼は美しい風景を描いた。He drew a beautiful landscape.
- 彼女は毎日絵を描いています。She draws pictures every day.
- どんな絵を描いていますか？What kind of pictures are you drawing?
- 最近何かを描いている？Have you been drawing anything lately?
- 絵を描くことが好きだ。I like drawing pictures.
- 今絵描いているんだよ。I'm drawing right now, you know.
- 友達と一緒に絵を描いています。I'm drawing pictures with my friend.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are at an art class.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんは何を描くんですか？Misaki-san wa nani o kaku n desu ka?What are you going to draw, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki私はこの花を描きます。Watashi wa kono hana o kakimasu.I will draw this flower.
- 蓮 Ren上手ですね。私も描きたいです。Jouzu desu ne. Watashi mo kakitai desu.You're good. I want to draw too.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんも一緒に描きましょう。Ren-san mo issho ni kakimashou.Let's draw together, Ren.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “draw” translations and entries 描く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 描く, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
