描く
kaku[ka̠kɯ̟]
In Japanese, 'I draw' is expressed as 描く (kaku).
The verb 描く is used for artistic creation, such as drawing a landscape, a portrait or a diagram. For example, you can use it in the phrase manga o kaku to say 'draw manga'.
Which one should you use?
While 描く (kaku) means to draw or paint a picture, the homophone 書く (kaku) is used specifically for writing characters or text.
How does it change in a sentence?
In a relaxed and informal way, you might say Egaite iru n da. to mean 'I am drawing'.
How do you pronounce it?
kaku
Did you know?
- In Japanese, there are two different words for 'draw' depending on the tool: 描く (kaku) is used for painting and sketching, but 引く (hiku) is used for drawing a straight line with a ruler.
- The word 描く can be read as both 'kaku' and 'egaku'. The reading 'egaku' is typically reserved for poetic contexts, such as 'drawing' a dream or a future vision in one's mind.
- The word 描く is a compound of 絵 meaning 'picture' and 書く meaning 'write'. This reveals that in the Japanese mind, drawing is literally seen as 'writing a picture'.
Examples in context
- 私は絵を描く。Watashi wa e o kaku.I draw pictures.
- 趣味で漫画を描く。Shumi de manga o kaku.I draw manga as a hobby.
- 将来、地図を描く仕事がしたい。Shourai, chizu o kaku shigoto ga shitai.In the future, I want a job drawing maps.
Example conversation
Two siblings are talking about their hobbies in the living room.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太、何をしているの？Youta, nani o shite iru no?Youta, what are you doing?
- 陽太 Yota僕はここで絵を描く。Boku wa koko de e o kaku.I draw pictures here.
- 陽葵 Himariすごいね。私にも教えて。Sugoi ne. Watashi ni mo oshiete.That's great. Teach me too.
- 陽太 Yotaいいよ。一緒に描こう。Ii yo. Issho ni kakou.Sure. Let's draw together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 描く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 描く, CC BY-SA 4.0.
