筆

• Reading: ふで
• Romaji: fude
• Kanji breakdown: 筆 (hitsu/fude) — brush, writing implement
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.de/

Meaning

Writing brush; a brush used for calligraphy and ink painting.

A noun for the traditional East Asian writing brush. Common compounds: 毛筆 (mouhitsu, brush writing), 筆者 (hissha, author/writer), 筆記 (hikki, note-taking), 鉛筆 (enpitsu, pencil — literally lead brush). The brush is central to Japanese calligraphy (書道, shodou) and ink painting (水墨画, suibokuga). Figurative: 筆が進む (fude ga susumu, writing flows well).

Examples

1. 書道の授業で初めて筆を使った。 I used a writing brush for the first time in calligraphy class.
2. 祖母は筆で年賀状の宛名を書いている。 My grandmother writes the addresses on New Year's cards with a brush.
3. この絵は細い筆で描かれたそうだ。 I heard this painting was done with a fine brush.

Usage Guide

Context: calligraphy, art, writing

Tone: cultural

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 筆 combines 竹 (bamboo radical) and 聿 (brush), depicting a bamboo-handled writing brush.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal