How to say “to write” in Japanese

書く

かくkaku

verb (group 1, う-verb)JLPT N5Everyday verbs

The short answer

“To write” in Japanese is 書く (かく), pronounced kaku.

Pronunciation

The word has 2 beats (morae), each about the same length. Tap a syllable to hear it, or play the whole word:

How to use it

To write. Drawing a picture uses the same sound but often the kanji 描く.

Example sentences

名前を書いてください。なまえをかいてください。
Please write your name.
友達に手紙を書きました。ともだちにてがみをかきました。
I wrote a letter to a friend.

Conjugation

The most useful forms of 書く. The rules are explained in Japanese verbs: the ます form.

Form	Japanese	Meaning
Dictionary (plain)	書くかく	write
Polite present	書きますかきます	write
Polite negative	書きませんかきません	don’t write
Polite past	書きましたかきました	past of “write”
Plain negative (ない)	書かないかかない	don’t write (casual)
Plain past (た)	書いたかいた	past of “write” (casual)
て-form	書いてかいて	write and… / please write (+ください)
Want to (たい)	書きたいかきたい	want to write

Quick practice

Test yourself0/3

What does {{書く}} mean?
How do you read {{書く}}?
Which word means “to say”?

話すto speak 言うto say 買うto buy 売るto sell するto do 勉強するto study 働くto work 寝るto sleep

FAQ

How do you say to write in Japanese?

To write in Japanese is 書く (かく), pronounced “kaku”.

How do you write to write in Japanese?

It's written 書く with kanji, or かく in hiragana. Both are read kaku.

Is 書く on the JLPT?

Yes. 書く (kaku) is a common word at JLPT N5 level, so it's worth learning early.