# 驚 — surprise; be amazed

驚 means “surprise; be amazed”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 22 strokes. On'yomi: キョウ (kyou). Kun'yomi: おどろ(く) (odoroku). You'll see it in words such as 驚き (odoroki, “surprise; astonishment”).

- Meaning: surprise; be amazed
- On'yomi: キョウ (kyou)
- Kun'yomi: おどろ(く) (odoroku)
- Strokes: 22
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Feelings 2

## How to remember 驚

Parts: 敬 respect · 馬 horse

## Words with 驚

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 驚き | おどろき (odoroki) | surprise; astonishment |
| 驚かす | おどろかす (odorokasu) | to surprise; to frighten |
| 驚く | おどろく (odoroku) | to be surprised; to be taken aback |

## Don't confuse it with

[警](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/warn/)

## More in the “Feelings 2” set

[懇](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/cordial/) · [驚](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/surprise/) · [趣](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/charm/) · [慰](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/comfort/) · [魅](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/fascination/) · [孤](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/orphan/) · [頑](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/stubborn/) · [誇](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/boast/) · [慢](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/arrogance/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/surprise/. Last updated 2026-11-01.