# 導 — lead; guide

導 means “lead; guide”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 15 strokes. On'yomi: ドウ (dou). Kun'yomi: みちび(く) (michibiku). You'll see it in words such as 導く (michibiku, “to guide; to lead”).

- Meaning: lead; guide
- On'yomi: ドウ (dou)
- Kun'yomi: みちび(く) (michibiku)
- Strokes: 15
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Doing & acting 2

## How to remember 導

A road (道) and a measure (寸) of care: lead the way.

Sounds like 道: both read ドウ.

Parts: 道 road · 寸 measure

## Words with 導

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 導く | みちびく (michibiku) | to guide; to lead |
| 導き | みちびき (michibiki) | guidance |

## Don't confuse it with

[道](https://moji.ninja/n5-kanji/road/) · [遵](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/abide-by/)

## More in the “Doing & acting 2” set

[示](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/indicate/) · [検](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/examine/) · [断](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/refuse/) · [導](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/lead/) · [備](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/prepare/) · [助](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/help/) · [失](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/lose/) · [達](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/attain/) · [処](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/deal-with/)

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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/n3-kanji/lead/. Last updated 2026-11-01.