# 補 — supplement; make up for

補 means “supplement; make up for”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 12 strokes. On'yomi: ホ (ho). Kun'yomi: おぎな(う) (oginau). You'll see it in words such as 補う (oginau, “to supplement; to make up for”).

- Meaning: supplement; make up for
- On'yomi: ホ (ho)
- Kun'yomi: おぎな(う) (oginau)
- Strokes: 12
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Change & making 2

## How to remember 補

Parts: 衤 clothes · 甫 plot of seedlings

## Words with 補

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 補う | おぎなう (oginau) | to supplement; to make up for |
| 補い | おぎない (oginai) | replenishment; supplement |

## Don't confuse it with

[捕](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/catch/) · [浦](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/shoreline-bay/) · [哺](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/suckle/)

## More in the “Change & making 2” set

[構](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/construct/) · [補](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/supplement/) · [展](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/unfold/) · [造](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/create/) · [復](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/restore/) · [整](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/arrange/)

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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/supplement/. Last updated 2026-11-01.