What does 発 mean in Japanese?
発 is unusual among N4 kanji because it has no kun’yomi — it always appears as ハツ or ハッ inside compound words. This actually makes it easier to read than most kanji: whenever you see 発, you know its reading is always on’yomi.
On train station timetables, 発 marks departure times. In vocabulary it kicks off words about departure (出発), train departure (発車), pronunciation (発音), and discovery (発見). One kanji, a wide cluster of everyday compounds.
Reading
On’yomi: ハツ (hatsu), ハッ (hatsu)
Kun’yomi: —
Basic Information
| Kanji | 発 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | depart, start, emit, launch |
| Stroke Count | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
発 always requires a second kanji to form a word. Its core sense is something going out or setting off from a point: departure (出発), a train leaving (発車), sound coming out (発音), a new finding emerging (発見). The shortening ハツ → ハッ happens before certain consonants: 発見 → hak-ken, 発表 → hap-pyou, 発達 → hat-tatsu. This is regular and predictable once you hear the pattern.
Common Words
- 出発（しゅっぱつ / shuppatsu） — departure, setting off
- 発車（はっしゃ / hassha） — train or bus departure
- 発音（はつおん / hatsuon） — pronunciation
- 発見（はっけん / hakken） — discovery
- 発表（はっぴょう / happyou） — announcement, presentation
- 始発（しはつ / shihatsu） — first train or bus of the day
Example Sentences
-
電車は8時に発車します。
でんしゃははちじにはっしゃします。 / Densha wa hachi-ji ni hassha shimasu.
The train departs at 8 o’clock.
-
明日の朝、出発する予定です。
あしたのあさ、しゅっぱつするよていです。 / Ashita no asa, shuppatsu suru yotei desu.
I plan to depart tomorrow morning.
-
先生に発音を直してもらいました。
せんせいにはつおんをなおしてもらいました。 / Sensei ni hatsuon o naoshite moraimashita.
I had my teacher correct my pronunciation.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
発 has no kun’yomi — it only reads as ハツ or ハッ. This means you will never see 発 used as a standalone word in hiragana. Every time 発 appears, it is inside a compound and you read it with the Chinese-derived reading.
The sound change ハツ → ハッ (consonant doubling) happens before k, p, t sounds: 発見 (hak-ken), 発表 (hap-pyou), 発達 (hat-tatsu). Before vowels or other consonants there is no change: 発音 (hatsuon), 発売 (hatsubai). Listening to these words helps the pattern become automatic.
On station boards, 発 (departure) is always paired with 着 (arrival). 東京発15:00、大阪着17:30 means: departs Tokyo at 15:00, arrives Osaka at 17:30. Knowing both kanji lets you read any timetable immediately.
始発 (shihatsu, first train/bus of the day) combines 始 (begin) + 発 (depart). If you want to catch the first train, you need to know this word.
Summary
発 means depart, start, or emit, always reads as ハツ/ハッ (no kun’yomi), and appears in key words such as 出発 (departure), 発車 (train departure), 発音 (pronunciation), and 発見 (discovery).