129

229

漢字.

会

1) kai, 2) e - meeting, 3) a(u) - to meetThink of the kanji as a person sitting at a desk under a roof. Most meetings take place in a house with desks, ne.

英会話 ei kai wa - English conversation [only kai wa means any conversation]

会議 kai gi - meeting, conference教会 kyou kai - church

青

1) sei, 2) shou, 3) ao(i) - blue (sometimes green)

Blue moon! You saw me standing alone. I saw you standing at the bottom part of this kanji.

It becomes aoi (add the i) when placed with a noun --> aoi ahiru - a blue duck. (strange example but you get the drift, right?)

青空 ao zora - blue sky青森県 ao mori ken - Aomori Prefecture青色 ao iro - blue color

赤

1) seki, 2) shaku, 3) aka(i) - redThis kanji has done something embarrassing and is running away with it's face turned red (see the arms and legs running?)

赤ちゃん aka chan - a child, infant赤道 seki dou - the equator赤字 aka ji - red ink, in the red, a deficit

明

1) mei, 2) myou, 3) aka(rui) - light, bright, to dawnIn the sky the 2 brightest objects are the sun (left) and the moon (right)

明るい akarui - bright, cheerful発明 hatsu mei - invention説明 setsu mei - explanation

秋

1) shuu, 2) aki - fall (the season), autumnIn the fall, many people burn leaves and things with fire (right part)

秋分の日 shuu bun no hi - autumn equinox holiday [see more on holidays]秋風 aki kaze - autumn breeze

空

1) kuu, 2) kara, 3) sora - sky, air, empty 空手 kara te - karate [lit. empty hand]

329Think of a karate expert jumping in the air to break a board in two

空気 kuu ki - air, atmosphere空港 kuu kou - airport空 sora - sky

開

1) kai, 2) hira(ku), 3) a(keru) - to openMaybe you will recognize mon (gate) [門] I think of a man (in the middle) opening a large gate door by pushing with both armsBe careful to not confuse open with close [閉] I think of close as a man kicking the door closed

ドアを開ける doa o akeru - open a door全開 zen kai - full throttle, fully open

悪

1) aku, 2) waru(i) - bad, evilIt looks like an anvil or some heavy object on top of a heart [心] When you do something bad, your conscience (should) weigh heavy on your heart

悪者 warui mono - a bad fellow, someone (something) bad最悪 sai aku - the worst悪魔 aku ma - devil, demon

朝

1) chou, 2) asa - morning 朝日新聞 asahi shinbun - Asahi newspaper今朝 ke sa - this morning [irregular pronunciation]毎朝 mai asa - every morning朝御飯 asa go han - breakfast [lit. morning rice]

字

1) ji, 2) aza - letter (from the alphabet...), character, markThink of a young child learning his alphabet under a roof

文字 mo ji – letter赤十字 aka juu ji - Red Cross [ juu ji is cross]漢字 kan ji - kanji, [lit. Chinese character]

足

1) soku, 2) ashi - foot, feet, leg, 3) ta(riru) - to be enough sufficient

両足 ryou ashi - both legs (both feet)右足 migi ashi - right foot, leg満足 man zoku - satisfaction

429

A person doing a split with his legs

When you say, 'ashi' it means both leg and foot. Japanese doesn't distinguish where one starts and the other stops

味

1 ) m i , 2 ) a j i - t a s t e , e x p e r i e n c e

Of course the kanji that deals with tastes has a kuchi (mouth) in it [口]

味 見 a j i m i - t r y t h e t a s t e , h a v e a t a s t e意味 i mi - meaning趣味 shu mi - hobby

新

1) shin, 2) atara(shii) - new, freshTry to begin to look at kanji and get a feel for their meaning. I know it sounds strange, but as you progress you should be able to automatically catch its meaning at a glance. Look at this kanji and think of something new

新しい車 atarashii kuruma - a new car新聞 shin bun - newspaper新年 shin nen - new year

集

1) shuu, 2) atsu(meru) - to collect, gatherThis is a collection of lines

編集 hen shuu - editing (newspaper, book...)集める atsumeru - to collect, to gather something集会 shuu kai - assembly, group

兄

1) kei, 2) kyou, 3) ani - older brotherThink of a loud older brother with only a big mouth and 2 legs

お兄さん o nii san - big brother (honorific - it changes from 'ani' to 'onii'兄弟 kyou dai - brothers

姉

1) shi, 2) ane -older sisterThis kanji is made of 2 parts: onna (woman) [女] and city or market [市] - Maybe you can think of a connection, I can't.

お姉さん o nee san - big sister (honorific - changes from 'ane' to 'onee'姉さん nee san - girl, older girl

529姉妹 shi mai - sisters

歩

1) ho, 2) bu, 3) ayu(mu) 4) aru(ku) - to walk, to step

The top part is to stop [止] and the bottom means a little [少] So when you walk a long distance you have to stop a little too

一歩一歩 ippo ippo - one step at a time, step by step散歩 san po - a walk, stroll第一歩 dai ippo - the first step

有

1) yuu, 2) u, 3) a(ru) - to have, to exist, isThere is a moon

有り難う arigatou - arigatou, thank you [set expression]公有地 kou yuu chi - public land有名 yuu mei - famous

安

1) an - safe, peaceful , 2) yasu(i) - cheap, inexpensive,

Remember this kanji has two different meanings: 1) safe and 2) cheap

安心 an shin - peace of mind安いもの yasui mono - something cheap安全 an zen - safe, safety

医

1) i - to heal, to cure医者 i sha - doctor医院 i in - clinic

意

1) i - mind, heart, attentionWhen you stand [立] you are at attention; When it is day [日] you are awake and attentive; and your heart [心] is mindful

意味 i mi - meaning注意 chuu i - warning, caution, be careful用意 you i - preparation, prepare意見 i ken - opinion, view

以

1) i - more, with, through, on account ofThis one doesn't seem to have a concrete meaning, but is used with other kanjis

以下 i ka - below, less than, under以上 i jou - more than, over, this is all以心伝心 i shin den shin - telepathy, mind reading

629

言

1) gen, 2) gon - speech, statement 3) iu - to say 4) koto - word, expression

Sound waves coming from a mouth.  

A lot of 'word' related kanji have this character as part of the kanji - 日記 nikki (diary); 詩 shi (poem); 話 hanashi (a story)

言葉 koto ba - word, language独り言 hitori goto - soliloquy, talking to yourself方言 hou gen - dialect

家

1) ka, 2) ke, 3) ya, 4) ie - houseThink of the top part as a roof

家族 ka zoku - family作家 sakka - writer, novelist, author愛猫家 ai byou ka - lover of cats

急

1) kyuu, 2) isogu - to hurryWhen you hurry your heart beats faster

救急車 kyuu kyuu sha - ambulance特急 tokkyuu - limited express trainオリエント急行 oriento kyuu kou - Orient Express

犬

1) ken, 2) inu - dogA dog is man's [人] big, [大] best friend

小犬 ko inu - puppy番犬 ban ken - watch dog愛犬家 ai ken ka - lover of dogs

妹

1) mai, 2) imouto - younger sisterJapanese makes a distinction between younger and older [姉 ane] sisters and brothers

姉妹 shi mai - sisters (elder & younger)従姉妹 itoko - cousin (female)姉妹都市 shi mai to shi - sister cities

729

色

1) shiki, 2) shoku, 3) iro - colorSome color names have this kanji with it (see examples)

青色 ao iro - blue黄色 ki iro - yellow十人十色 juu nin to iro - 10 people 10 colors, different strokes for different folks

音

1) on, 2) in, 3) ne, 4) oto - soundSound is standing [立] on the sun [日] - don't confuse it with [意] i (heart, attention)

音楽 on gaku - music発音 hatsu on - pronunciation福音 fuku in - the Gospel, good news

員

1) in - member, officialAn official is just a shell [貝] with a mouth [口]

委員 i in - committee member会員 kai in - member, membership社員 sha in - company employee

院

1) in - institution, academyThis one is used for buildings and institutions (see examples)

病院 byou in - hospital医院 i in - (doctor's) clinic大学院 dai gaku in - graduate school

飲

1) in, 2) nomu - to drink'To drink' is similar to 'to eat' [食] - looks like a man on the right leaning on a bar having a drink [By Dean]

飲み物 nomi mono - something to drink, a drink飲み水 nomi mizu - drinking water飲み放題 nomi hou dai - all you can drink

魚

1) gyo, 2) uo, 3) sakana - fishThink of the bottom lines as being water

人魚 nin gyo - mermaid金魚 kin gyo - goldfish飛魚 tobi uo - flying fish

動

1) dou, 2) ugoku - to moveHeavy [重] + power [力] = to move

運動 un dou - exercise, movement動物 dou butsu - animals感動 kan dou - deeply impressed, moved, touched

829

牛

1) gyuu, 2) ushi - cow, bullDon't confuse this with [午] go (noon)

牛乳 gyuu nyuu - milk牛肉 gyuu niku - beef, cow meat牛 ushi - cow

歌

1) ka, 2) uta - a song 3) utau - to singThis has a distinctive shape. Think of several mouths singing songs

国歌 kokka - national anthem歌詞 ka shi - lyrics, words to music歌舞伎 ka bu ki - Kabuki, Japanese play短歌 tan ka - Tanka, 31 syllable Japanese poem

写

1) sha, 2) utsusu - to copy, take (a photo)It looks like a 5 but it is only a copy of a photograph

写真 sha shin - photograph写真家 sha shin ka - photographer写生 sha sei - sketching, drawing from life

映

1) ei, 2) utsuru - to be reflected, 3) utsusu - to project on a screen, reflect

Reflected light comes from the center [央] of the sun [日]

映画 ei ga - movie映画館 eiga kan - the movies, cinema放映 hou ei - televising

海

1) kai, 2) umi - sea, oceanThe 3 little marks to the left mean water and [毎] is 'every.' So every water comes from the ocean.

日本海 nihon kai - Japan Sea北海道 hokkaidou - Hokkaido, the most northern big island of Japan海岸 kai gan - beach, coast

売

1) bai, 2) uri - sale 3) uru - to sellIt is interesting in that 'to buy' also has the reading 'bai'

発売 hatsu bai - new product for sale, sale売り物 uri mono - something for sell売買 bai bai - selling & buying

929

運

1) un - luck, 2) hakobu - to carryIn the army [軍], people have to carry many things

運河 un ga - canal運命 un mei - fate, destiny安全運転 an zen un ten - safe driving

重

1) juu, 2) chou, 3) omoi - heavyThis is a heavy village [里] because it has 1000 [千] people over it

貴重 ki chou - precious, valuable重ね着 kasane gi - wearing clothes over clothes重点 juu ten - important point, to stress something

英

1) ei, 2) hanabusa, 3) - England, English, grand

There is a lot of grass in the center [央] of England

石英 seki ei - quartz英会話 ei kai wa - English conversation英訳 ei yaku - English translation英雄的 ei yuu teki - heroic

駅

1) eki - station (train)A lot of horses [馬] R at the station

駅前 eki mae - in front of a station駅員 eki in - station attendant駅弁 eki ben - station bento (lunch)

終

1) shuu, 2) owari, 3) tsui - end, finishThe last thread [糸] finishes the winter [冬] sweater

最終 sai shuu - the final, last, closing終戦 shuu sen - end of war終電 shuu den - the last train終了 shuu ryou - end, termination

多

1) ta, 2) ooi - many, much, frequentTwo katakana ta's [タ] are too many

多すぎる oosugiru - too much多分 ta bun - probably, maybe多目的 ta moku teki - multi purpose

起

1) ki, 2) okiru, 3) okosu - get up, wake up 早起き haya oki - getting up early

1029

Running [走] in the morning makes you wake up

思い起こす omoi okosu - to recall a memory一念発起 ichi nen hokki - be resolved to ...

屋

1) oku, 2) ya - roof, house, shopA roof starts from ground [土] up

本屋 hon ya - book store芝居小屋 shi bai go ya - playhouse, theater屋敷 ya shiki - mansion

送

1) sou, 2) okuru - send衛星放送 ei sei hou sou - satellite broadcasting生放送 nama hou sou - live broadcast送金 sou kin - sending money (through mail...)

教

1) kyou, 2) oshieru - teach, faith, educationThis kanji is part of your education!

キリスト教 kirisuto kyou - Christianity宗教 shuu kyou - religion ユダヤ教 yudaya kyou - Judaism教育 kyou iku - education

弟

1) dai, 2) tei, 3) otouto - younger brotherA lot of younger brothers like bows and arrows [弓]

従兄弟 itoko - cousin兄弟 kyou dai - brothers弟子 de shi - disciple, pupil愛弟子 mana deshi - favorite student, teacher's pet

同

1) dou, 2) onaji - same, agree, equalWhen everyone agrees they have one [一] mouth [口]

同意 dou i - agreement, same thought同音語 dou on go - homonym同期 dou ki - same class, same period, contemporaries

1129

主

1) shu, 2) su, 3) nushi - Lord, master, principal matter

The Lord is above a king [王]

地主 ji nushi - landlord城主 jou shu - lord of a castle創造主 sou zou shu - Creator

思

1) shi, 2) omou - thinkA lot of thinking can be done in one's heart [心] in a rice patty [田]

意思 i shi - intention, purpose片思い kata omoi - one sided love, unrequited love両思い ryou omoi - mutual love思い出す omoi dasu - to recall, remember

親

1) shin, 2) oya, 3) shitashii - parent, relative, familiar

Becoming close to someone takes looking [見] closely at them

父親 chichi oya - father parent母親 haha oya - mother parent両親 ryou shin - parents親指 oya yubi - thumb

花

1) ka, 2) ke, 3) hana - flowerGrass changes [化] into a beautiful flower

生け花 ike bana - flower arrangement火花 hi bana - a spark花火 hana bi - fireworks花見 hana mi - flower viewing (cherry blossoms)

夏

1) ka, 2) natsu - summer Compare with winter fuyu [冬]

夏休み natsu yasumi - summer vacation夏祭り natsu matsuri - summer festival夏期時間 ka ki ji kan - daylight savings time

画

1) ga, 2) kaku - pictureMany words pertaining to pictures, art, and movies use this kanji

映画 ei ga - a movie, film計画 kei kaku - plan, schedule, program山水画 san sui ga - landscape picture

1229

界

1) kai - world The world is like one big rice field [田], isn't it?

世界 se kai - the world, society世界一 se kai ichi - the best in the world視界 shi kai - field of vision, sight

買

1) bai, 2) kau - buyA lot of money words also have shell kai [貝] as part of the kanji. A long time ago shells were used as money.

買い物 kai mono - something to buy, shopping売買 bai bai - selling & buying, trade買主 kai nushi - the buyer, purchaser

帰

1) ki, 2) kaeru - return, arrive at, come homeThe first kanji of to clean souji [掃除] looks like this one. So coming home requires cleaning

お帰りなさい okaerinasai - Welcome home! Said when someone comes home

帰り道 kaeri michi - the way back home, the road home帰国 ki koku - return to home country

代

1) dai - generation, price, 2) kawari, 3) kawaru - substitute, exchange 4) yo - age, generationA lot of meaning packed in this small kanji

江戸時代 e do ji dai - Edo period (1603-1868)古代 ko dai - ancient days十代 juu dai - the teens, teenager, from 11-19

楽

1) gaku, 2) raku, 3) tanoshii - music, comfort, ease

Sipping white [白] wine under a tree [木] is comfortable

安楽 an raku - ease, comfort音楽 on gaku - music楽器 gakki - a musical instrument

風

1) fuu, 2) fu, 3) kaze- wind, air, styleMany insects [虫] fly in the air

神風 kami kaze - divine wind, Kamikaze台風 tai fuu - typhoon日本風 nihon fuu - Japanese style

貸

1) tai, 2) kasu - lend 金貸し kane kashi - money lending

1329

Many money related kanji have shell kai [貝] as part of the kanji

貸家 kashi ya - a house for rentちょっと貸してください chotto kashite kudasai - Let me borrow ___ for a sec

方

1) hou - direction, 2) kata person, way ofIt looks like a person running in direction

貴方 anata - you (usually written in hiragana)

使い方 tsukai kata - how to use (something)見方 mi kata - view point, way of looking

紙

1) shi, 2) kami - paperPaper is made of threads [糸] of wood

手紙 te gami - letter (postal)折り紙 ori gami - origami, paper folding和紙 wa shi - Japanese paper

通

1) tsuu, 2) tooru, 3) toori- go through, avenue, traffic

普通 fu tsuu - common, generally, ordinary通り toori (or doori) - street, avenue通訳 tuu yaku - translate, interprete

体

1) tai, 2) karada, 3) katachi - body, objectThe left part means person [人] and the right is book [本]

気体 ki tai - gas, vapour具体的 gu tai teki - concretely, tangible体が弱い karada ga yowai - body is weak

借

1) shaku, 2) kariru - borrow, rentA person borrows things during the day [日]

借り物 kari mono - borrowed thing借金 shakkin - debt, loan借り家 kari ie - house for rent

漢

1) kan, 2) han - ChinaChina is across the ocean from Japan so it has the 3 marks to the left which mean water

漢字 kan ji - Kanji, Chinese characters漢文 kan bun - Chinese literature漢和 kan wa - Chinese character - Japanese dictionary

1429

館

1) kan, 2) yakata - building, palaceA large building has a place to eat [食] (the left part is related to this kanji)

映画館 ei ga kan - movie theater図書館 to sho kan - library水族館 sui zoku kan - aquarium

元

1) gen, 2) gan, 3) moto - beginning, originIt has two legs going back to the beginning

元々 moto moto - originally身元 mi moto - ID, a person's identity次元 ji gen - dimension

考

1) kou, 2) kangaeru - think, consider , 3) kangae - a thought

A lot of thought must be put in to learning this kanji

考古学 kou ko gaku - archaeology考え直す kangae naosu - to rethink, reconsiderいい考え ii kangae - a good thought

着

1) chaku, 2) jyaku, 3) kiru - to wear (clothes), arrive

This kanji has sheep hitsuji [羊] in it. Perhaps because of wool

雨着 ama gi - rain wear上着 uwa gi - a coat, jacket到着 tou chaku - to arrive

究

1) kyuu, 2) ku, 3) kiwameru - research, studyThe top is hole ana [穴] and the botom is 9 [九] so you are researching the 9 hole.

研究 ken kyuu - research研究会 ken kyuu kai - research society究明 kyuu mei - investigation

去

1) kyo, 2) ko, 3) saru - past, gone, leave過ぎ去る sugi saru - to pass過去 ka ko - the past捨て去る sute saru - to abandon (ship)

1529

京

1) kyou, 2) miyako, 3) kei - capitalBoth Tokyo [東京] and Kyoto [京都] have this

東京 tou kyou - Tokyo北京 pekin - Beijing, China上京 jou kyou - going to the capital (Tokyo)

強

1) kyou, 2) gou, 3) tsuyoi- strongThe left part means bow yumi [弓] so it takes a strong person to put a bow

強敵 kyou teki - strong enemy, fierce enemy勉強 ben kyou - study最強 sai kyou - the strongest

業

1) gyou, 2) gou, 3) waza - business, vocation営業 ei gyou - business, trade軽業 karu waza - acrobatics産業 san gyou - industry

切

1) setsu, 2) sai, 3) kiru - cut, cut offSeven [七 - shichi] swords [刀 - katana] cut better than one

親切 shin setsu - kindness爪切り tsume kiri - (finger) nail clippers踏み切り fumi kiri - railway crossing

近

1) kin, 2) kon, 3) chikai - near, early

最近 sai kin - recently近畿 kin ki - the Kinki area (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara...)近頃 chika goro - recently, lately近所 kin jo - neighborhood

銀

1) gin, 2) shirogane - silverSilver is related to gold [金 - kin]

金銀 kin gin - gold & silver銀行 gin kou - bank純銀 jun gin - pure silver

口

1629

1) kou, 2) ku, 3) kuchi - mouthThe opened mouth of a robot

出口 de guchi - exit辛口 kara kuchi - spicy taste人口 jin kou - population

工

1) kou, 2) ku, 3) gu - craft, constructionCapital 'i'

人工 jin kou - manmade, artificial大工 dai ku - carpenter工場 kou jou - factory

黒

1) koku, 2) kuro, 3) kuroi - blackThere is a village [里 - sato] there

暗黒 an koku - darkness白黒 shiro kuro - black and white真っ黒 makkuro - pitch black

計

1) kei, 2) hakaru - plan, measurePlanning and measuring takes talk [言]

計画 kei kaku - plan, scheme時計 to kei - watch, clock温度計 on do ke - thermometer

研

1) ken, 2) togu - study of, sharpenSharpen your study of rocks [石 - ishi]

研究 ken kyuu - research研究生 ken kyuu sei - research student研修 ken shuu - training

建

1) ken, 2) kon, 3) tateru - build建国 ken koku - founding of a nation二階建て ni kai date - a 2 story building再建 sai ken - rebuilding, reconstruction

験

1) ken, 2) tamesu, 3) - testing, examine, effect試験 shi ken - exam, test実験 jikken - experiment

1729体験 tai ken - (personal) experience

古

1) ko, 2) furui - oldIt looks like an old gravestone

使い古す tsukai furusu - to wear out something考古学 kou ko gaku - archaeology古本屋 furu hon ya - used bookstore

広

1) kou, 2) hiroi, 3) hiromeru - wide, broadThere is a lot of space around this kanji

広場 hiro ba - an opened space, plaza広告 kou koku - advertisement広報 kou hou - public relations, publicity

心

1) shin, 2) kokoro - heart, mindThis is a very basic kanji found in many other kanjis relating to the heart or emotions

愛国心 ai koku shin - patriotism安心 an shin - relief, peace of mind以心伝心 i shin den shin - telepathy下心 shita gokoro - hidden intentions, secret motive

試

1) shi, 2) kokoromiru, 3) tamesu - test, try, experiment

Saying words [言] during a ceremony [式] makes an experiment

入試 nyuu shi - entrance examination腕試し ude dameshi - testing one's abilities (arm)卒業試験 sotsu gyou shi ken - graduation test

答

1) tou, 2) kotaeru, 3) kotae - solution, answerThe two parts at the top represent bamboo [竹] so using bamboo as a mic shout your answer

問答 mon dou - questions and answers応答 ou tou - reply, answer解答 kai tou - answer, solution

事

1) ji, 2) zu, 3) koto - matter, thing, fact, business

仕事 shi goto - work大事 dai ji - important家事 ka ji - housework記事 ki ji - article (newspaper)

1829

転

1) ten - revolve, turn aroundThe wheels of a car [車] turn around

運転 un ten - driving移転 i ten - transfer, moving回転 kai ten - revolution, rotate

作

1) saku, 2) sa, 3) tsukuru - make, produce, prepare

The mark to the left means a person [人] so a person is making something

作家 sakka - author, writer手作り te zukuri - handmade盗作 tou saku - plagiarism

茶

1) cha, 2) sa - teaTea is made from grass (leaves) which is represented by the top part of this kanji

お茶 o cha - Japanese tea, green tea烏龍茶 u-ron cha - Oolong tea, Chinese tea麦茶 mugi cha - barley tea

早

1) sou, 2) hayai - fast, earlyThe sun [日] rises early

早口 haya kuchi - talk fast朝早い asa hayai - early morning早速 sassoku - at once, immediately (irreg. sound)

止

1) shi, 2) tomaru, 3) tomeru, 4) tome - stopThink of a policeman standing on the road saying, "stop"

禁止 kin shi - prohibited, not allowed立入禁止 tachi iri kin shi - keep off! dont come in中止 chuu shi - suspension, interruption

自

1) ji, 2) shi, 3) mizukara - oneselfDon't confuse this with eye [目 - me], and white [白 - shiro]

独自 doku ji - original, peculiar自衛 ji ei - self-defense自画自賛 ji ga ji san - praising one's own work

仕

1) shi, 2) ji, 3) tsukaeru - official, serve, attendA person [人] serves

奉仕 hou shi - service, attendance仕上げ shi age - finished, end

1929仕事 shi goto - work

死

1) shi, 2) shinu - death, die

討ち死に uchi ji ni - die in battle, die in action致死 chi shi - lethal, fatal必死 hisshi - desperate, inevitable death, frantic

始

1) shi, 2) hajimeru - beginThe woman [女 - onna] on stage [台 - dai] began

開始 kai shi - commencement, begin末始終 sue shi jyuu - forever始めまして hajimemashite - nice to meet you

使

1) shi, 2) tsukau, 3) tsukai- use天使 ten shi - angel大使 tai shi - ambassador使いやすい tsukai yasui - easy to use

私

1) shi, 2) watashi, 3) watakushi - I, me, privateThis one's useful when talking to oneself (and others) see also pronouns

私 watashi / watakushi - I || more...

私書箱 shi sho bako - post office box私事 shi ji - personal affairs

地

1) chi, 2) ji - ground, earth

居心地 igoko chi - comfort宇宙基地 u chuu ki chi - space station現在地 gen zai chi - you are here on a map, present location

持

1) ji, 2) motsu, 3) moteru - hold, have気持ち ki mochi - feeling, moodお金持ち okane mochi - rich man力持ち chikara mochi - strong man

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質

1) shitsu - quality, matter, substanceThe bottom has the kanji for shell [貝 - kai]

質問 shitsu mon - question品質 hin shitsu - quality実質 jisshitsu - substance, essence

室

1) shitsu, 2) muro - room, chamberThe top part is a roof

密室 misshitsu - hidden room教室 kyou shitsu - classroom温室 on shitsu - greenhouse

品

1) hin, 2) shina - goods, article, elegance, dignity

The three mouths [口 - kuchi] are eating the goods with dignity

車用品 kuruma you hin - car parts下品 ge hin - vulgar, indecent化粧品 ke shou hin - cosmetics

社

1) sha, 2) yashiro - company, firm, office社会 sha kai - society会社 kai sha - office, company出版社 shuppan sha - publisher

者

1) sha, 2) mono - someone, personThe sun [日 - hi] is needed to make out just who that someone is

医者 i sha - medical doctor学者 gaku sha - a scholar芸者 gei sha - Geisha, woman performer

手

1) shu, 2) zu, 3) te - handAfter several years of looking at this kanji, I still don't see the hand the ancient Chinese saw!

空手 kara te - Karate下手 heta - not good at, poor at上手 jou zu - good at, excells at手紙 te gami - letter (postal)

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週

1) shuu - weekThis is one of those rare kanji with just one reading and meaning

一週間 isshuu kan - one week 先週 sen shuu - last week来週 rai shuu - next week週末 shuu matsu - weekend

習

1) shuu, 2) ju, 3) narau - learnThe top is feather or wing [羽 - hane] and the bottom is white [白 - shiro]

練習 ren shuu - practice自習 ji shuu - self study復習 fuku shuu - review, study again

住

1) juu, 2) chuu, 3) sumu - live, reside, dwellYou are the lord [主 - shu] of the house

住所 juu sho - (mailing) address衣食住 i shoku juu - necessities of life, clothing, food, and housing移住 i juu - migration

春

1) shun, 2) haru - spring (season)The season where the sun [日 - hi] returns

春休み haru yasumi - spring break初春 sho shun - early spring青春 sei shun - youth

正

1) sei, 2) shou, 3) tadashii - correct, justice, right

If you stop [止] and think about it you will get it right

正解 sei kai - correct改正 kai sei - revisement, amendment正月 shou gatsu - the New Year

少

1) shou, 2) sukunai , 3) sukoshi - few, littleSmall is [小]

少々お待ちください shou shou omachi kudasai - Please wait a moment少年 shou nen - youth, boy

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場

1) jou, 2) chou, 3) ba - location, placeThe bit on the left [土] means ground

場所 ba sho - a place, areaスキー場 suki- jou - ski area駐車場 chuu sha jou - parking lot

知

1) chi, 2) shiru - to know, wisdomTo the left [矢 - ya] means arrow and to the right [口 - kuchi] is a mouth.

知恵 chi e - wisdom知事 chi ji - governor告知 koku chi - announcement, notice

真

1) shin, 2) ma, 3) makoto - true, realityThis kanji has a ten [十 - juu] over an eye [目 - me]

写真 sha shin - photograph真っ暗 makkura - pitch black真に makotoni - really, truely

図

1) zu, 2) to, 3) e, 4) hakaru - map, drawing, plan, unexpected

Think of it as a treasure map where X marks the spot

地図 chi zu - map合図 ai zu - sign, signal意図 i to - intention, aim

世

1) sei, 2) se, 3) yo - generation, world, society世界 se kai - the world世紀 sei ki - century人生 jin sei - life

夕

1) seki, 2) yuu - eveningThink of it as the moon in the evening sky

夕方 yuu gata - evening夕焼け yuu yake - sunset夕食 yuu shoku - dinner

走

1) sou, 2) hashiru - run 競走 kyou sou - race

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It looks like a runner getting ready to start the race

脱走 dassou - escape, desertion逃げ走る nige hashiru - to run away

族

1) zoku - tribe, familyThere is a person [方 - kata] with an arrow [矢 - ya] finding food for his tribe and family

民族 min zoku - tribe家族 ka zoku - family核家族 kaku ka zoku - nuclear family

注

1) chuu, 2) sosogu, 3) sasu- pour, flow into, concentrate on

The marks on the left indicate water (pouring) and the right means "lord"

注意 chuu i - caution, warning注文 chuu mon - order (restaurant...)注射 chuu sha - injection, a shot

田

1) den, 2) ta - rice fieldThink of 4 square rice fields together

油田 yu den - oil field田植え ta ue - rice planting田舎 inaka - the country (irreg. pron)

台

1) dai, 2) tai - stand, stage, pedestalIt looks like someone sitting on a box and talking into a mic

舞台 bu tai - stage台風 tai fuu - taiphoon台所 dai dokoro - kitchen

待

1) tai, 2) matsu - wait, depend onDon't confuse with samurai [侍]

待ってください matte kudasai - please wait a sec期待 ki tai - expectations, hopes招待 shou tai - invitation

題

1) dai - topic, subject宿題 shuku dai - homework話題 wa dai - topic, subject問題 mon dai - problem

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度

1) do, 2) to, 3) taku, 4) tabi - degree, time, times occurred

一度 ichi do - one time, once温度 on do - temperature今度 kon do - next time

立

1) ritsu, 2) ryuu, 3) tatsu - to standThink of a person in the act of standing up

県立 ken ritsu - prefectural独立 doku ritsu - independence日立 hi tachi - Hitachi company

旅

1) ryo, 2) tabi - trip, travelA person [方] packing his bag for a trip

旅行 ryo kou - trip旅人 tabi bito - a traveller旅券 ryo ken - passport

力

1) ryoku, 2) riki, 3) chikara - power, strength, exertion

Don't confuse it with nine [九 - kyuu]

力持ち chikara mochi - strong person能力 nou ryoku - ability協力 kyou ryoku - cooperation

昼

1) chuu, 2) hiru - noon, daytimeThe sun [日 - hi] is in the middle at noon

昼寝 hiru ne - a nap昼食 chuu shoku - lunch, noonmeal昼休み hiru yasumi - lunch break, noon break

町

1) chou, 2) machi - town, villageThink of a small town with a T shaped road leading to a rice field

港町 minato machi - port city町民 chou min - townspeople町会 chou kai - town council

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鳥

1) chou, 2) tori - birdThink of a bird in its nest

焼き鳥 yaki tori - grilled chicken一石二鳥 isseki ni chou - one stone, two birds - to kill 2 birds with one stone小鳥 ko tori - a small bird

店

1) ten, 2) mise - store, shop開店 kai ten - the opening of a shop喫茶店 kissaten - coffee shop店員 ten in - attendant, clerk of the store

問

1) mon, 2) tou - question, ask, problemCompare with gate mon [門]

問題 mon dai - problem質問 shitsu mon - question疑問 gi mon - question, doubt, problem

冬

1) tou, 2) fuyu - winterThink of a cloud dropping two snow flakes

冬眠 tou min - hibernation, winter sleep冬休み fuyu yasumi - winter vacation冬季 tou ki - winter season

道

1) dou, 2) tou, 3) michi - way, road, street, course

曲がり道 ma gari michi - a winding road帰り道 kaeri michi - the way home片道 kata michi - a one way (trip)

堂

1) dou - hall

任天堂 nin ten dou - Nintendo video game company食堂車 shoku dou sha - dining car食堂 shoku dou - lunch room, cafeteria

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特

1) toku - specialThis is a very special kanji so don't confuse it with 'to wait' [待 - matsu]

特別 toku betsu - special特に toku ni - especially, particularly特技 toku gi - special skill

肉

1) niku - meatTwo people [人 - hito] are walking into a restaurant for meat. Don't confuse with [内 - uchi]

皮肉 hi niku - irony, ironic牛肉 gyuu niku - beef筋肉 kin niku - muscle

野

1) ya, 2) sho, 3) no - plains, fieldOn the other side of a village [里 - sato] there is a field

荒野 ara no - wasteland, wilderness野球 ya kyuu - baseball長野県 nagano ken - Nagano prefecture

発

1) hatsu, 2) abaku, 3) tatsu - depart, start from, to happen

Think of it as a rocket launching to the stars

出発 shuppatsu - depart, leave爆発 baku hatsu - explosion発見 hakken - discovery発明 hatsu mei - invention

飯

1) han, 2) meshi - meal, cooked riceThe left part is from the kanji to eat [食 - shoku]

御飯 go han - rice, meal朝ご飯 asa go han - breakfast炊飯器 sui han ki - rice cooker

病

1) byou, 2) yamai, 3) yamu - ill, sick病気 byou ki - sick病院 byou in - hospital急病 kyuu byou - sudden illness

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不

1) fu, 2) bu - non-, negative, badThis is useful for negating the following kanji

不可能 fu ka nou - impossible不安 fu an - uneasy, unsure不公平 fu kou hei - unfairness, injustice

服

1) fuku - clothing, obeyObey me and wear moon [月 - getsu] clothing

洋服 you fuku - western style clothes衣服 i fuku - clothes服従 fuku juu - obedience

物

1) butsu, 2) motsu, 3) mono - thing, matter, object

This mono pertains to non human objects. The other mono [者] is for people

植物 shoku butsu - plant life物語 mono gatari - story, legend食べ物 tabe mono - something to eat

文

1) bun, 2) mon, 3) fumi, 4) aya - sentence, literature

Someone crossing his legs and reading a book

文明 bun mei - civilization文化 bun ka - culture文具 bun gu - stationery文章 bun shou - a sentence

別

1) betsu, 2) wakareru, 3) wakeru - separate, another, specially

The bottom left part is from the kanji for sword [刀 - katana] and it thus separates it from other kanji

別荘 bessou - a second house特別 toku betsu - special別に betsu ni - it's not that important, not particularly

勉

1) ben, 2) tsutomeru - exertionIt takes power [力 - chikara] to exert oneself

勉強 ben kyou - study不勉強 fu ben kyou - idleness勉強中 ben kyou chuu - in the midst of studying

目

1) moku, 2) boku, 3) me - eye 一目ぼれ hito me bore - love at first sight

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Think of a monster with three vertical eyes目的 moku teki - purpose, goal左目 hidari me - left eye

用

1) you, 2) mochiiru - use, service, businessThis is the moon [月 - tsuki] with a line in the middle

使用 shi you - use用紙 you shi - paper, form用意 you i - prepare用心棒 you jin bou - body gaurd

夜

1) ya, 2) yo, 3) yoru - night, evening

夜逃げ yo nige - flight in the night, fleeing in the night今夜 kon ya - this evening夜間 ya kan - night, night time

曜

1) you - weekdayThis is found in all 7 days of the week

何曜日 nan you bi - what day of the week?金曜日 kin you bi - Friday土曜日 do you bi - Saturday

洋

1) you - the West, western style, oceanThe left means water and the right means sheep [羊 - hitsuji]

洋服 you fuku - western style clothing洋食 you shoku - western (foreign) food洋画 you ga - foreign painting

理

1) ri - logic, reason, truthLogic is found in the villages [里 - sato] not in the cities

理由 ri yuu - reason, cause無理 mu ri - impossible, unreasonable理科 ri ka - science

料

1) ryou - fee, materialsThe part to the left means 'rice' [米 - kome] Rice is an essential material to pay for

料金 ryou kin - a charge, a fee料理 ryou ri - cooking, dish飲料 in ryou - a drink (written word)

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