Each character entry below contains a ≤1 MB QuickTime movie of the character being painted with a brush, created by Prof. Saeko Komori of Chubu University. Please see the JP Net Kanji Project for more details.
In the following definitions, on (Chinese-based) readings are represented by katakana, and by capital romaji letters; kun (native Japanese-based) readings are represented by hiragana, and by lower-case romaji letters. This is a common dictionary convention, and does not have any bearing on meaning.
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 伝
Readings: つた tsuta
Meaning: transmit
Mnemonic:
People 人 (on the left) love to gossip when they meet 会.
Usage Examples:
手伝う (てつだう) to help
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 送
Readings: おく oku
Meaning: send
Mnemonic:
A present with a ribbon is going to be sent.
Usage Examples:
送る (おくる) to send
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 直
Readings: なお nao
Meaning: fix; cure
Mnemonic:
This character means "to fix to be straight". Careful eyes 目 fix things 十 straight with a ruler - the bottom perpendicular stroke.
Usage Examples:
直す (なおす) to fix
書き直す (かきなおす) to rewrite
直る (なおる) to get fixed
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 決
Readings: き ki
Meaning: decide
Mnemonic:
A person 人 who decides the course of the water (the radical on the left).
Usage Examples:
決める (きめる) to decide
決まる (きまる) to become decided
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 花
Readings: はな hana
Meaning: flower
Mnemonic:
The grass radical on the top and a character 化 "to change". [茶 (ちゃ) "tea; brown"]
Usage Examples:
花 (はな) flower
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 医
Readings: イ I
Meaning: medicine
Mnemonic:
Arrows 矢 stored in a box. [知 (し) "know"]
Usage Examples:
医学 (いがく) medical science
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 者
Readings: シャ SHA
Meaning: person
Mnemonic:
A person who works daily 日 on a farm soil 土 with a tool ノ.
Usage Examples:
医者 (いしゃ) medical doctor
学者 (がくしゃ) scholar
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 病
Readings: ビョウ BYOO
Meaning: illness
Mnemonic:
The sickness radical and a person 人 sleeping on a bed covered in a blanket.
Usage Examples:
病気 (びょうき) illness
病院 (びょういん) hospital
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 痛
Readings: いた ita
Meaning: painful; hurts
Mnemonic:
The sickness radical and katakana マ (person bending down with pain) and 用 (lots of affairs to attend).
Usage Examples:
痛い (いたい) painful
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 頭
Readings: あたま atama
Meaning: head
Mnemonic:
The big shell radical 頁 and 豆 (beans). [お願い (おねがい) "request"]
Usage Examples:
頭がいい be smart
頭が痛い to have a headache
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 体
Readings: からだ/タイ karada/TAI
Meaning: body
Mnemonic:
The person radical and 本, the origin and source (of knowledge).
Usage Examples:
体 (からだ) body
大体 (だいたい) for the most part
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 薬
Readings: くすり kusuri
Meaning: medicine
Mnemonic:
A medicine made from grass (on the top) to make oneself relaxed.
Usage Examples:
薬 (くすり) medicine
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 科
Readings: カ KA
Meaning: division; branch
Mnemonic:
禾 grains and a standard container 斗.
Usage Examples:
内科 (ないか) internal medicine
外科 (げか) external medicine
教科書 (きょうかしょ) textbook
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 失
Readings: シツ SHITSU
Meaning: lose
Mnemonic:
An arrow 矢 went through the top 失.
Usage Examples:
失礼する (しつれいする) to excuse oneself
失礼な人 (しつれいなひと) impolite person
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 礼
Readings: レイ REI
Meaning: gratitude, civility
Mnemonic:
When you are at a shrine 社, you have to show your thanks to God.
Usage Examples:
お礼 (おれい) gratitude
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 足
Readings: ソク / あし SOKU / asi
Meaning: leg; foot
Usage Examples:
手と足 (てとあし) hands and legs
足が速い (あしがはやい) runs / walks fast
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 耳
Readings: ジ / みみ ZI / mimi
Meaning: ear
Usage Examples:
目と耳と口 (めとみみとくち) eyes, ears, and mouths
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 枚
Readings: マイ MAI
Meaning: sheet (counter for flat thin object)
Usage Examples:
百枚 (ひゃくまい) one hundred sheets
何枚も (なんまいも) a large number of flat units
Video: Writing and pronunciation
Printed form: 員
Readings: イン IN
Meaning: member, staff
Usage Examples:
銀行員 (ぎんこういん) banker
店員 (てんいん) shop clerk
| KANJI | READINGS |
|---|---|
| 口 | (くち), mouth |
| 木 | (き), tree |
| 出す | (だす), to take out |
| 茶の間 | (ちゃのま), living room |
| 家の外 | (うち(/いえ)のそと), outside the house |
| 近所 | (きんじょ), neighborhood |
| 部屋 | (へや), room |
[Quizzes (JavaScript required): Meaning (16 questions) | Reading (20 questions) | Character Recognition (14 questions)]
MIT OpenCourseWare makes the materials used in the teaching of almost all of MIT's subjects available on the Web, free of charge. With more than 2,200 courses available, OCW is delivering on the promise of open sharing of knowledge.
© 2001–2014
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Your use of the MIT OpenCourseWare site and materials is subject to our Creative Commons License and other terms of use.