Kanji 17

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:

Readings: つた tsuta

Meaning: transmit

Mnemonic:
People (on the left) love to gossip when they meet .

Usage Examples:
手伝う (てつだう) to help

Video: Writing and pronunciation

Printed form:

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:

Readings: なお nao

Meaning: fix; cure

Mnemonic:
This character means "to fix to be straight". Careful eyes fix things 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:

Readings: ki

Meaning: decide

Mnemonic:
A person 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:

Readings: はな hana

Meaning: flower

Mnemonic:
The grass radical on the top and a character "to change". [茶 (ちゃ) "tea; brown"]

Usage Examples:
花 (はな) flower

Video: Writing and pronunciation

Printed form:

Readings: I

Meaning: medicine

Mnemonic:
Arrows stored in a box. [知 (し) "know"]

Usage Examples:
医学 (いがく) medical science

Video: Writing and pronunciation

Printed form:

Readings: シャ SHA

Meaning: person

Mnemonic:
A person who works daily on a farm soil with a tool .

Usage Examples:
医者 (いしゃ) medical doctor
学者 (がくしゃ) scholar

Video: Writing and pronunciation

Printed form:

Readings: ビョウ BYOO

Meaning: illness

Mnemonic:
The sickness radical and a person 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:

Readings: いた ita

Meaning: painful; hurts

Mnemonic:
The sickness radical and katakana (person bending down with pain) and (lots of affairs to attend).

Usage Examples:
痛い (いたい) painful

Video: Writing and pronunciation

Printed form:

Readings: あたま atama

Meaning: head

Mnemonic:
The big shell radical and (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:

Readings: からだ/タイ karada/TAI

Meaning: body

Mnemonic:
The person radical and , 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:

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:

Readings: KA

Meaning: division; branch

Mnemonic:
grains and a standard container .

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:

Readings: シツ SHITSU

Meaning: lose

Mnemonic:
An arrow went through the top .

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:

Readings: レイ REI

Meaning: gratitude, civility

Mnemonic:
When you are at a shrine , you have to show your thanks to God.

Usage Examples:
お礼 (おれい) gratitude

Video: Writing and pronunciation

Printed form:

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:

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:

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:

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

New Readings

KANJI READINGS
(くち), mouth
(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)]

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