Kanji basics

Foundations

Kanji (漢字) are the logographic characters used in Japanese. Unlike Hiragana or Katakana, which represent sounds, each Kanji represents a specific meaning or idea.

How It Works

Kanji are the 'building blocks' of the Japanese language. To understand how they work, you need to grasp these main pillars:

1. Meaning vs. Sound
Typically, every Kanji has a core meaning. For example, the character 木 means 'tree.' While Hiragana tells you how to say something, Kanji tells you what it is. This is vital for distinguishing homophones, such as 科学（かがく - science） and 化学（かがく - chemistry）, which sound identical but look different.

2. The Two Reading Types

  • On'yomi（音読み）: These are 'sound readings' based on ancient Chinese. They are typically used when two or more Kanji are joined together to form a complex word. In dictionaries, these are often written in Katakana to distinguish them.
  • Kun'yomi（訓読み）: These are 'meaning readings' based on native Japanese. They are typically used when a Kanji stands alone or is followed by Hiragana（called okurigana）. In dictionaries, these are written in Hiragana.

3. Multiple Readings
It is important to note that a single Kanji can have several different On'yomi or Kun'yomi readings. For example, 生 has over a dozen possible readings! Instead of memorizing lists, become proficient in Kanji by learning them within specific vocabulary words.

4. Visual Structure and Writing
Most Kanji are made of smaller parts called 'radicals' that give hints about the meaning. When writing, Kanji follow a specific stroke order（hitsujun） that ensures the character looks balanced.

5. The Jōyō Kanji
While thousands of characters exist, the Japanese government maintains a list of 2,136 Jōyō Kanji（daily-use characters） that are taught in schools.

Why learn Kanji?
Kanji makes reading faster by providing visual anchors. To see how Kanji fits into sentences, check out Basic sentence structure.

Examples (5)

  1. 山

    Mountain（やま）

    When the character for mountain stands alone, we use the native Japanese reading 山（やま）.

  2. 火山

    Volcano（かざん）

    When combined with 'fire' 火（ひ）, the reading for mountain changes to the On'yomi reading 火山（かざん）.

  3. 食べる

    To eat（たべる）

    The Kanji 食 provides the meaning 'eat,' while the Hiragana べる provides the grammatical ending.

  4. 科学 vs. 化学

    Science（かがく） vs. Chemistry（かがく）

    Kanji is essential for distinguishing homophones. Both words are pronounced かがく, but the Kanji shows which meaning is intended.

  5. 水

    Water（みず）

    A single Kanji used as a noun usually takes its native Japanese reading 水（みず）.

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to memorize every single reading for a Kanji in isolation.

    生： セイ, ショウ, い（きる）, う（まれる）, は（える）...
    先生（せんせい）, 生きる（いきる）

    It is much more effective to learn Kanji through vocabulary words rather than memorizing long lists of possible readings that you don't know how to use yet.

  • Ignoring the Hiragana attached to a Kanji (Okurigana).

    食る（Misread as しょくる）
    食べる（たべる）

    The Hiragana following a Kanji is a vital clue. It usually signals that you should use the Kun'yomi（native） reading.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Kanji basicsFoundations

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 18 more in the full list.