Numbers are the foundation of your Kanji journey. These are typically the first characters Japanese children learn, and for good reason—they’re structurally simple and incredibly useful in daily life.

Why start with numbers?

• Most number Kanji have very few strokes, making them easy to write
• You’ll use them constantly: telling time, dates, prices, addresses, phone numbers
• They combine with other Kanji to form new vocabulary (like 一人 – one person, 二人 – two people)
• They follow predictable patterns that help you learn the system

The Japanese counting system is actually quite logical. Once you know 1-10, you can count to 99 by combining them (十一 = 10 + 1 = 11, 二十三 = 2×10 + 3 = 23). Learn these basic numbers, and you’ve unlocked a huge portion of everyday Japanese!

Time-related Kanji are among the most frequently used characters in Japanese. Whether you’re making plans, talking about your schedule, or discussing when something happened, these characters will appear constantly.

Understanding the Japanese time system:

• Years (年) – Japan uses both the Western calendar and their own era system
• Months (月) – Literally numbered as “1st moon” through “12th moon”
• Days (日) – This character serves triple duty: sun, day, and Japan itself
• Time (時) – Combined with numbers to tell what hour it is

What makes this group special is how these Kanji combine. 今日 (today) literally means “now-day,” 毎日 (every day) means “each-day,” and 午前 (morning) means “before-noon.” Once you know the individual characters, you can often guess compound meanings!

Understanding people-related Kanji is essential for social interactions. These characters help you talk about yourself, your family, your friends, and the people you meet.

Cultural insight: Japanese has different words for family members depending on whether you’re talking about your own family or someone else’s. For example, 母 (はは) is “my mother” but お母さん (おかあさん) is “your/someone’s mother.” This reflects Japanese culture’s emphasis on humility when talking about your own family.

Key patterns to notice:

• 人 (person) appears in many compound words: 日本人 (Japanese person), 外国人 (foreigner)
• 子 (child) combines with 男 and 女 to make 男の子 (boy) and 女の子 (girl)
• 先生 (teacher) literally means “earlier-born” – showing respect for those who learned before us

Nature-related Kanji connect to fundamental elements of the world around us. Many of these characters have ancient origins and their shapes often resemble what they represent.

The Five Elements: Traditional East Asian philosophy recognizes five elements: 木 (wood), 火 (fire), 土 (earth), 金 (metal), and 水 (water). These same characters are used for the days of the week in Japanese!

• Monday (月曜日) – Moon day
• Tuesday (火曜日) – Fire day
• Wednesday (水曜日) – Water day
• Thursday (木曜日) – Wood/tree day
• Friday (金曜日) – Metal/gold day
• Saturday (土曜日) – Earth day
• Sunday (日曜日) – Sun day

By learning these nature Kanji, you’re simultaneously learning the days of the week—a two-for-one learning opportunity!

Direction and position Kanji are crucial for navigating, giving and receiving directions, and describing where things are. These characters help you orient yourself both physically and conceptually in Japanese.

Why these are essential:

• Physical navigation: Finding places, reading maps, following directions
• Spatial relationships: Describing where objects are (on, in, under, beside)
• Place names: Many Japanese cities and landmarks include these Kanji (東京 – Tokyo, 北海道 – Hokkaido)
• Abstract concepts: These also express temporal positions (before/after) and hierarchies (up/down in rank)

An interesting pattern: The cardinal directions (東西南北) often appear in place names. 東京 (Tokyo) literally means “Eastern Capital,” while 京都 (Kyoto) was the old capital. Understanding these Kanji helps you understand Japanese geography and history!

Education is highly valued in Japanese culture, and these Kanji reflect that importance. Whether you’re a student, talking about your studies, or discussing education, these characters are fundamental.

Understanding the education Kanji:

• 学 (learning) – The foundation of all education-related words: 学校 (school), 大学 (university), 学生 (student)
• 語 (language) – Essential for language names: 日本語 (Japanese), 英語 (English), 中国語 (Chinese)
• 読 and 書 – The fundamental skills of reading and writing
• 本 (book) – One of the most common Kanji, also means “origin” or “foundation”

Interestingly, 日本 (Japan) literally means “sun origin” or “where the sun rises,” reflecting Japan’s position east of China. The same character 本 means “book,” showing how books are considered foundational to knowledge!

These Kanji cover the actions and places you encounter every single day. From eating and drinking to shopping and transportation, this group represents the practical, everyday vocabulary you’ll use constantly.

Why this group is so practical:

• Restaurant situations: 食べる (to eat), 飲む (to drink) – ordering food and describing what you want
• Shopping: 買う (to buy), 売る (to sell), 店 (store) – essential for any purchase
• Transportation: 車 (car), 駅 (station), 道 (road) – getting around in Japan
• Communication: 話す (to speak), 聞く (to listen), 見る (to see) – social interactions

Many of these Kanji are also common verb roots. Learning them helps you recognize and understand countless verbs and their conjugations!

These Kanji represent fundamental actions that form the backbone of Japanese communication. Unlike the previous section which focused on daily activities, these are the core movement and action verbs you’ll use in nearly every conversation.

The importance of verb Kanji:

• 行く (to go) and 来る (to come) – The two most essential movement verbs in any language
• 入る (to enter) and 出る (to exit) – Perfect opposites that appear everywhere from “入口” (entrance) to “出口” (exit)
• 帰る (to return) – One of the most commonly used verbs in daily life (“I’m going home”)
• 会う (to meet) – Essential for social interactions and making plans

These verbs often combine with other Kanji to create new meanings. For example, 行 appears in 銀行 (bank – literally “silver go”), and 入 in 入学 (school enrollment – “enter learning”).