JLPT N1 Kanji: 邸 (TEI) – Mastering “Mansion, Residence” 邸 Readings: テイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: residence, mansion, estate The kanji 邸 is composed of 阝 (阝, a variant of 邑 ‘city/village/district,’ often related to places or mounds) and Ẻ (テイ, a phonetic component indicating the sound ‘tei’ and potentially related to ‘settle’ or ‘foundation’). Thus, […]
JLPT N1 Kanji: 棄 (Ki / Su.teru) – Abandon, Discard, Reject 棄 Readings: キ (Onyomi), す.てる (Kunyomi) Meaning: abandon, throw away, discard, reject The kanji 棄 is formed from elements signifying “old” or “used” (𠬝) and “hands” (廾), combined with “wood” or “tree” (木). This composition suggests the act of casting aside or discarding something
JLPT N1 Kanji: 躍 (yaku/odoru) – Leap into Understanding! 躍 Readings: ヤク (Onyomi), おど-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: Leap, jump, dance, spring, throb The kanji 躍 combines 足 (ashi, foot/leg) on the left, indicating movement, with 翟 (teki, long-tailed pheasant) on the right, which acts as the phonetic component and also suggests a bird’s movement or dance.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 掲 (kaka・geru, KEI) – To Display, Post, or Hoist 掲 Readings: ケイ (Onyomi), かか・げる (Kunyomi) Meaning: To put up, to post, to display, to publish The kanji 掲 combines the radical 手 (hand), indicating an action, with 曷 (katsu), which means to lift or raise. Together, they form the meaning of using
JLPT N1 Kanji: 契 – The Kanji of Pledges and Contracts 契 Readings: ケイ (Onyomi), ちぎ-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: contract, pledge, bond, promise, engage The kanji 契 combines 㓞 (ketsu), meaning “to engrave” or “to carve notches,” and a modified form of 大 (dai/ō), perhaps as a phonetic component or a simplification. It originally depicted making
JLPT N1 Kanji: 街 (gai, machi) – Town, Street, City 街 Readings: ガイ, カイ (Onyomi), まち (Kunyomi) Meaning: town, street, city The kanji 街 is composed of the radical 行 (gyō), meaning “go” or “street/road,” and 圭 (kei), which acts as a phonetic component and originally depicted a sharp, pointed object or a boundary marker.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 懸 (kakeru/kakaru/KEN) – Master the Meanings of Suspend, Depend, and Risk 懸 Readings: ケン (Onyomi), か.ける, か.かる (Kunyomi) Meaning: suspend, hang, depend on, risk The kanji 懸 depicts a heart (心) placed below something hanging, signifying concepts related to suspension, dependency, or risking something. View JLPT N1 Kanji List How to Write
JLPT N1 Kanji: 養 (yō/yashinau) – Master The Meaning of “Foster” and “Nourish” 養 Readings: ヨウ (Onyomi), やしな.う (Kunyomi) Meaning: foster, bring up, raise, rear, cultivate, support, nourish The kanji 養 is composed of 食 (shoku – food) and 羊 (yō – sheep). This combination suggests feeding or raising livestock, which evolved to mean “nourish,”
JLPT N1 Kanji: 伴 (ban, tomonau) – Your Guide to Accompanying Knowledge 伴 Readings: ハン (Onyomi), ともなう, とも (Kunyomi) Meaning: accompany, escort, attendant, be involved in, bring about The kanji 伴 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines the radical 人 (person), indicating a relation to people, with the phonetic component 半 (half). The phonetic component
JLPT N1 Kanji: 喪 (Mourning, Loss) 喪 Readings: ソウ (Onyomi), も (Kunyomi) Meaning: mourning, funeral, loss The character 喪 (mò in Chinese) is an ideogrammic compound. It originally depicted a person (亡) under a covering or shroud (衣), symbolizing death, burial, and thus, mourning. It conveys the sense of loss and the rituals associated with
JLPT N1 Kanji: 項 – Mastering “Item,” “Clause,” and More 項 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: paragraph, clause, item, term, neck (archaic) The kanji 項 originally depicted a person’s head and neck, specifically the nape. Over time, its meaning evolved to represent an item, clause, or paragraph, likely due to the concept of enumeration or
JLPT N1 Kanji: 盤 – Mastering “Board,” “Disk,” and “Foundation” 盤 Readings: バン (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: tray, board, dish, plinth, counter, stand, coil, disk, something broad and flat 形声文字 (Keisei moji – Phono-semantic character). Formed from 舟 (boat) and 皿 (dish). The original meaning was a flat plate or dish. The 舟 element likely represented
JLPT N1 Kanji: 鈴 (Suzu/Rei) – Master the Bell Kanji 鈴 Readings: レイ (Onyomi), すず (Kunyomi) Meaning: bell, buzzer, chime A phono-semantic character (形声文字). It combines the radical 金 (metal), indicating the object’s material, with 令 (sound/command/order), which provides the phonetic component for the “rei” sound and also implies the clear sound of a bell.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 描 (byō, ega.ku, ka.ku) – Drawing, Depicting 描 Readings: ビョウ (Onyomi), えが.く, か.く (Kunyomi) Meaning: to draw, to paint, to sketch, to depict, to describe The kanji 描 combines the radical 手 (hand), indicating an action done with the hand, and the phonetic component 苗 (seedling), which suggests the sound “byō” and
JLPT N1 Kanji: Unraveling 尾 (O/Bi) – The Kanji for Tail, End, and Ridge 尾 Readings: ビ (Onyomi), お (Kunyomi) Meaning: Tail, end, lower part, ridge The kanji 尾 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines the radical 尸 (shikabane), which here represents the body of an animal, and 乇 (a simplification of 毛, meaning “hair”
JLPT N1 Kanji: Mastering 繰 (kuri – To Reel, Repeat) 繰 Readings: ソウ (Onyomi), く-る, く-れる (Kunyomi) Meaning: Reel, spin, turn over, repeat, reiterate Formed from 糸 (thread, silk) and 操 (operate, handle). The character originally depicts handling thread, leading to meanings of reeling, spinning, and by extension, repeating an action. View JLPT N1 Kanji
JLPT N1 Kanji: 致 – Mastering the Humble Verb and Its Compounds 致 Readings: チ (Onyomi), いた.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: cause, result in, lead to, do (humble), accomplish, send, dedicate The kanji 致 combines 至 (to arrive) and 攴 (a hand holding a stick, implying action or striking). The original meaning was “to arrive at” or
JLPT N1 Kanji: 塚 – Unearthing the Meaning of “Mound” and “Tomb” 塚 Readings: チョウ (Onyomi), つか (Kunyomi) Meaning: mound, hillock, tumulus, tomb The kanji 塚 combines the radical 土 (earth) with the phonetic component 冢, which itself originally depicted earth piled up to form a mound or tomb. Thus, it visually and semantically represents
JLPT N1 Kanji: 刑 (Kei) – Understanding Punishment and Law 刑 Readings: ケイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: punishment, penalty, sentence, execute The kanji 刑 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines 幵 (a phonetic component related to balancing or cutting) and 刀 (sword/knife), indicating cutting or punishment. It originally depicted cutting off a nose as a form
JLPT N1 Kanji: 拒 (Kyo, Koba-mu) – Mastering Refusal and Rejection 拒 Readings: キョ (Onyomi), こば-む (Kunyomi) Meaning: refuse, reject, decline, prohibit, resist The kanji 拒 combines the radical 扌 (tehen, “hand”) on the left, with the phonetic component 巨 (kyo/ko, “giant” or “large”) on the right. Together, they suggest the action of “pushing away”
