JLPT N1 Kanji: 催 (SAI, moyoo.su) – Master the Art of Holding Events and Feelings 催 Readings: サイ (Onyomi), もよお.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: to hold (an event, meeting); to host; to promote; to urge; to incite; to feel (an urge, symptom) The kanji 催 is composed of the radical 人 (person) on the left, indicating human […]
JLPT N1 Kanji: 授 (sazu.keru, JU) – Imparting Knowledge & Receiving Blessings 授 Readings: ジュ (Onyomi), さず.ける, さず.かる (Kunyomi) Meaning: impart, instruct, grant, confer A phono-semantic compound (形声字). It combines 手 (hand, indicating action) with 受 (receive, acting as a phonetic component). Together, it conveys the idea of giving or imparting something with one’s hand.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 督 – Master Directing and Supervising 督 Readings: トク (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: direct, supervise, command, urge, instruct The kanji 督 combines the radical 目 (め), meaning ‘eye,’ and the phonetic component 叔 (しゅく/おじ), which implies ‘to observe’ or ‘to oversee.’ Together, the kanji conveys the sense of looking over, directing, or supervising
JLPT N1 Kanji: 崎 – Master the “Cape” Kanji 崎 Readings: キ (Onyomi), さき, さい, みさき (Kunyomi) Meaning: cape, promontory, peninsula The kanji 崎 combines 山 (yama, mountain) and 奇 (ki, strange/unusual). The 山 radical indicates a landform, while 奇 acts as a phonetic component and possibly suggests an unusual or distinctive shape, like a
JLPT N1 Kanji: 攻 (Kō, Se-meru) – Attack, Assault, Major 攻 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), せ.める (Kunyomi) Meaning: attack, assault, invade, conquer, major (field of study) The kanji 攻 combines 𠂤 (a phonetic component that can represent a small mound or hill) and 殳 (ほこづくり), which means “weapon” or “lance.” The combination suggests “attacking with a
JLPT N1 Kanji: 討 (TŌ, u.tsu) – Discuss, Attack, Avenge 討 Readings: トウ (Onyomi), う.つ (Kunyomi) Meaning: chastise, attack, subjugate, avenge, discuss, investigate The kanji 討 combines 言 (word, speech) and 寸 (a hand/thumb, often indicating a small amount or action, but here possibly related to “to strike” or “to act upon”). It suggests the
JLPT N1 Kanji: 士 – The Spirit of Warriors and Scholars 士 Readings: シ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: gentleman, samurai, warrior, scholar A pictogram of an axe or a tool, symbolizing a person of specialized skill or profession, which evolved to mean scholar or warrior. View JLPT N1 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order
JLPT N1 Kanji: 器 – Master the Meanings of Container, Instrument, and Capacity 器 Readings: キ (Onyomi), うつわ (Kunyomi) Meaning: container, vessel, instrument, ability, capacity The kanji 器 originally depicts multiple containers or dishes arranged together, symbolizing various implements or vessels. The top part (囗) suggests an enclosure, and the bottom component (皿) means “dish”
JLPT N1 Kanji: 推 – Master the Meanings of Inference, Support, and Push 推 Readings: スイ (Onyomi), お.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: infer, surmise, conjecture, deduce, support, recommend, push The kanji 推 combines the radical 扌 (tehen, meaning “hand,” implying action or movement) with 隹 (furu-tori, a phonetic component representing a short-tailed bird, also suggesting movement or
JLPT N1 Kanji: 響 (Kyō / Hibiku) – Mastering Sound and Influence 響 Readings: キョウ (Onyomi), ひびく (Kunyomi) Meaning: echo, sound, vibrate, resound, ring, affect, influence The kanji 響 (kyō) is a phono-semantic compound. It combines 音 (oto), meaning “sound,” which acts as the semantic component, and 郷 (kyō), which means “village” or “countryside” and
JLPT N1 Kanji: 渉 – Master its Meanings and Usage 渉 Readings: ショウ (Onyomi), わた(る), わた(す) (Kunyomi) Meaning: To ford, to cross, to negotiate, to involve The character combines the radical 氵 (water), indicating water, with 歩 (walk), indicating movement. It originally depicted “walking across water” or “wading.” Over time, its meaning expanded to encompass
JLPT N1 Kanji: 製 (Sei) – Mastering “Manufacture” and “Make” 製 Readings: セイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: manufacture, make, system, prepare The kanji 製 (せい) is composed of two parts: 衣 (ころも – clothing/garment, radical) on the left, and a phonetic component on the right that originally depicted a cutting tool or scissors, indicating the action
JLPT N1 Kanji: 融 – Meaning, Readings, and Usage 融 Readings: ユウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: melt, dissolve, fuse, blend, integrate, finance The kanji 融 combines 鬲 (kettle/cauldron) and 虫 (insect/sound component). It conceptually represents something melting or dissolving within a vessel, leading to meanings of blending, fusing, and by extension, the flow of money in
JLPT N1 Kanji: 整 (sei, totonoeru, totonou) – Organize, Adjust, Prepare 整 Readings: セイ (Onyomi), ととの-える, ととの-う (Kunyomi) Meaning: organize, arrange, put in order, adjust, regulate, prepare, settle The kanji 整 combines the radical 攵 (meaning “to strike” or “to act”) and 束 (meaning “to bind” or “to arrange”). This combination implies putting things into
JLPT N1 Kanji: 核 (Kaku) – Unveiling the Core and Nucleus 核 Readings: カク (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: nucleus, core, kernel, gist The character 核 combines 木 (tree) and 各 (each, meaning “shell” or “covering”). It originally depicted the hard core or kernel inside a fruit or nut, like a peach pit, thus symbolizing the “core”
JLPT N1 Kanji: 佐 – The Kanji of Assistance and Names 佐 Readings: サ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: aide, assist, help (especially in names or titles) The kanji 佐 combines the radical 人 (person) and 左 (left, which also has connotations of helping or assisting). Together, it signifies a “person who assists” or an “aide.” View
JLPT N1 Kanji: 撃 (Geki) – Master the Art of Striking! 撃 Readings: ゲキ (Onyomi), う.つ (Kunyomi) Meaning: hit, strike, attack, defeat, repulse The kanji 撃 combines 𢾸 (geki, meaning “strike” or “attack”) and 攴/攵 (boku/hoko, meaning “to strike with a stick” or “weapon”). Together, they form the meaning of striking, attacking, or hitting forcefully.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 松 (Matsu) – The Enduring Pine Tree 松 Readings: ショウ (Onyomi), まつ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Pine tree 松 is a phono-semantic compound (形声字). It combines the radical 木 (tree), which indicates its semantic category, with 公 (public/fair), which acts as a phonetic component. The character depicts a sturdy tree, specifically a pine, known
JLPT N1 Kanji: Mastering 影 (kage/EI) – Shadow, Reflection, Influence 影 Readings: エイ (Onyomi), かげ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Shadow, silhouette, reflection, trace, hint The kanji 影 combines 景 (scene, view, light) and 彡 (hair, decorative pattern, often representing an image or picture). Together, they suggest an “image” or “reflection” of a “scene” or “light,” thus conveying
JLPT N1 Kanji: 岡 – Master the Hill! 岡 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), おか (Kunyomi) Meaning: hill, mound The kanji 岡 is a complex character often associated with place names. While some sources link it to 崗 (a hill or mound), it is generally understood as depicting a hill or a mound, often with a flat
