JLPT N3 Kanji: 猫 (Neko) – Mastering the Kanji for “Cat” 猫 Readings: ビョウ (Onyomi), ねこ (Kunyomi) Meaning: cat The left side 豸 (ケモノ, beast) indicates an animal. The right side 苗 (ミョウ, seedlings; young shoots) is used for its sound (妙, ビョウ, mysterious, clever). Thus, “a clever animal.” View JLPT N3 Kanji List How […]
JLPT N3 Kanji: 偉 (i, erai) – Greatness and Admiration 偉 Readings: イ (Onyomi), えら.い (Kunyomi) Meaning: Great, admirable, excellent, imposing The radical 人 (person) combined with 韋 (leather, soft, pliable, surrounded). It signifies someone outstanding among people, hence “great” or “extraordinary”. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The character
JLPT N3 Kanji: 偶 (ぐう・たま) – Accidentally, Pair 偶 Readings: グウ (Onyomi), たま (Kunyomi) Meaning: Accidentally, by chance; pair, even number; sometimes, occasionally Semantic-phonetic compound. The left component 人 (ひと) is the radical for “person”. The right component 禺 (ぐう) is the phonetic element, originally depicting a “monkey” or “image”. Together, it evokes an “image
JLPT N3 Kanji: 恥 (haji) – Understanding Shame and Embarrassment 恥 Readings: チ (Onyomi), はず, はじる, はじらう, はじ (Kunyomi) Meaning: shame, disgrace, embarrassment The kanji 恥 combines 耳 (ear) and 心 (heart/mind). The “ear” radical suggests hearing criticism or gossip, and the “heart” radical signifies the internal feeling of shame or embarrassment that arises. View
JLPT N3 Kanji: 靴 (Kutsu) – Master the Kanji for Shoes! 靴 Readings: カ (Onyomi), くつ (Kunyomi) Meaning: shoes, footwear The kanji 靴 is a phono-semantic character (形声文字). It combines the radical 革 (かわ – leather), which indicates the material, and the component 化 (か – to change, transform), which serves as the phonetic component
JLPT N3 Kanji: 才 – Unlocking Talent and Age 才 Readings: サイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: talent, ability, age The kanji 才 is said to be derived from the image of a young plant sprout pushing through the ground, symbolizing potential and growth. Over time, its meaning evolved to represent innate talent or ability, and later,
JLPT N3 Kanji: 忙 – Mastering “Busy” in Japanese 忙 Readings: ボウ (Onyomi), いそが-しい (Kunyomi) Meaning: busy, occupied Formed from 忄 (ritsu-shin-ben, radical for heart/mind, indicating emotional or mental state) and 亡 (bō, meaning “gone” or “perish,” which also acts as a phonetic component). Together, it suggests a mind that is “gone” or “rushing” due
JLPT N3 Kanji: 髪 (kami) – Hair 髪 Readings: ハツ (Onyomi), かみ (Kunyomi) Meaning: hair The radical 髟 (hair on the head) combined with 長 (long) depicts “long hair,” representing the general meaning of hair. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 髪 has 14 strokes. Begin with the
JLPT N3 Kanji: 寒 (さむい) – Mastering “Cold” 寒 Readings: カン (Onyomi), さむ-い (Kunyomi) Meaning: cold 寒 is a pictogram representing a house (宀) with icicles (冫) and grass (艹) on top, illustrating the concept of severe cold. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 寒 is written in
JLPT N3 Kanji: 晩 (ban) – Evening, Night 晩 Readings: バン (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: evening, night The kanji 晩 is composed of 日 (hi/nichi), meaning “sun” or “day,” and 免 (men), which originally meant “to cover” or “to remove.” In this context, 免 acts both phonetically and semantically, representing the sun “escaping” or “setting,” thus
JLPT N3 Kanji: 箱 (hako) – Mastering the Kanji for “Box” 箱 Readings: (Onyomi), はこ (Kunyomi) Meaning: box; case; chest; package The kanji 箱 combines 竹 (bamboo, suggesting woven containers from natural materials) and 相 (mutual, together, implying a structured and enclosed form). Historically, containers were often made from bamboo or wood. View JLPT N3
JLPT N3 Kanji: 頂 (itadaku, chou) – Mastering Summit, Receive, and Humble Expressions 頂 Readings: チョウ (Onyomi), いただく, いただき (Kunyomi) Meaning: Summit, peak, top; receive, accept (humble) The kanji 頂 combines the radical 頁 (おおがい), meaning “head” or “page,” with the component 丁 (てい), which suggests a “nail” or “top.” Together, it symbolizes the “top
JLPT N3 Kanji: Mastering 耳 (mimi) – The Ear 耳 Readings: ジ (Onyomi), みみ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Ear The kanji 耳 is a pictograph of an ear, showing its clear connection to the meaning. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 耳 is drawn with 6 strokes. It starts with
JLPT N3 Kanji: 怖 (kowa – Fearful, Afraid) 怖 Readings: フ (Onyomi), こわ-い, こわ-がる, おそ-れる (Kunyomi) Meaning: fearful, dreadful, afraid The kanji 怖 combines the radical 心 (heart/mind), which signifies emotion, with 布 (cloth/spread out), used phonetically for its sound and possibly implying a feeling spreading. Together, it conveys the emotion of fear spreading through
JLPT N3 Kanji: 眠 (nemu, min) – Sleep, Sleepy 眠 Readings: ミン (Onyomi), ねむ.る, ねむ.い (Kunyomi) Meaning: Sleep, sleepy The kanji 眠 combines 目 (eye) and 民 (people, common). The 民 element acts phonetically to represent the sound and also implies “closed” or “covered,” suggesting the eyes closing for sleep. View JLPT N3 Kanji List
JLPT N3 Kanji: 煙 (Smoke) – Master this Essential Character! 煙 Readings: エン (Onyomi), けむり, けむる (Kunyomi) Meaning: Smoke The kanji 煙 combines the radical 火 (fire) on the left, and 垔 (meaning “block” or “mound” and also serving as a phonetic component) on the right. This combination visually suggests smoke rising and being contained
JLPT N3 Kanji: 腹 (hara / fuku) – Abdomen, Stomach 腹 Readings: フク (Onyomi), はら (Kunyomi) Meaning: abdomen, stomach, belly 形声文字 (けいせいもじ): The left component 月 (にくづき, niku-zuki, a variant of 肉) represents “flesh” or “body part,” indicating the meaning. The right component 復 (フク, fuku) provides the phonetic element. View JLPT N3 Kanji List
JLPT N3 Kanji: 鳴 (naku, naru, narasu) – To Cry, Ring, Sound 鳴 Readings: メイ (Onyomi), な(く), な(る), な(らす) (Kunyomi) Meaning: To cry (of animals), to sing (of birds), to ring, to sound The kanji 鳴 (mei, naku, naru, narasu) is a phono-semantic compound. It combines the radical 口 (kuchi – mouth) on the left
JLPT N3 Kanji: 皆 (minna / mina) – Mastering “All” and “Everyone” 皆 Readings: カイ (Onyomi), みな, みんな (Kunyomi) Meaning: All, everyone, everything The top part, 比 (ひ), depicts two people side-by-side. The bottom part, 白 (しろ), means “white” or “bright.” Together, it conveys the idea of “all people” or “everything clear/visible.” View JLPT N3
JLPT N3 Kanji: 疲 (Tsukare) – Mastering the Kanji for “Tired” 疲 Readings: ヒ (Onyomi), つか.れる, つか.らす (Kunyomi) Meaning: Tired, fatigued, exhausted The radical 疒 (sickness) indicates a state of unwellness or distress, while 皮 (skin, covering) suggests a worn-out or “peeled” feeling. Together, they convey the meaning of being physically or mentally exhausted. View
