JLPT N3 Kanji: 処 (sho, tokoro) – Mastering “Dispose Of, Place” 処 Readings: ショ (Onyomi), ところ, おる (Kunyomi) Meaning: Dispose of, manage, deal with, place, office, punishment. 形声 (けいせい) – Phono-semantic compound. Originally depicting someone walking slowly (夊) towards a cliff/shelter (厂), implying dwelling or being in a place. Developed meanings related to handling situations […]
JLPT N3 Kanji: 積 (Seki, Tsumu, Tsumoru) – Mastering Accumulation and Piling Up! 積 Readings: セキ (Onyomi), つ.む, つ.もる, -づ.み (Kunyomi) Meaning: to accumulate, to pile up, to load, to stack, product (math) The kanji 積 combines 禾 (nogi-hen, meaning “grain” or “cereal”) and 責 (seki, which originally depicted a thorny plant or a shell
JLPT N3 Kanji: 科 (ka) – Department, Course, Section 科 Readings: カ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Department, course, section, branch, family (in science) The kanji 科 combines 禾 (nogihen), meaning “grain” or “cereal,” and 斗 (to), meaning “ladle” or “measure.” Originally, it represented the act of measuring grains, which involved classification or categorization. This concept evolved
JLPT N3 Kanji: 路 (Road, Path) – Your Guide to Mastering Michi and Ro! 路 Readings: ロ (Onyomi), みち (Kunyomi) Meaning: road, path, street The kanji 路 combines 足 (ashi, “foot” or “leg”) on the left, which is the radical, indicating something related to walking or movement. The right part is 各 (kaku, “each” or
JLPT N3 Kanji: 光 (hikari) – Exploring the Kanji for “Light” 光 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), ひかり, ひかる (Kunyomi) Meaning: Light, ray, glow The kanji 光 is a pictograph depicting a person (儿) with light (火) shining from their head, or light shining above a flame. It represents the concept of brightness and illumination. View JLPT
JLPT N3 Kanji: Mastering 突 (Totsu / Tsuku) – Pierce, Thrust, Sudden 突 Readings: トツ (Onyomi), つ-く, つ-き (Kunyomi) Meaning: Pierce, thrust, sudden, strike The kanji 突 is said to depict a dog jumping out of a hole (穴) or a pestle (T-shaped object) pushing into something. It graphically conveys the idea of thrusting, pushing,
JLPT N3 Kanji 値: Understanding Price and Value in Japanese 値 Readings: チ (Onyomi), ね, あたい (Kunyomi) Meaning: price, value, cost 形声文字 (Keisei Moji – phono-semantic character). Formed from the radical 人 (person) on the left, indicating something related to human transactions or conditions, and 直 (straight, correct) on the right, which gives the sound
JLPT N3 Kanji: 敗 (hai, yabureru) – Understanding Defeat and Failure 敗 Readings: ハイ (Onyomi), やぶ-れる, やぶ-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: defeat, lose, failure, be beaten, broken Formed from 貝 (shell/money, indicating value or loss) and ⺅ (a component related to ‘decay’ or ‘destruction’). Originally meant to break or tear, especially fabric, and later evolved to mean
JLPT N3 Kanji: 満 (man, michiru) – Fullness and Satisfaction 満 Readings: マン (Onyomi), みちる, みつ, みたす (Kunyomi) Meaning: full, fullness, satisfy, complete The character combines 水 (water) and 𠄞 (a phonetic component indicating “fullness” or “level”). It originally depicted water filling something up to the brim. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write
JLPT N3 Kanji: 程 (hodo, tei) – Extent, Degree, About 程 Readings: テイ (Onyomi), ほど (Kunyomi) Meaning: extent, degree, amount, about, standard The kanji 程 (てい, ほど) depicts a process of measuring or standardizing grain. The left radical 禾 (nogihen) means “grain,” and the right part 呈 (tei) means “to present” or “to show.” Together,
JLPT N3 Kanji: 阪 (Slope, Osaka) – Master “Han” Readings! 阪 Readings: ハン (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Osaka, slope The kanji 阪 originally depicted a sloping landform or hillside. Over time, it became predominantly used phonetically in the name ‘Osaka’ (大阪), where it retains a connection to its original meaning of a ‘slope’ or ‘hill’ in
JLPT N3 Kanji: 良 (ryō / yo.i) – Meaning, Readings, and Examples 良 Readings: リョウ (Onyomi), よ.い, よ.く (Kunyomi) Meaning: good, pleasing, skilled The kanji 良 is said to depict a person standing upright, symbolizing “good” or “uprightness.” Alternatively, some theories suggest it depicts a utensil with a good shape. View JLPT N3 Kanji List
JLPT N3 Kanji: Master 達 (Tatsu/Tachi) for Reaching Your Goals! 達 Readings: タツ (Onyomi), -たち, -だち (Kunyomi) Meaning: reach, arrive, attain, skilled, expert; plural suffix The character 達 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The radical 辶 (辵), meaning ‘walk’ or ‘movement,’ forms the semantic component, indicating motion. The right part, 羊, serves as a phonetic component.
JLPT N3 Kanji: 呼 (yobu/ko) – Call, Shout, Invite! 呼 Readings: コ (Onyomi), よ.ぶ (Kunyomi) Meaning: call, shout, invite The kanji 呼 is formed from 口 (kuchi, meaning “mouth”) and 乎 (ko, an ancient phonetic component that originally conveyed the idea of calling out or exhaling. Together, they represent the act of making a sound
JLPT N3 Kanji: 識 (shiki) – Knowledge, Distinguish, Recognize 識 Readings: シキ (Onyomi), し.る (Kunyomi) Meaning: knowledge, distinguish, recognize, discriminate The kanji 識 combines 言 (word, speech) and 戠 (a component suggesting recognition or marking). Together, it conveys the idea of using language or mental faculty to identify, know, or discern something. View JLPT N3
JLPT N3 Kanji: 港 (minato, Kou) – Port, Harbor 港 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), みなと (Kunyomi) Meaning: port, harbor The character 港 combines the radical 氵 (sanzui, indicating water) with 巷 (kō, a component suggesting a street or alley). Together, they form the meaning of a “port” or “harbor” – a place where water meets a
JLPT N3 Kanji: 財 (zai/sai) – Unlocking the Meaning of Wealth 財 Readings: ザイ, サイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: wealth, property, money, goods, assets The kanji 財 is formed by combining 貝 (kai), meaning “shell” or “money” (as shells were historically used as currency), and 才 (sai), which is a phonetic component that also conveys the
JLPT N3 Kanji: 様 (Sama/You) – Understanding Manner, Status, and Respect 様 Readings: ヨウ (Onyomi), さま (Kunyomi) Meaning: way, manner, status, Mr./Ms., like, appearance The character combines 水 (water) and 羊 (sheep). The original meaning related to the appearance of water or a pattern, evolving to mean ‘shape,’ ‘manner,’ ‘state,’ and eventually a respectful suffix
JLPT N3 Kanji: Mastering 申 (mōsu/shin) – The Humble Verb 申 Readings: シン (Onyomi), もう(す) (Kunyomi) Meaning: To say, to state, to report, to apply (humble form of 言う/する) The kanji 申 is often described as a pictograph of lightning (稲妻). Due to the quick and sudden nature of lightning, it came to be associated
JLPT N3 Kanji: 深 (fuka.i, SHIN) – Deep, Profound 深 Readings: シン (Onyomi), ふか.い, ふか.まる, ふか.める (Kunyomi) Meaning: Deep, profound The character combines the water radical 氵 (water) with a phonetic component, suggesting a deep pool or a dark, deep place. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 深
