JLPT N3 Kanji: 横 – Mastering “Side, Horizontal” 横 Readings: オウ (Onyomi), よこ (Kunyomi) Meaning: side, horizontal, width, crosswise 形声 (けいせい) – Combines 木 (tree, meaning component) and 黄 (sound component). The idea relates to a horizontal beam or something placed across. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji […]
JLPT N3 Kanji: 段 – Step Up Your Japanese! 段 Readings: ダン (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: step, stairs, grade, rank, level The left component 阝 (a variant of 阜) represents a mound or hill. The right component 殳 depicts a hand holding a stick, suggesting shaping or forming. Together, the character conveys the idea of cutting
JLPT N3 Kanji: 察 – Unraveling Observation and Discernment 察 Readings: サツ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Conjecture, guess, presume, surmise, judge, understand, discern, observe, investigate The kanji 察 combines the radical 宀 (ukanmuri, meaning “roof” or “house”) and 祭 (matsuri, meaning “ritual” or “festival”). The combination suggests a deep observation or investigation, like carefully observing a
JLPT N3 Kanji: 観 – Master the Art of Viewing! 観 Readings: カン (Onyomi), みる (Kunyomi) Meaning: view, observe, appearance The kanji 観 is formed by combining 雚 (a type of bird, often a hawk, representing a wide view) and 見 (to see). This combination signifies “to look from a high place,” “to observe broadly,”
JLPT N3 Kanji: 非 (Hi) – Understanding “Non-” and “Wrong” 非 Readings: ヒ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Non-, un-, wrong, adverse The kanji 非 is a pictograph depicting two wings facing away from each other, symbolizing opposition, deviation, or something being “not right” or “wrong.” View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order
JLPT N3 Kanji: 望 – Hope, Wish, View 望 Readings: ボウ, モウ (Onyomi), のぞ.む (Kunyomi) Meaning: hope, wish, desire, expect, view, full moon The character 望 is composed of 亡 (disappear, perish) and 月 (moon). It originally depicted gazing at the moon, especially as it waxes or wanes, which evolved into the meaning of “longing,”
JLPT N3 Kanji: 福 (Fuku) – Fortune, Happiness, Blessings 福 Readings: フク (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Fortune, good luck, happiness, blessing The character 福 is derived from an ancient Chinese character combining 示 (shì, “altar, shrine”) and 畐 (fú, which was originally a pictograph of a wine vessel, indicating abundance or fullness, and also served as
JLPT N3 Kanji: 命 (Inochi/Mei) – Life, Fate, Command 命 Readings: めい, みょう (Onyomi), いのち (Kunyomi) Meaning: life, fate, command, destiny A combination of the radical 人 (person) and 卩 (seal/stamp, which originally represented a kneeling person, suggesting receiving orders, or a mouth delivering orders). The original meaning was ‘command’ or ‘order’, which evolved to
JLPT N3 Kanji: 美 (bi, utsuku-shii) – The Beauty of Japanese 美 Readings: ビ (Onyomi), うつく-しい, うるわ-しい (Kunyomi) Meaning: beauty, beautiful The kanji 美 (び) is said to originate from a depiction of a person with an elaborate head adornment, or a large, well-fed sheep (羊), which was considered good or beautiful. The idea of
JLPT N3 Kanji: 種 (Tane / Shu) – Meaning, Readings, and Usage 種 Readings: シュ (Onyomi), たね (Kunyomi) Meaning: Seed, kind, species, variety, type undefined View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 種 is composed of 14 strokes. The radical 禾 (nogihen) on the left means “grain” or “ear
JLPT N3 Kanji: 若 (waka – Young, If, Perhaps) – Mastering Its Meanings and Usage 若 Readings: ジャク, ニャク (Onyomi), わか-い, もし-くは (Kunyomi) Meaning: young, if, perhaps The kanji 若 is a pictographic character depicting a young plant growing vigorously. The top part (艹, a variant of grass radical) suggests vegetation, while the bottom part
JLPT N3 Kanji: Master 守 (mamoru / SHU) – Protect & Guard! 守 Readings: シュ (Onyomi), まも.る, まも.り (Kunyomi) Meaning: Protect, guard, defend, obey, comply, observe The kanji 守 (shu, mamoru) is a pictogram (象形文字, shōkei moji) depicting a hand (寸) covering or guarding a house (宀). It visually represents the act of protecting or
JLPT N3 Kanji: 末 – Understanding Endings and Futures 末 Readings: マツ, バツ (Onyomi), すえ (Kunyomi) Meaning: end, close, tip, future, powder The kanji 末 is composed of the radical 木 (tree) with an extra horizontal line at the top, signifying the “treetops” or “ends” of the branches. It conceptually represents the extremities or the
JLPT N3 Kanji: 差 (sa) – Understanding “Difference” 差 Readings: サ (Onyomi), さ, さす, さし (Kunyomi) Meaning: difference, distinction, variation, discrepancy, margin, gap The kanji 差 (sa) originally depicted a hand (又) pushing or inserting something into the ground (工, a tool or ground). This led to the meaning of ‘to insert’ or ‘to stick
JLPT N3 Kanji: 失 (shitsu / ushinau) – Lose, Fault 失 Readings: シツ (Onyomi), うしな(う), う(せる) (Kunyomi) Meaning: lose, fault, disadvantage, error The kanji 失 combines 人 (ひと), representing a person, and a simplified drawing suggesting something falling or an arrow missing its target. This imagery conveys the meaning of “to lose” or “to miss.”
JLPT N3 Kanji: 渡 (wataru, watasu) – Cross, Hand Over 渡 Readings: ト (Onyomi), わた.る, わた.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: to cross over, to hand over, to deliver The radical 氵 (water) indicates a connection to water or a crossing of a body of water. The right part, ⿸广度, is a phonetic component that suggests “crossing” or
JLPT N3 Kanji: 負 (Fu / Ma.keru / O.u) – Master the Meaning of “Lose, Bear, Owe” 負 Readings: フ (Onyomi), ま.ける, ま.かす, お.う (Kunyomi) Meaning: lose, defeat, bear, owe The kanji 負 (ふ) originated from a pictogram depicting a person carrying something on their back. This directly led to its meaning of “bear” or
JLPT N3 Kanji: 頭 (atama/tou) – Mastering “Head” and Its Uses 頭 Readings: トウ, ズ (Onyomi), あたま, かしら (Kunyomi) Meaning: Head The kanji 頭 originally depicted a person’s head, featuring elements for hair and face, simplified over time. It represents the “head” or “top” part. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke
JLPT N3 Kanji: 退 (tai, shirizoku) – Master the Kanji for Retreat and Withdrawal! 退 Readings: タイ (Onyomi), しりぞ.く, ひ.く (Kunyomi) Meaning: retreat, withdraw, retire, cede, go back The kanji 退 is formed by combining the radical 彳 (gyōnin-ben), meaning “step with the left foot” or “to walk,” and 艮 (kon), which depicts someone looking
JLPT N3 Kanji: 好 (Kō, Suki) – Your Guide to Liking and Favoring 好 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), す, この (Kunyomi) Meaning: like, good, favorable, pleasing This kanji is a phono-semantic compound. It combines 女 (woman) and 子 (child), originally suggesting something ‘beautiful’ or ‘good’ like a woman with a child. It evolved to represent ‘like’
