JLPT N4 Kanji: 屋 (Ya/Oku) – Understanding the “House” Radical 屋 Readings: オク (Onyomi), や (Kunyomi) Meaning: House; shop; roof The character 屋 originally depicted a house with a roof and a foundation. It combines 尸 (shī), representing a roof or shelter, and 至 (zhì), which signifies arrival or reaching, indicating a place where people […]
JLPT N4 Kanji: 館 (kan, yakata) – Mastering the Kanji for Buildings and Halls 館 Readings: カン (Onyomi), やかた (Kunyomi) Meaning: mansion, large building, hall, establishment 形声文字 (Phono-semantic character). Formed from 食 (food, eat) and 官 (government official, office), originally referring to a government building or inn. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write
JLPT N4 Kanji: Master 青 (ao/sei) – The Color Blue 青 Readings: セイ, ショウ (Onyomi), あお, あお- (Kunyomi) Meaning: Blue, green, young The kanji 青 is thought to depict a sprouting plant, representing the color of young shoots, hence “green” or “blue.” In ancient East Asia, green and blue were often categorized together as a
JLPT N4 Kanji: 赤 (aka) – Master the Kanji for “Red” 赤 Readings: セキ, シャク (Onyomi), あか, あか.い, あか.らむ, あか.らめる (Kunyomi) Meaning: red A pictogram of a person standing over fire or a fire-like symbol, depicting the color red. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 赤 (aka) is
JLPT N4 Kanji: 春 (Haru) – Spring into Japanese! 春 Readings: シュン (Onyomi), はる (Kunyomi) Meaning: spring The kanji 春 is a pictograph depicting plants sprouting under the sun. The top part (similar to 艹) represents grass/sprouting, and the bottom part (日) represents the sun, symbolizing the arrival of spring. View JLPT N4 Kanji List
JLPT N4 Kanji: 花 (hana/ka) – Master the Kanji for Flower! 花 Readings: カ (Onyomi), はな (Kunyomi) Meaning: Flower, blossom The kanji 花 combines the radical 艹 (kusa-kanmuri, meaning grass or plant) and 化 (ka, meaning to change or transform). It depicts a plant that undergoes a change, specifically referring to the blooming of a
JLPT N4 Kanji: 黒 (Kuro) – Mastering “Black” 黒 Readings: コク (Onyomi), くろ, くろい (Kunyomi) Meaning: Black The kanji 黒 originally depicted smoke rising from a fire, signifying “black” or “darkness.” The top part represents smoke, and the bottom part resembles fire. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The stroke
JLPT N4 Kanji: 紙 (kami/shi) – Mastering the Kanji for “Paper” 紙 Readings: シ (Onyomi), かみ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Paper The kanji 紙 combines the ‘糸’ radical (いとへん – thread/silk) on the left, which indicates a connection to fibrous materials, with ‘氏’ (し/shi) on the right, which acts as a phonetic component. This reflects that early
JLPT N4 Kanji: 風 (Kaze/Fū) – Master the Kanji for Wind & Style! 風 Readings: フウ (Onyomi), かぜ, かざ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Wind, style, manner The kanji 風 is said to be a pictograph of a bird or a creature (虫) whose wings create wind, simplified over time. It visually conveys the concept of movement in
JLPT N4 Kanji: 歩 (Ho, Aru) – Walk, Step 歩 Readings: ホ, ブ (Onyomi), ある, あゆ (Kunyomi) Meaning: walk, step The kanji 歩 is a pictograph representing a foot (止) and a step (少 or 止 combined with a stroke), symbolizing the act of walking or taking steps. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to
JLPT N4 Kanji: 室 (shitsu) – Learn “Room” 室 Readings: シツ (Onyomi), むろ (Kunyomi) Meaning: room, chamber, hothouse, cellar, apartment Pictograph of a roof covering an object, representing a room or chamber. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 室 is written with 9 strokes. It starts with the
JLPT N4 Kanji: 週 – Mastering “Week” 週 Readings: シュウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Week The character 週 (shū) combines 辶 (しんにょう – “road/movement”) and 周 (shū – “around/circumference”). It implies “going around” or “a cycle,” thus representing a “week” as a cycle of days. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order
JLPT N4 Kanji: 図 – Mastering Drawings, Maps, and Plans 図 Readings: ズ, ト (Onyomi), え, はか-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: Drawing, map, plan, diagram, to devise, to attempt Pictogram of a map or diagram within an enclosure, symbolizing a plan or drawing. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 図
JLPT N4 Kanji: 悪 (aku) – Mastering “Bad” and “Evil” 悪 Readings: アク, オ (Onyomi), わる, わる.い (Kunyomi) Meaning: Bad, evil, wrong The kanji 悪 (aku) is formed from 亜 (a), meaning “second, inferior,” and 心 (kokoro), meaning “heart.” The combination suggests a heart that is not good, hence “bad” or “evil.” View JLPT N4
JLPT N4 Kanji: 買 (Buy) – Master the Meaning, Readings, and Usage! 買 Readings: バイ (Onyomi), か.う, か.い (Kunyomi) Meaning: Buy The kanji 買 combines 罒 (net, a simplification of 網) and 貝 (shell, historically used as currency). The original form suggested using a net to acquire goods or money, thereby representing the act of
JLPT N4 Kanji: 歌 (uta) – Master the Kanji for “Song” and “Sing” 歌 Readings: カ (Onyomi), うた, うた.う (Kunyomi) Meaning: song, sing The kanji 歌 (song) is formed by combining 哥 (elder brother, a phonetic component, also implying a sequence or chorus) and 欠 (to lack, yawn, open mouth, often associated with breathing or
JLPT N4 Kanji: 古 (furu, furui, ko) – Mastering the Kanji for “Old” 古 Readings: コ (Onyomi), ふる, ふるい (Kunyomi) Meaning: Old This kanji is said to have evolved from a pictograph representing a tombstone or an old grave, indicating something that has existed for a long time. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to
JLPT N4 Kanji: 帰 (KI, kaeru, kaesu) – Returning Home with Ease! 帰 Readings: キ (Onyomi), かえ.る, かえ.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: Return, go home, send back The kanji 帰 (き) depicts a person (similar to 止, indicating stopping or going back) returning to their home or village, often represented by elements related to a shelter or
JLPT N4 Kanji: 注 (chuu, soso-gu, tsu-gu) – Pour, Focus, Attention 注 Readings: チュウ (Onyomi), そそ-ぐ, つ-ぐ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Pour, flow, concentrate, direct (attention), annotate, inject The kanji 注 is formed by combining the radical 水 (water) and the component 主 (master/main). This combination suggests the idea of water being “poured” or “directed” as if
JLPT N4 Kanji: Mastering 音 (oto/ne) – The Kanji for Sound! 音 Readings: オン (Onyomi), おと, ね (Kunyomi) Meaning: sound, noise The character depicts a drum (立) with a mouth (口) below it, symbolizing sound produced from the mouth or an instrument. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The stroke
