JLPT N1 Kanji: 鹿 (Shika/Roku) – Mastering the Deer Kanji 鹿 Readings: ロク (Onyomi), しか, か (Kunyomi) Meaning: deer The kanji 鹿 is a pictograph depicting a deer, showing its antlers, head, body, and legs. It clearly illustrates the animal it represents. View JLPT N1 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji […]
JLPT N1 Kanji: 貢 (Kō/Mitsugu) – Contribute & Support 貢 Readings: コウ, ク (Onyomi), みつ.ぐ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Tribute, contribution, support, present The character 貢 is formed from 貝 (bèi, shell/money, signifying value) and 工 (gōng, work/craft/skill, possibly phonetic). Together, it implies labor or valuable goods offered as tribute or contribution. View JLPT N1 Kanji List
JLPT N1 Kanji: 充 – Mastering “Allocate, Fill, Provide” 充 Readings: ジュウ (Onyomi), あてる (Kunyomi) Meaning: allocate, fill, provide The kanji 充 is formed by combining 育 (which can suggest “fullness” or “growth”) with 儿 (a stylized human figure or “legs”). It depicts the idea of filling something up or making it full. View JLPT
JLPT N1 Kanji: 揮 (KI, furu.u) – Wielding Your Japanese Proficiency! 揮 Readings: キ (Onyomi), ふる.う (Kunyomi) Meaning: wield, brandish, wave, command, direct, display, demonstrate The kanji 揮 (hui) is composed of 扌 (shǒu), meaning “hand,” and 㒟 (huī), which is a phonetic component. The phonetic component 㒟 originally meant “to wave a banner,” conveying
JLPT N1 Kanji: Mastering 購 (Kou) – Purchase & Buy 購 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: purchase, buy The radical 貝 (かい) denotes “shell” or “money,” while the phonetic component 冓 (こう) signifies “to construct” or “to meet/intertwine.” Together, it represents the act of acquiring or building something using money, hence “to buy” or “to
JLPT N1 Kanji: 射 (SHA, Iru) – Shoot, Emit, Cast 射 Readings: シャ (Onyomi), い, いる (Kunyomi) Meaning: shoot, emit, cast, hit The kanji 射 is said to be a pictograph of an arrow being shot from a bow, or a person shooting an arrow. It combines elements that originally represented a body/person and an
JLPT N1 Kanji: 需 – Understanding Need and Demand 需 Readings: ジュ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: need, demand, request, require The kanji 需 is composed of 雨 (rain) and 而 (a phonetic component often meaning “and then” or “thus”). The original meaning relates to the “need” or “demand” for rain, which expanded to a general sense
JLPT N1 Kanji: 節 – Understanding Seasons, Joints, and More 節 Readings: セツ, セチ (Onyomi), ふし, のり (Kunyomi) Meaning: node, joint, season, occasion, paragraph, counter for sections The kanji 節 combines 竹 (bamboo) and 卩 (a kneeling person, often associated with a seal or a section). It visually represents the distinct joints of bamboo, extending
JLPT N1 Kanji 緩: Master “Slack, Loosen, Relax” 緩 Readings: カン (Onyomi), ゆる.い, ゆる.む, ゆる.める, ゆる.やか (Kunyomi) Meaning: slack, loosen, relax, abate, be lenient The kanji 緩 combines the radical 糸 (ito, meaning “thread” or “silk”) with 爰 (en, meaning “slowly, gently” or serving as a phonetic component). The thread radical often relates to things
JLPT N1 Kanji: 沖 (おき/チュウ) – Navigating the Open Sea 沖 Readings: チュウ (Onyomi), おき (Kunyomi) Meaning: Open sea, offing, offshore A phono-semantic character (形声文字, keisei moji). Formed from the radical 氵 (水, water), indicating its relation to water, and 中 (チュウ, middle/center) as the phonetic component, suggesting the sound and conceptually ‘in the middle
JLPT N1 Kanji: 露 – Mastering “Dew,” “Russia,” and “Exposure” 露 Readings: ロ, ロウ (Onyomi), つゆ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Dew, Russia, exposure, reveal The kanji 露 is composed of 雨 (rain) at the top, and 路 (road/path) at the bottom. The original meaning combines these elements to suggest “dew” or “moisture on a path/open ground,” leading
JLPT N1 Kanji: 恵 (めぐむ, ケイ) – Blessing & Wisdom 恵 Readings: ケイ, エ (Onyomi), めぐ-む, めぐ-み (Kunyomi) Meaning: favor, grace, blessing, kindness, wisdom The kanji 恵 is composed of 彗 (a broom, indicating clearing or sweeping away) and 心 (heart). It originally depicted a compassionate heart that bestows blessings or wisdom, suggesting benevolence, favor,
JLPT N1 Kanji: 枠 – Understanding Waku (Frame, Limit) 枠 Readings: (Onyomi), わく (Kunyomi) Meaning: frame, framework, border, limit, quota, slot Formed with the radical 木 (tree) and a component that suggests “square” or “boundary”. It literally means a wooden frame or border, extending to abstract limits. View JLPT N1 Kanji List How to Write
JLPT N1 Kanji: 慮 (ryo) – Master the Kanji for Consideration & Thought 慮 Readings: リョ (Onyomi), おもんぱか(る) (Kunyomi) Meaning: consideration, prudence, thought, concern The kanji 慮 is formed by combining 虍 (tora-gashira, meaning “tiger’s head” or “stripes,” which implies careful observation or looking back and forth) and a component resembling a simplified form of
JLPT N1 Kanji: 属 (zok/shoku) – To Belong, Affiliation 属 Readings: ショク, ゾク (Onyomi), ぞくする (Kunyomi) Meaning: belong, affiliation, genus, subordinate, appertain The kanji 属 combines 尸 (shikabane), representing a “body” or “corpse,” and 蜀 (shoku), which serves as a phonetic component suggesting “connection” or “joining.” Together, it conveys the idea of something being “attached”
JLPT N1 Kanji: 還 (KAN) – Mastering the Art of Returning 還 Readings: カン (Onyomi), かえ-す, かえ-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: return, send back, restore, repay, give back 形声文字 (けいせいもじ). A semantic-phonetic compound. The radical 辶 (しんにょう) signifies ‘movement’ or ‘going’, while 袁 (えん), the phonetic component, hints at the sound and carries the meaning of ’round’
JLPT N1 Kanji: 縮 (shuku/chijimu) – Shrink & Contract 縮 Readings: シュク (Onyomi), ちぢ-む, ちぢ-まる, ちぢ-める, ちぢ-れる, ちぢ-らす (Kunyomi) Meaning: shrink, contract, shrivel, curl 形声 (Keisei – Phono-semantic compound). The left part 糸 (thread) is the semantic component. The right part 宿 is the phonetic component, lending its sound and implying gathering tightly. Together, they
JLPT N1 Kanji: 邸 (TEI) – Mastering “Mansion, Residence” 邸 Readings: テイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: residence, mansion, estate The kanji 邸 is composed of 阝 (阝, a variant of 邑 ‘city/village/district,’ often related to places or mounds) and Ẻ (テイ, a phonetic component indicating the sound ‘tei’ and potentially related to ‘settle’ or ‘foundation’). Thus,
JLPT N1 Kanji: 棄 (Ki / Su.teru) – Abandon, Discard, Reject 棄 Readings: キ (Onyomi), す.てる (Kunyomi) Meaning: abandon, throw away, discard, reject The kanji 棄 is formed from elements signifying “old” or “used” (𠬝) and “hands” (廾), combined with “wood” or “tree” (木). This composition suggests the act of casting aside or discarding something
JLPT N1 Kanji: 躍 (yaku/odoru) – Leap into Understanding! 躍 Readings: ヤク (Onyomi), おど-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: Leap, jump, dance, spring, throb The kanji 躍 combines 足 (ashi, foot/leg) on the left, indicating movement, with 翟 (teki, long-tailed pheasant) on the right, which acts as the phonetic component and also suggests a bird’s movement or dance.
