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.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 掲 (kaka・geru, KEI) – To Display, Post, or Hoist 掲 Readings: ケイ (Onyomi), かか・げる (Kunyomi) Meaning: To put up, to post, to display, to publish The kanji 掲 combines the radical 手 (hand), indicating an action, with 曷 (katsu), which means to lift or raise. Together, they form the meaning of using
JLPT N1 Kanji: 契 – The Kanji of Pledges and Contracts 契 Readings: ケイ (Onyomi), ちぎ-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: contract, pledge, bond, promise, engage The kanji 契 combines 㓞 (ketsu), meaning “to engrave” or “to carve notches,” and a modified form of 大 (dai/ō), perhaps as a phonetic component or a simplification. It originally depicted making
JLPT N1 Kanji: 街 (gai, machi) – Town, Street, City 街 Readings: ガイ, カイ (Onyomi), まち (Kunyomi) Meaning: town, street, city The kanji 街 is composed of the radical 行 (gyō), meaning “go” or “street/road,” and 圭 (kei), which acts as a phonetic component and originally depicted a sharp, pointed object or a boundary marker.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 懸 (kakeru/kakaru/KEN) – Master the Meanings of Suspend, Depend, and Risk 懸 Readings: ケン (Onyomi), か.ける, か.かる (Kunyomi) Meaning: suspend, hang, depend on, risk The kanji 懸 depicts a heart (心) placed below something hanging, signifying concepts related to suspension, dependency, or risking something. View JLPT N1 Kanji List How to Write
JLPT N1 Kanji: 養 (yō/yashinau) – Master The Meaning of “Foster” and “Nourish” 養 Readings: ヨウ (Onyomi), やしな.う (Kunyomi) Meaning: foster, bring up, raise, rear, cultivate, support, nourish The kanji 養 is composed of 食 (shoku – food) and 羊 (yō – sheep). This combination suggests feeding or raising livestock, which evolved to mean “nourish,”
JLPT N1 Kanji: 伴 (ban, tomonau) – Your Guide to Accompanying Knowledge 伴 Readings: ハン (Onyomi), ともなう, とも (Kunyomi) Meaning: accompany, escort, attendant, be involved in, bring about The kanji 伴 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines the radical 人 (person), indicating a relation to people, with the phonetic component 半 (half). The phonetic component
JLPT N1 Kanji: 喪 (Mourning, Loss) 喪 Readings: ソウ (Onyomi), も (Kunyomi) Meaning: mourning, funeral, loss The character 喪 (mò in Chinese) is an ideogrammic compound. It originally depicted a person (亡) under a covering or shroud (衣), symbolizing death, burial, and thus, mourning. It conveys the sense of loss and the rituals associated with
JLPT N1 Kanji: 項 – Mastering “Item,” “Clause,” and More 項 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: paragraph, clause, item, term, neck (archaic) The kanji 項 originally depicted a person’s head and neck, specifically the nape. Over time, its meaning evolved to represent an item, clause, or paragraph, likely due to the concept of enumeration or
JLPT N1 Kanji: 盤 – Mastering “Board,” “Disk,” and “Foundation” 盤 Readings: バン (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: tray, board, dish, plinth, counter, stand, coil, disk, something broad and flat 形声文字 (Keisei moji – Phono-semantic character). Formed from 舟 (boat) and 皿 (dish). The original meaning was a flat plate or dish. The 舟 element likely represented
JLPT N1 Kanji: 鈴 (Suzu/Rei) – Master the Bell Kanji 鈴 Readings: レイ (Onyomi), すず (Kunyomi) Meaning: bell, buzzer, chime A phono-semantic character (形声文字). It combines the radical 金 (metal), indicating the object’s material, with 令 (sound/command/order), which provides the phonetic component for the “rei” sound and also implies the clear sound of a bell.
JLPT N1 Kanji: 描 (byō, ega.ku, ka.ku) – Drawing, Depicting 描 Readings: ビョウ (Onyomi), えが.く, か.く (Kunyomi) Meaning: to draw, to paint, to sketch, to depict, to describe The kanji 描 combines the radical 手 (hand), indicating an action done with the hand, and the phonetic component 苗 (seedling), which suggests the sound “byō” and
JLPT N1 Kanji: Unraveling 尾 (O/Bi) – The Kanji for Tail, End, and Ridge 尾 Readings: ビ (Onyomi), お (Kunyomi) Meaning: Tail, end, lower part, ridge The kanji 尾 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines the radical 尸 (shikabane), which here represents the body of an animal, and 乇 (a simplification of 毛, meaning “hair”
JLPT N1 Kanji: Mastering 繰 (kuri – To Reel, Repeat) 繰 Readings: ソウ (Onyomi), く-る, く-れる (Kunyomi) Meaning: Reel, spin, turn over, repeat, reiterate Formed from 糸 (thread, silk) and 操 (operate, handle). The character originally depicts handling thread, leading to meanings of reeling, spinning, and by extension, repeating an action. View JLPT N1 Kanji
JLPT N1 Kanji: 致 – Mastering the Humble Verb and Its Compounds 致 Readings: チ (Onyomi), いた.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: cause, result in, lead to, do (humble), accomplish, send, dedicate The kanji 致 combines 至 (to arrive) and 攴 (a hand holding a stick, implying action or striking). The original meaning was “to arrive at” or
JLPT N1 Kanji: 塚 – Unearthing the Meaning of “Mound” and “Tomb” 塚 Readings: チョウ (Onyomi), つか (Kunyomi) Meaning: mound, hillock, tumulus, tomb The kanji 塚 combines the radical 土 (earth) with the phonetic component 冢, which itself originally depicted earth piled up to form a mound or tomb. Thus, it visually and semantically represents
JLPT N1 Kanji: 刑 (Kei) – Understanding Punishment and Law 刑 Readings: ケイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: punishment, penalty, sentence, execute The kanji 刑 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines 幵 (a phonetic component related to balancing or cutting) and 刀 (sword/knife), indicating cutting or punishment. It originally depicted cutting off a nose as a form
JLPT N1 Kanji: 拒 (Kyo, Koba-mu) – Mastering Refusal and Rejection 拒 Readings: キョ (Onyomi), こば-む (Kunyomi) Meaning: refuse, reject, decline, prohibit, resist The kanji 拒 combines the radical 扌 (tehen, “hand”) on the left, with the phonetic component 巨 (kyo/ko, “giant” or “large”) on the right. Together, they suggest the action of “pushing away”
JLPT N1 Kanji: 秘 – Unveiling the Secrets of “Secret” 秘 Readings: ヒ (Onyomi), ひ.める, ひそ.か (Kunyomi) Meaning: secret, private, mysterious 形声 (けいせい – Phono-semantic compound). The left part (禾) means grain, symbolizing something sacred or auspicious. The right part (必) acts as a phonetic component and implies “certainty,” contributing to the idea of something
