Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 肯 (Kou) – Affirmation and Consent 肯 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: affirmation, consent, agreement The kanji 肯 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The top part is derived from 肉 (niku, meat/flesh), and the bottom part 止 (tomeru, to stop) acts as the phonetic component, implying ‘correct’ or ‘straight’. Together, it conveys […]
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 皿 (sara) – Mastering the Kanji for “Plate” 皿 Readings: サ, ベイ, マイ (Onyomi), さら (Kunyomi) Meaning: plate, dish, platter, counter for plates Pictogram of a shallow, flat vessel (a plate or dish) with contents. View JLPT N2 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 皿 (sara) is
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 符 (ふ) – Sign, Mark, Symbol 符 Readings: フ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: sign, mark, symbol, charm, tally, token The kanji 符 combines the radical 竹 (bamboo) and 付 (to attach, to agree). Historically, it depicted a split bamboo tally stick used as a token of agreement, authentication, or as a symbol/sign.
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 貝 (かい / バイ) – Shell, Wealth 貝 Readings: バイ (Onyomi), かい (Kunyomi) Meaning: Shell, shellfish, property, wealth The kanji 貝 (かい, shell) is a pictograph of a seashell. Ancient China used shells as a form of currency, which is why this kanji is often associated with money, property, and wealth
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 舟 – The Essential Guide to “Boat” 舟 Readings: シュウ (Onyomi), ふね, ふな- (Kunyomi) Meaning: boat, ship The kanji 舟 is a pictograph of a boat. View JLPT N2 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 舟 (fune) is drawn with 6 strokes. It starts with the two
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 涼 (りょう / すずしい) – Cool, Refreshing 涼 Readings: リョウ (Onyomi), すず-しい, すず-む, すず-やか (Kunyomi) Meaning: Cool, Refreshing The kanji 涼 combines the water radical (氵) on the left, indicating a connection to water or a liquid state, with 京 on the right. 京 (kyō) typically means “capital” or “high building,”
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 枯 (kare, karasu) – Wither and Dry Up 枯 Readings: コ (Onyomi), か.れる, か.らす (Kunyomi) Meaning: wither, dry up, die (plant) The kanji 枯 combines the radical 木 (tree) with 古 (old). This suggests the image of an old tree that has dried up or withered. View JLPT N2 Kanji List
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 菓 (Kashi) – The Sweet World of Confectionery 菓 Readings: カ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Confectionery, sweets, cakes, fruit The kanji 菓 is a phonetic-semantic compound. The top part (艹) is the radical for “grass” or “plants”, indicating something derived from plants. The bottom part (果) is the phonetic component, meaning “fruit”
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 灰 (hai) – Ash, Cinder 灰 Readings: カイ (Onyomi), はい (Kunyomi) Meaning: ash, ashes, cinder The kanji 灰 is a pictograph combining 火 (fire) and 厂 (cliff/container), depicting remnants of fire or ash. It represents the residue left after burning. View JLPT N2 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 沸 (FUTSU, wa.ku, wa.kasu) – To Boil, Ferment 沸 Readings: フツ (Onyomi), わ・く, わ・かす (Kunyomi) Meaning: boil, ferment, seethe Phono-semantic compound (形声, keisei). The left radical 氵 (water) indicates meaning, and 弗 (fú, “not; bow; remove”) indicates pronunciation. The character essentially depicts water undergoing agitation or a transformative process, leading to
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 塔 (TŌ) – Pagoda, Tower 塔 Readings: トウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: pagoda, tower, steeple The kanji 塔 is a phono-semantic compound. The left part, 土 (つち – earth/mound), suggests a structure built from the ground. The right part, 荅 (とう – tō), is the phonetic component, indicating the sound. View JLPT
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 濯 (TAKU / SUSUGU) – Washing & Rinsing 濯 Readings: タク (Onyomi), すす.ぐ, ゆす.ぐ (Kunyomi) Meaning: wash, rinse, laundry Phono-semantic character (形声文字). Formed from 氵 (water radical) and 濯 (zhuó), a phonetic component that originally meant to clean or wash textiles. The water radical reinforces this meaning. View JLPT N2 Kanji
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 膚 (はだ / フ) – Skin, Body, Texture 膚 Readings: フ (Onyomi), はだ (Kunyomi) Meaning: skin, body, texture The kanji 膚 combines the radical 月 (にくづき), meaning “flesh” or “body part,” with the component 夫 (おっと / フ), which primarily serves as a phonetic element indicating the “fu” sound. This combination
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 机 (Tsukue) – Your Essential Desk Companion 机 Readings: キ (Onyomi), つくえ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Desk, table The kanji 机 is formed from two components: 木 (き – tree/wood), indicating the material, and 几 (き – a small table or stand). Together, they depict a piece of furniture made of wood, specifically
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 畳 (tatami mat, fold) 畳 Readings: ジョウ (Onyomi), たたむ, たたみ (Kunyomi) Meaning: tatami mat, fold, pile up The character 畳 is a pictophonetic character combining 疔 (sound component) and 田 (field), suggesting things piled up or folded neatly like fields. It came to mean “to fold” and later “tatami mat” as
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 胃 (I) – Mastering the Kanji for “Stomach” 胃 Readings: イ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: stomach The left radical 月 (にくづき) is a variant of 肉 (meat), signifying its relation to body parts. The right component 胃 is a phonetic element that also conveys the idea of a container or something winding,
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 詞 (shi) – Mastering Words and Speech 詞 Readings: シ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: word, language, speech, poem, lyrics The kanji 詞 is composed of the radical 言 (ごんべん), meaning “word” or “speech,” and 司 (つかさ), which originally depicted a spoon and later came to mean “to manage” or “to oversee.” Together,
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 粒 (tubu, ryū) – Mastering Grains, Drops, and Particles 粒 Readings: リュウ (Onyomi), つぶ (Kunyomi) Meaning: grain, drop, particle The character is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left part, 米 (こめ; rice), is the radical and indicates meaning related to grains or small particles. The right part, 立 (リュウ; stand), gives the
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 鼻 (Hana/Bi) – The Nose 鼻 Readings: ビ (Onyomi), はな (Kunyomi) Meaning: Nose, snout The kanji 鼻 is a pictographic character representing a nose with two nostrils, clearly depicting the organ itself. View JLPT N2 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 鼻 has 14 strokes. It begins
Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 筒 (tsutsu) – The Versatile Tube! 筒 Readings: トウ (Onyomi), つつ (Kunyomi) Meaning: pipe, tube, cylinder, gun barrel, sleeve The kanji 筒 combines the radical 竹 (take – bamboo) indicating a material for tubes, and the phonetic component 同 (dou – same), which also suggests uniformity of shape, fitting the concept
