JLPT N4 Kanji: 借 (Borrow, Lend) – Master the Basics! 借 Readings: シャク (Onyomi), か.りる (Kunyomi) Meaning: borrow, lend The character combines the radical イ (person) and 昔 (old/formerly). The person radical indicates an action by a person, and 昔 suggests something from the past or something that was left behind, implying temporary use or […]
JLPT N4 Kanji: 夕 (Yū) – Evening and Dusk 夕 Readings: セキ (Onyomi), ゆう (Kunyomi) Meaning: Evening, dusk The kanji 夕 is a pictograph of a crescent moon, symbolizing the evening or dusk. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The kanji 夕 is drawn with 3 strokes. First, a left
JLPT N4 Kanji: 服 (Fuku) – All About Clothes & More! 服 Readings: フク (Onyomi), – (Kunyomi) Meaning: clothes, obey, wear, administer (medicine) The character 服 is composed of 月 (flesh/body, referring to a person) and 𠬝 (pronunciation component, representing kneeling and serving). It originally meant ‘to serve’ or ‘to obey’, then extended to ‘to
JLPT N4 Kanji: 旅 (たび / リョ) – Master the Kanji for Travel! 旅 Readings: リョ (Onyomi), たび (Kunyomi) Meaning: Travel, trip, journey The kanji 旅 originally depicted a banner and people walking, symbolizing a group on a journey or expedition. View JLPT N4 Kanji List How to Write – Stroke Order The stroke order
JLPT N4 Kanji: 洋 (Yō) – Ocean, Western Style 洋 Readings: ヨウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: ocean, sea; Western style, foreign 形声文字 (Phono-semantic character). Composed of the water radical (氵) indicating its association with water, and 羊 (yō), which provides the phonetic element. Originally referred to a vast body of water, later extended to oceans and
JLPT N4 Kanji: 駅 (Eki) – Your Gateway to Japanese Stations! 駅 Readings: エキ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: Station The kanji 駅 combines 馬 (horse) and 尺 (foot/measure). Historically, it depicted a “post station” or “relay station” where horses were changed along a travel route. The 馬 radical clearly indicates its connection to horses, which were
JLPT N4 Kanji: 習 (narau, shuu) – Learn, Custom, Practice 習 Readings: シュウ (Onyomi), なら.う (Kunyomi) Meaning: learn, custom, habit The kanji 習 combines 羽 (はね), meaning “feather” or “wings,” and 白 (はく), meaning “white,” which in this context originally depicted a bird with its wings flapping. The character visually represents a young bird repeatedly
JLPT N4 Kanji: 夏 (Natsu) – Mastering “Summer” 夏 Readings: カ (Onyomi), なつ (Kunyomi) Meaning: Summer The kanji 夏 is said to have originally depicted a person wearing a headdress and performing a dance, possibly related to ancient rituals for a good harvest or warding off evil spirits during the hot season. Over time, it
JLPT N4 Kanji: 秋 (Aki) – Mastering the Kanji for Autumn 秋 Readings: シュウ (Onyomi), あき (Kunyomi) Meaning: Autumn, fall The kanji 秋 (aki) is formed by combining 禾 (nogihen), meaning ‘grain’ or ‘stalk,’ which represents the harvest season, and 火 (hi), meaning ‘fire,’ possibly referring to the burning of fields after harvest or the
JLPT N4 Kanji: 走 (hashiru) – Master the Kanji for “Run” 走 Readings: ソウ (Onyomi), はし.る (Kunyomi) Meaning: run The character 走 is an ideogram that depicts a person running. The upper part is an archaic form of 止 (stop), and the lower part is 大 (big/person). It visually represents a human figure in the
JLPT N4 Kanji: 色 (Iro) – Unveiling the World of Colors 色 Readings: ショク, シキ (Onyomi), いろ (Kunyomi) Meaning: color, complexion, sensual pleasure Pictograph of a kneeling person (or a person standing upright) with a mark indicating a “change” or “luster” in their facial complexion, which then generalized to “color.” It also carried connotations of
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
