N2 Kanji

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 査 (Sa) – Investigate, Inspect 査 Readings: サ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: investigate, inspect, examine The kanji 査 combines the radical 木 (ki, tree/wood), which can sometimes imply structure or form, and 旦 (tan/dan, dawn/morning). In this context, 旦 primarily functions as a phonetic component to represent the sound ‘sa’ and also […]

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 府 (fu) – Government, Prefecture, Office 府 Readings: フ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: urban prefecture; government office; capital The character combines 广 (meaning a building or shelter, often with a roof and sloping sides) and 付 (meaning to attach, or indicating a place where things are stored or kept). It originally referred

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 派 派 Readings: ハ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: faction, group, party, school (of thought), dispatch, send The kanji 派 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines the radical 氵 (sanzui, water), which suggests flowing or branching, and the phonetic component 衺 (meaning to deviate or diverge). Together, it conveys the idea of something

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 結 (ketsu, musubu) – Tie, Bind, Conclude 結 Readings: ケツ (Onyomi), むす・ぶ, ゆ・う (Kunyomi) Meaning: Tie, bind, conclude, contract, join, organize The kanji 結 combines the radical 糸 (thread) and the component 吉 (good, auspicious). This combination suggests the act of tying or binding things together in a way that leads

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 第 (Dai) – Mastering Ordinal Numbers 第 Readings: ダイ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: No., ordinal, in order, sequence The kanji 第 combines 竹 (bamboo) and 弟 (younger brother/order). Historically, bamboo strips were used for writing, and 弟 signifies arrangement or sequence. Together, they imply “sequence” or “order,” giving rise to its meaning

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 改 (kai, aratameru) – To Change, Reform, Revise 改 Readings: カイ (Onyomi), あらた.める, あらた.まる (Kunyomi) Meaning: reform, change, alter, revise, inspect, repair, improve The character 改 combines 己 (self/to oneself) and 攵 (a variant of 攴, meaning to strike or tap gently). Together, they suggest striking or correcting oneself or something

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 保 (Ho, Tamo.tsu) – To Protect and Preserve 保 Readings: ホ (Onyomi), たも.つ (Kunyomi) Meaning: protect, guarantee, keep, preserve, maintain The kanji 保 (ほ) is formed from 人 (ひと – person) and 呆 (ほう – a phonetic component that also implies “to stay, to protect,” originally depicting a person holding a

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 協 (Kyō) – Cooperation and Collaboration 協 Readings: キョウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: cooperation, highly, to act in concert, to agree The kanji 協 is formed from two components: 十 (jū), meaning “ten,” and a variant of 力 (chikara), meaning “power” or “strength.” Originally, it depicted “three powers coming together,” signifying cooperation

Learn Japanese N2 Kanji: 党 (TŌ) – Party, Faction 党 Readings: トウ (Onyomi), (Kunyomi) Meaning: party (political), faction, clique The kanji 党 is a phono-semantic compound. It combines 尚, which represents a group or assembly, with 黒, which can signify darkness or a group of people. The original meaning relates to a group of people,

JLPT N3 Kanji: 太 (Futo, Tai) – Fat, Thick, Big 太 Readings: タイ (Onyomi), ふと-い, ふと-る (Kunyomi) Meaning: Fat, thick, big The kanji 太 is a combination of 大 (big/great) and a dot/line, emphasizing the idea of something being “greatly” or “exceptionally” big, thus leading to meanings like fat or thick. View JLPT N3 Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji: 他 – Learn “Other, Another” 他 Readings: タ (Onyomi), ほか (Kunyomi) Meaning: other, another The kanji 他 depicts a person (人) resting on or leaning against something. This visual representation evolved to convey the meaning of “other” or “another,” implying something distinct or separate from oneself. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How

JLPT N3 Kanji: 候 (KOU) – Weather, Season, Sign 候 Readings: コウ (Onyomi), そうろう (Kunyomi) Meaning: weather, season, wait for, depend on, sign, symptom The character combines the radical for “person” (亻) and a component that suggests “waiting” or “observing the climate.” It depicts a person observing the changing seasons or conditions. View JLPT N3

JLPT N3 Kanji: 葉 – Mastering “Leaf” and Related Vocabulary 葉 Readings: ヨウ (Onyomi), は (Kunyomi) Meaning: Leaf, blade (of grass), foliage Semantic-phonetic compound. The top radical 艹 indicates “plant” or “grass.” The bottom part (枼) contributes the sound and also suggests flatness or thinness, like a leaf. View JLPT N3 Kanji List How to

JLPT N3 Kanji: 流 (ryū / naga.reru) – Master the Kanji for “Flow” 流 Readings: リュウ (Onyomi), なが.れる, なが.す (Kunyomi) Meaning: flow, current, stream, class, style, system, school The character 流 (ryū) is a pictograph of water flowing in a stream. The left radical 氵 (さんずい, sanzui) represents water, and the right component depicts the