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7.1 Introduction to Kanji

Welcome to the captivating world of kanji!

As we step through this door, let’s explore the essence of kanji and discover its powerful role as a tool for communication.

At the end of the module, we will also learn 12 kanji characters: 一 (one), 二 (two), 三 (three), 四 (four), 五 (five), 六 (six), 七 (seven), 八 (eight), 九 (nine), 十 (ten), 分 (minute / divided portion) and 時 (hour/time). These are essential for telling and asking about time, which will be covered in the next module.

What is kanji?

Kanji are Japanese writing symbols that help readers quickly understand the core meaning of words. While Japanese also uses two simpler writing systems (hiragana and katakana), kanji serve an important purpose: they help to break up sentences and show which parts of a word carry its main meaning.

For example, in the sentence:

私は家で夕食を食べます。

Watashi wa ie de yuushoku o tabe masu.

I eat dinner at home.

The kanji tell us the key information at a glance:

  • 私 (わたし: watashi: I)
  • 家 (いえ: ie: home)
  • 夕食 (ゆうしょく: yuushoku: dinner)
  • 食 (た[べます]: ta[bemasu]: eat)

The basic elements that connect words are particles (e.g. は, で, を) and verb endings (e.g. ます). They act like the glue of Japanese sentences, working together like road signs, guiding you through how the words in a sentence relate to each other.

Think of it like this: when you see English words in bold in a long text, they stand out and help you grasp the main points quickly. Kanji works similarly in Japanese. It helps readers:

  • identify the important elements of a sentence more quickly.
  • tell different words apart easily (especially when there are multiple words that sound the same).
  • understand the meaning of new words by recognising familiar kanji or kanji parts.

While learning kanji takes time, each one you learn makes reading Japanese easier and faster. Many Japanese words share the same kanji parts with related meanings, so your understanding grows naturally as you learn more!

 

Exercise 1

Let’s discover how kanji may appear in your daily life! This exercise will help you start recognising these characters around you.

Part 1. Kanji hunt

Look for these common kanji in your environment:

  • 日 (sun/day) – often seen in 日本 (Nihon: Japan)
  • 中 (middle/in) – common in signs that include words such as 中国 (Chuugoku: China) or 中華 (Chuuka: Chinese)
  • 大 (big) – found in store names and product descriptions
  • 新 (new) – often used in advertisements

Where to look

  • Products: Check Asian food packages, especially tea, snacks or instant noodles.
  • Restaurants: Look at signs of Japanese, Chinese or Asian fusion restaurants.
  • Media: Browse Japanese company logos or anime titles.

Part 2. Context detective

When you find one of these kanji, ask yourself:

  1. Where did you find the kanji? (product, sign, advertisement)
  2. Does it appear alone or with other characters?
  3. Can you spot any of the other kanji from our list nearby?
  4. How is the kanji being used? (brand name, description, title)

Quick culture note

While these kanji are used in both Japanese and Chinese, they might look slightly different or have different meanings. For example, the kanji 新 means ‘new’ but is pronounced differently in each language:

  • Japanese: あたら(しい) ／ しん
  • Chinese: xīn

Share and compare

  • Take photos of where you found these kanji (if possible).
  • Share with classmates where you spotted these kanji.
  • Compare how many times you found each character.

 

 

Understanding kanji types

Kanji were developed over thousands of years and can be grouped into these main categories:

1. Pictographic characters

Some basic kanji evolved from ancient Chinese pictographs thousands of years ago. While they look more abstract today, knowing their pictographic origins can help you memorise them.

Examples: 

* 日 (ひ／び／にち: hi/bi/nichi: sun, day)

* 山 (やま: yama: mountain):

* 木 (き: ki: tree):

* 人 (ひと／じん: hito/jin: person):

* 手 (て: te: hand):

2. Simple indicatives

These kanji show abstract ideas through visual elements. For example, 上 (up) and 下 (down) use position to show meaning.

3. Compound indicatives

These kanji combine two or more elements to create new meanings. For example, 休 puts 人 (person) next to 木 (tree) to mean ‘rest’.

4. Semantic–phonetic characters

The most common type! These kanji have two parts:

  • One part hints at the meaning.
  • One part suggests how to pronounce it.

Let’s look at the kanji 漁 (りょう／ぎょ:  ryou/gyo), which means ‘fishing’.

On the left, we see 氵, which is the water radical, telling us this kanji is related to water activities. The right side shows 魚 (fish), which contributes both to the meaning (fishing-related) and the sound (ぎょ: gyo).

So, this combination makes perfect sense for a kanji character about fishing!

You’ll see this kanji in common words such as 漁業 (ぎょぎょう: gyogyou), meaning ‘fishing industry’, and 漁師 (りょうし: ryoushi), meaning ‘fisher’.

 

Are you interested in learning more about each kanji type? Here are detailed explanations for each.

1. Pictographic characters: 象形文字 (しょうけいもじ: shoukei moji) 

Some basic kanji evolved from ancient Chinese pictographs thousands of years ago.

Examples:

  • 日 (ひ／び／にち: hi/bi/nichi: sun, day):
    • Used alone to mean ‘sun’ or ‘day’
    • Appears in place names such as 日本（にほん: Nihon: Japan)
    • Found in words such as 日曜日 (にちようび: nichi-youbi: Monday)
  • 山 (やま: yama: mountain):
    • Used alone to mean ‘mountain’
    • Appears in place names such as 富士山 (ふじさん: Fujisan: Mt. Fuji)
    • Found in compound words such as 火山 (かざん: kazan: volcano)
  • 木 (き: ki: tree):
    • Used alone to mean ‘tree’
    • Used as a building block in other nature-related kanji such as 林 (はやし: hayashi: woods)
    • Appears in compound words such as 木曜日 (もくようび: moku-youbi: Thursday)
  • 人 (ひと／じん: hito/jin: person):
    • Used alone to mean ‘person’
    • Found in compound words about people, such as 日本人 (にほんじん: Nihon-jin: Japanese person) and 大人 (おとな: otona: adult)
    • Used as a building block in kanji such as
  • 手 (て: te: hand):
    • Used alone to mean ‘hand’
    • Found in compound words such as 手紙 (てがみ: tegami: letter)
    • Used as a building block in action-related kanji

2. Simple indicatives: 指示文字 (しじもじ: shiji moji)

These kanji express ideas by showing relationships or concepts visually:

  • They often use position, direction or marks to show meaning
  • They’re more abstract than simple characters but still logical

Examples:

  • 上 (うえ: ue) = ‘up/above’ – the horizontal line is positioned at the top
  • 下 (した: shita) = ‘down/below’ – the horizontal line is at the bottom
  • 中 (なか: naka) = ‘middle/inside’ – the vertical line shows something inside a box
  • 三 (さん: san) = ‘three’ – three horizontal lines

Think of these like road signs – their design helps show their meaning.

3. Compound indicatives: 会意文字（かいいもじ: kai-i moji）

These kanji work like building blocks:

  1. Take two or more kanji with known meanings
  2. Put them together to create a new meaning
  3. The combined meaning often makes logical sense

Examples:

  • 休 = ‘rest’ combines:
    • 人 (person)
    • 木 (tree)
    • Together: a person resting against a tree
  • 森 = ‘forest’ combines:
    • Three 木 (tree) characters
    • Together: lots of trees make a forest
  • 明 = ‘bright’ combines:
    • 日 (sun)
    • 月 (moon)
    • Together: the two brightest objects mean ‘bright’

4. Semantic–phonetic characters: 形声文字 (けいせいもじ: keisei moji)

In Japanese, kanji components are collectively called 部首 (ぶしゅ: bushu) or ‘radicals’ in English. Each radical plays a role in conveying meaning or sound.

There are seven radicals, or seven possible positions where these elements can appear. Two of the most common positions are left and right:

1) The meaning part (偏: へん: hen)

  • Typically appears on the left side of the kanji
  • Often gives hints about the meaning
  • Common examples:
    • 氵(water radical) → in water-related kanji, such as 海 (sea), 池 (pond)
    • 言 (speech radical) → in speaking-related kanji, such as 話 (speak), 語 (language)
    • 手 (hand radical) → in action-related kanji, such as 持 (hold), 打 (hit)

2) The sound part (旁: つくり: tsukuri)

  • Typically appears on the right side of the kanji
  • Often gives a clue about how to read the kanji (especially the on-reading), though the sounds may not match modern Japanese pronunciation exactly
  • Can appear in many different kanji. For example: 青 appears in 請, 清, 精 and many other kanji

Examples of how these work together:

  • 銅 (どう: dō) ‘copper’:
    • 金 = metal (the meaning part)
    • 同 = same, pronounced dō (the sound part)

Other important radicals: Radicals can appear in five other positions, including:

  • At the top (冠: かんむり: kanmuri)
  • At the bottom (脚: あし: ashi)

Further resources

For a deeper understanding of Japanese radicals, this video by Sun and Moon Channel offers a helpful summary of what radicals are and how they function:

 

Understanding okurigana: How kanji works with hiragana endings

Okurigana (送り仮名) are the hiragana characters that follow kanji in Japanese words. They play several important roles:

1. Main functions

  1. Show how to read the kanji
  2. Tell us about the form of the word (e.g. verb endings for the present or past tense)
  3. Help distinguish between similar words

 

2. When okurigana is used

1) With verbs

  • All verbs typically need okurigana in their endings.
  • Example:
    • 食べる (た[べる]: ta[beru]) – to eat
      • 食 means ‘eat’.
      • べる is the okurigana (showing it’s a verb and how to read it).
    • Changes in form:
      • 食べます／食べません／食べますか
      • The okurigana changes to indicate ‘(I) eat / (I) don’t eat / Will (you) eat?’, while the kanji stays the same.

2) With compound verbs 

  • Compound verbs are the verbs made up of two or more parts.
  • Example:
    • 引き上げる (ひ[き]あ[げる]: hi[ki]a[geru])
      • 引き (ひき: hiki) – ‘to pull’
      • 上げる (あげる: ageru) – ‘to raise’
      • Meaning: ‘to pull up’
      • The brackets [ ] after the verb stem highlight the part that is conjugated, which makes it easier to see how the verb is formed.

3) With similar words

  • To distinguish between related meanings
  • Example:
    • 通る (とお[る]: too[ru]) – to pass through
    • 通す (とお[す]: too[su]) – to let pass
    • The different okurigana show the different meanings of the same kanji (通).

4) With i-adjectives

  • All i-adjectives (ending in い) need okurigana.
  • Example:
    • 高い (たか[い]: taka[i]) – expensive/high/tall
      • 高 is the kanji (meaning ‘expensive/high/tall’)
      • い is the okurigana (showing it’s an adjective)

5) With na-adjectives

  • Many na-adjectives have okurigana.
  • Example:
    • 静か (しず[か]: shizu[ka]) – quiet
    • 静かな場所 (しず[かな]ばしょ: shizu[kana] basho) – quiet place
  • When modifying nouns, な is added to the adjective:
    • 便利な店 (べんり[な]みせ: benri[na] mise) – convenient shop

NOTE: Okurigana is never used for na-adjectives when they act as predicates.

  • Example:
    • 静かです ✅ (Correct)
    • 静かいです ❌ (Incorrect—because か is part of the root, not an okurigana that changes form like i-adjectives.)

3. When okurigana is NOT used

1) With simple nouns

  • 山 (やま: yama) – mountain
  • 本 (ほん: hon) – book
  • 木 (き: ki) – tree

2) With most compound nouns

  • 日本語 (にほんご: Nihongo) – Japanese language
  • 図書館 (としょかん: toshokan) – library

3) With na-adjectives when they are not used before a noun

  • 便利 (べんり: benri) – convenient
  • 特別 (とくべつ: tokubetsu) – special

 

Understanding how to read kanji: The two reading systems

Think of kanji as having two different ‘voices’ or readings, which reflect their Chinese or Japanese origins. This happened because the Japanese borrowed Chinese characters but already had their own Japanese words for basic concepts.

1. The two ways to read kanji

1) Kun-reading (訓読み: kun-yomi)

  • The ‘Japanese-style’ pronunciation
  • Often two or three syllables, or longer
  • Typically used when a kanji character stands alone
  • Typically used for basic, everyday words
  • Sounds more casual

2) On-reading (音読[おんよ]み: on-yomi)

  • The ‘Chinese-style’ pronunciation
  • Often one syllable
  • Typically used when multiple kanji are combined to make a compound word
  • Typically used for words that express more complex concepts
  • Sounds more formal

2. Common patterns you will see

1) Basic verbs often use kun-readings

  • 食べる (た[べる]: ta[beru]) = to eat
  • 見る (み[る]: mi[ru]) = to see

2) Special compound words with kun-readings: 熟字訓 (じゅくじくん: jukuji-kun)

  • Some compound words have special kun-readings that are not made up of the readings of the individual kanji
  • Examples:
    • 一人 (ひとり: hitori) = one person
      • Not 一 (ひと) + 人 (り)
    • 今日 (きょう: kyou) = today
      • Not 今 (きょ) + 日 (う)
    • 大人 (おとな: otona) = adult
      • Not 大 (おと) + 人 (な)

  • This is different from regular compounds where you can separate the readings. For example:

    • 山道 (やま + みち: yama-michi) = mountain path
      • 山 (やま) + 道 (みち) = mountain + path

3) Academic or formal words often use on-readings

  • 食事 (しょくじ: shokuji) = meal
  • 見学 (けんがく: kengaku) = field trip, observation

 

3. Let’s look at some examples

山 (mountain)

  • Kun-reading: やま (yama)
    • Used alone: これは山です。(Kore wa yama desu.) = This is a mountain.
  • On-reading: さん (san), ざん (zan)
    • Used in names: 富士山 (Fuji-san) = Mt. Fuji
    • Used in compounds: 火山 (kazan) = volcano

水 (water)

  • Kun-reading: みず (mizu)
    • Used alone: 水を飲みます。 (Mizu o nomi masu.) = (I) drink water.
  • On-reading: すい (sui)
    • Used in compounds: 水曜日 (sui-youbi) = Wednesday
    • Used in formal terms: 水分 (suibun) = moisture

人 (person)

  • Kun-reading: ひと (hito)
    • Used alone: 人が来ます。 (Hito ga ki masu.) = A person is coming.
  • On-reading: じん (jin), にん (nin)
    • Used in compounds: 日本人 (Nihon-jin) = Japanese person
    • Used as a counter for people: 三人 (san nin) = three people

4. Key points 

  • When a kanji combines with other kanji, usually it will be an on-reading.
  • When a kanji stands alone or is used in simple verbs, usually it will be a kun-reading
  • Most kanji have multiple readings.
  • Don’t try to memorise all the readings at once.
  • Focus on common words first.
  • Learn each reading as you encounter and use them in real words.

 

Further resources

To deepen your understanding of on- and kun-readings, check out the following resource created by Max’s Japanese. It offers insights into recognising and differentiating these readings, enhancing your kanji comprehension:

Mastering stroke order

Understanding and mastering stroke order is pivotal for kanji character formation, enhancing legibility and ease of writing. Here are the general stroke-order rules:

Rule #1 – Left to right: Write strokes from left to right.

Rule #2 – Top to bottom: Start at the top and work your way down.

Rule #3 – Horizontal before vertical: Draw horizontal strokes before vertical ones when they intersect.

Rule #4 – Central before outer: Draw the central strokes before the outer ones.

Rule #5 – Closing strokes last: Finish with the strokes that close the shape.

Rule #6 – Through strokes last: Write strokes that cut through other parts last.

Rule #7 – Horizontal central strokes: Draw horizontal strokes that span the kanji after the basic structure is established.

These principles ensure the kanji retains its intended form and helps to facilitate faster and more intuitive learning.

 

Further resources

To consolidate your understanding of kanji stroke order, the following resource created by ToKini Andy may be useful:

Exercise 2

Kanji for this module

一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十

分, 時

 

1. Kanji for small numbers: 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十

Here is a table showing the kanji characters from  一 (one), 二 (two), 三 (three), 四 (four), 五 (five), 六 (six), 七 (seven), 八 (eight), 九 (nine) and 十 (ten), along with their kun-readings, on-readings and example phrases that include each kanji.

There’s no need to learn everything on the list all at once! Take your time and go at your own pace. For now, let’s focus on the highlighted readings and words:

Kanji Kun-reading On-reading Example Phrases
一 ひと（つ） いち, いっ 一（いち: ichi: one）, 一つ （ひとつ: hitotsu: one thing）, 一人 （ひとり: hitori: one person）, 一時 （いちじ: ichi-ji: one o’clock）, 一分 （いっぷん: ippun: one minute）

NOTE:  一人 is a jukujikun, a kanji compound that has a unique reading on its own.
二 ふた（つ） に 二（に: ni: two）, 二つ （ふたつ: futatsu: two things）, 二人 （ふたり: futari: two people）, 二時 （にじ: ni-ji: two o’clock）, 二分 （にふん: ni-fun: two minutes）

NOTE:  二人 is a jukujikun, a kanji compound that has a unique reading on its own.
三 みっ（つ） さん 三（さん: san: three）, 三つ （みっつ: mittsu: three things）, 三人 （さんにん: san-nin: three people）, 三時 （さんじ: three o’clock）, 三分 （さんぷん: san-pun: three minutes）
四 よっ（つ）, よん, よ し 四（よん: yon: four）, 四つ （よっつ: yottsu: four things）, 四人 （よにん: yo-nin: four people）, 四時 （よじ: yo-ji: four o’clock）, 四分 （よんぷん: yon-pun: four minutes）
五 いつ（つ） ご 五（ご: go: five）, 五つ （いつつ: itsutsu: five things）, 五人 （ごにん: go-nin: five people）, 五時 （ごじ: go-ji: five o’clock）, 五分 （ごふん: go-fun: five minutes）
六 むっ（つ） ろく, ろっ
 六（ろく: roku: six）, 六つ （むっつ: muttsu: six things）, 六人 （ろくにん: roku-nin: six people）, 六時 （ろくじ: roku-ji: six o’clock）, 六分 （ろっぷん: roppun: six minutes）
七 なな（つ） しち 七（なな: nana or しち: shichi: seven）, 七つ （ななつ: nanatsu: seven things）, 七人 （しちにん: shichi-nin: seven people）, 七時 (しちじ: shichi-ji: seven o’clock), 七分 (ななふん: nana-fun: seven minutes)
八 やっ（つ） はち, はっ 八（はち: hachi: eight）, 八つ （やっつ: yattsu: eight things, 八人 （はちにん: hachi-nin: eight people）, 八時 （はちじ: hachi-ji: eight o’clock）, 八分 （はっぷん: happun: eight minutes）
九 ここの（つ） きゅう, く 九（きゅう: kyuu: nine）, 九つ （ここのつ: kokonotsu: nine things）, 九人 （きゅうにん／くにん: kyuu-nin/ku-nin: nine people）, 九時 （くじ: ku-ji: nine o’clock）, 九分 （きゅうふん: kyuu-fun: nine minutes）
十 とお じゅう, じゅっう, じっ 十（じゅう: juu: ten）, 十 （とお: too: ten things）, 十人 （じゅうにん: juu-nin: ten people）, 十時 （じゅうじ: juu-ji: ten o’clock）, 十分 （じゅっぷん: juppun: ten minutes）

2. Kanji for time: 分, 時

Here is the table showing the kanji characters 分 (minute/divided portion) and 時 (o’clock/time), along with their kun-readings, on-readings and example phrases. We will focus on the highlighted readings and words:

Kanji Kun-reading On-reading Example Phrases
分 わ（ける）, わ（かる） ふん, ぶん, ぷん, ぶ 分（わ）ける（wakeru: to divide）, 分（わ）かる （wakaru: to understand）, 五分 （ごふん: go-fun: five minutes）, 十分 (じゅっぷん: juppun: ten minutes）, 自分 （じぶん: ji-bun oneself）
時 とき じ 時 （とき: toki: time, moment）, 一時 （いちじ: ichi-ji: one o’clock）, 時間 （じかん: jikan: time/hour）

 

To aid in mastering their stroke order and form, visual resources are invaluable. Please practise writing the focus kanji in your notebook or on a piece of paper while you watch these videos!

Further resources

1. Kanji for small numbers: 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十

The resource created by StudyIn Daily Japanese focuses on teaching beginners how to write the numbers 1 to 10 in kanji correctly, including the essential numbers 100, 1,000 and 10,000. For now, the emphasis is on mastering the basics: the numbers 1 to 10 in kanji:

2. Kanji for time: 分, 時

The following resource created by Learn Kanji offers step-by-step instructions for writing the kanji characters 分 (minute/divided portion) and 時 (hour/time). This will enhance your ability to write this character accurately and understand its components:

 

Exercise 3

Are you ready to sharpen your kanji writing skills? Download and print the PDF kanji worksheet to start practising and mastering these characters! There’s something timeless and powerful about putting pen to paper – it’s one of the best ways to truly learn kanji!

Chapter 7 Kanji Worksheet

References

 

Sun and Moon Channel. “Try to Understand 20% of Kanji in 2 Minutes.” YouTube video, 2:20. August 7, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdmR6B5EoII.

Max’s Japanese. “Kunyomi vs. Onyomi – Know the Difference! Reading Kanji.” YouTube video, 12:18. February 17, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdmR6B5EoII.

ToKini Andy. “6 Rules for Writing Japanese Kanji Correctly.” YouTube video, 7:33. September 7, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybk5DK1M128.

Learn Kanji. “Learn Kanji: 分 – Minute, Divide, Separate, Understand, Maybe, Tie, etc (Japanese Grade 2 Level).” YouTube video, 2:39. May 18, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oxa_VDEUhI.

Learn Kanji. “Learn Kanji 時 – Time (時), Four O’clock (四時), One Hour (一時間): How to Write and Read Japanese Kanji.” YouTube video, 1:45. May 18, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kayvkZTBFN0.

 

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Japanese Introductory 1 Copyright © 2024 by Iori Hamada is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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