8.1 Kanji: 今, 何, 半, 上, 中, 下, 月, 火, 水, 木, 金, 土, 日, 曜
This module covers essential kanji for understanding and discussing time (今, 何, 半), positions (上, 中, 下) and days of the week (月, 火, 水, 木, 金, 土, 日, 曜).
Kanji for this module
Time: 今, 何, 半
Positions: 上, 中, 下
Days of the week: 月, 火, 水, 木, 金, 土, 日, 曜
1. Time-related kanji: 今, 何, 半
This section continues from Module 7.1, expanding on time-related kanji that are essential for discussing and understanding time.
Here’s a table showing the kanji characters 今 (now), 何 (what) and 半 (half), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今 | いま | こん | 今 （いま: ima: now）, 今日（きょう: kyou: today）, 今週 （こんしゅう: konshuu: this week）, 今月 （こんげつ: kongetsu: this month） |
| 何 | なに, なん | 何（なに: nani: what）, 何時 （なんじ: nan-ji: what time）, 何人（なんにん: nan-nin: how many people） | |
| 半 | はん | 七時半 （しちじはん: shichi-ji han: 7:30）, 半分 （はんぶん: hanbun: half）, 半年 （はんとし: han-toshi: half a year） |
2. Position-related kanji: 上, 中, 下
Here’s a table showing the kanji characters 上 (top/above), 中 (middle/inside) and 下 (down/under), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上 | うえ, のぼ（る） | じょう | 上（うえ: ue: top, above）, 上手（じょうず）な （jouzuna: skilled）, 上がる（のぼる: noboru: to rise） |
| 中 | なか | ちゅう, じゅう | 中（なか: naka: inside）, 中学生（ちゅうがくせい: chuu-gakusei: junior high school student）, 中国（ちゅうごく: Chuugoku: China） |
| 下 | した, くだ | か | 下（した: shita: under）, 下手（へた）な（hetana: unskilled）, 下（くだ）さい（kudasai: please give/do …） |
3. Kanji for days of the week: 月, 火, 水, 木, 金, 土, 日, 曜
Here’s a table showing the kanji characters 月 (moon), 火 (fire), 水 (water), 木 (tree), 金 (gold), 土 (earth), 日 (sun) and 曜 (day of the week), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月 | つき | がつ, げつ | 月（つき: tsuki: moon）, 月曜日（げつようび: getsu-youbi: Monday）, 一月（いちがつ: ichi-gatsu: January） |
| 火 | ひ, び | か | 火（ひ: hi: fire）, 火曜日（かようび: ka-youbi: Tuesday）, 火山（かざん: kazan: volcano） |
| 水 | みず | すい | 水（みず: mizu: water）, 水曜日（すいようび: sui-youbi: Wednesday）, 水道（すいどう: suidou: water supply） |
| 木 | き | もく | 木（き: ki: tree）, 木曜日（もくようび: moku-youbi: Thursday）, 木材 （もくざい: mokuzai: timber） |
| 金 | かね | きん | 金（かね: kane: metal）, 金曜日（きんようび: kin-youbi: Friday）, お金（おかね: okane: money） |
| 土 | つち | ど, と | 土（つち: tsuchi: earth）, 土曜日（どようび: do-youbi: Saturday）, 土地 (とち: tochi: land） |
| 日 | び, ひ, か | に, にち, にっ | 日（ひ: hi: day）, 日曜日（にちようび: nichi-youbi: Sunday）, 日本（にほん: Nihon: Japan） |
| 曜 | よう | 日曜日（にちようび: nichi-youbi: Sunday）, 曜日（ようび: youbi: day of the week） |
Further resources
1. Time-related kanji: 今, 何, 半
The following resources created by Kanji_world offer a quick overview of how to write the kanji characters 今 (now), 何 (what) and 半 (half), and their stroke orders:
2. Position-related kanji: 上, 中, 下
The following resources created by Learn Japanese with Moon-chan demonstrate how to write the kanji characters 上 (top/above), 中 (middle/inside) and 下(down/under):
3. Kanji for days of the week: 月, 火, 水, 木, 金, 土, 日, 曜
The following resource created by Kanji Academy provides detailed guidance on both writing and reading the kanji characters 月 (moon), 火 (fire), 水 (water), 木 (tree), 金 (gold), 土 (earth), 日 (sun) and 曜 (day of the week), making it a comprehensive tutorial for beginners and those looking to reinforce their kanji skills:
Exercise 1
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!
References
Kanji World. “How to Write NOW – 今 (Ima) in Japanese Kanji.” YouTube shorts. September 18, 2022. https://youtube.com/shorts/stSKsvulkv8?si=6N6QxFQDCKPGDexe.
Kanji World. “How to Write WHAT – 何 (Nani) in Japanese Kanji.” YouTube shorts. August 26, 2022. https://youtube.com/shorts/H5B06LGRncQ?si=KrteqW4IKMxYYMds.
Kanji World. “How to Write HALF, MIDDLE – 半 (Han) in Japanese Kanji.” YouTube shorts. April 3, 2022. https://youtube.com/shorts/sn2thqgfjX8?si=ZnIy7b1xqgEjEpRq.
Learn Japanese with Moon-chan. “How to Write 上下 ( Jyou ge / Ue shita)｜Learn Kanji with Vocabs | JLPT n5 kanji.” YouTube video, 4:02. June 12, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM2AyiT7ek0.
Learn Japanese with Moon-chan. “How to Write Kanji 中? | Learn 7 Ways to Use Chuu | Japanese Kanji Middle with Vocabulary.” YouTube video, 4:40. March 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XSkOH3Kt1k.
Kanji Academy. “Days of the Week in Kanji.” YouTube video, 8:20. January 24, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQfAhzj7k-E.
