127

227

1) kai, 2) e - meeting, 3) a(u) - to meet ei kai wa - English conversation [only kai

wa means any conversation]

Think of the kanji as a person sitting at a desk kai gi - meeting, conference

under a roof. Most meetings take place in a house with desks, ne. kyou kai - church

1) sei, 2) shou, 3) ao(i) - blue (sometimes green)

Blue moon! You saw me standing alone. I saw

you standing at the bottom part of this kanji. It becomes aoi (add the i) when placed with a noun --> aoi ahiru - a blue duck. (strange
example but you get the drift, right?)

ao zora - blue sky ao mori ken - Aomori Prefecture ao iro - blue color

1) seki, 2) shaku, 3) aka(i) - red aka chan - a child, infant seki dou - the equator This kanji has done something embarrassing aka ji - red ink, in the red, a deficit and is running away with it's face turned red (see the arms and legs running?)

1) mei, 2) myou, 3) aka(rui) - light, bright, to dawn

In the sky the 2 brightest objects are the sun

(left) and the moon (right)

akarui - bright, cheerful hatsu mei - invention setsu mei - explanation

1) shuu, 2) aki - fall (the season), autumn shuu bun no hi - autumn equinox holiday [see more on holidays] In the fall, many people burn leaves and things aki kaze - autumn breeze with fire (right part)

1) kuu, 2) kara, 3) sora - sky, air, empty kara te - karate [lit. empty hand] kuu ki - air, atmosphere

327

Think of a karate expert jumping in the air to

break a board in two

kuu kou - airport sora - sky

1) kai, 2) hira(ku), 3) a(keru) - to open

Maybe you will recognize mon (gate) [] I

doa o akeru - open a door think of a man (in the middle) opening a large zen kai - full throttle, fully open gate door by pushing with both arms
Be careful to not confuse open with close [] I think of close as a man kicking the door closed

1) aku, 2) waru(i) - bad, evil

It looks like an anvil or some heavy object on

top of a heart [] When you do something bad, your conscience (should) weigh heavy on your heart

warui mono - a bad fellow, someone (something) bad sai aku - the worst aku ma - devil, demon

1) chou, 2) asa - morning asahi shinbun - Asahi newspaper ke sa - this morning [irregular pronunciation] mai asa - every morning asa go han - breakfast [lit. morning rice]

1) ji, 2) aza - letter (from the alphabet...), character, mark mo ji letter aka juu ji - Red Cross [ juu ji is cross] kan ji - kanji, [lit. Chinese character]

Think of a young child learning his alphabet

under a roof

1) soku, 2) ashi - foot, feet, leg, 3) ta(riru) - to ryou ashi - both legs (both feet) be enough sufficient migi ashi - right foot, leg man zoku - satisfaction A person doing a split with his legs

427
When you say, 'ashi' it means both leg and foot. Japanese doesn't distinguish where one starts and the other stops

1) mi, 2) aji - taste, experience

Of course the kanji that deals with tastes has a

kuchi (mouth) in it []

aji mi - try the taste, have a taste i mi - meaning shu mi - hobby

1) shin, 2) atara(shii) - new, fresh

Try to begin to look at kanji and get a feel for atarashii kuruma - a new car
their meaning. I know it sounds strange, but as shin bun - newspaper shin nen - new year you progress you should be able to automatically catch its meaning at a glance. Look at this kanji and think of something new

1) shuu, 2) atsu(meru) - to collect, gather

This is a collection of lines

hen shuu - editing (newspaper, book...) atsumeru - to collect, to gather something shuu kai - assembly, group

1) kei, 2) kyou, 3) ani - older brother

Think of a loud older brother with only a big

mouth and 2 legs

o nii san - big brother (honorific - it changes from 'ani' to 'onii' kyou dai - brothers

1) shi, 2) ane -older sister

This kanji is made of 2 parts: onna (woman)

[] and city or market [] - Maybe you can think of a connection, I can't.

o nee san - big sister (honorific changes from 'ane' to 'onee' nee san - girl, older girl shi mai - sisters

527

1) ho, 2) bu, 3) ayu(mu) 4) aru(ku) - to walk, to step ippo ippo - one step at a time, step by step san po - a walk, stroll The top part is to stop [] and the bottom dai ippo - the first step means a little [] So when you walk a long distance you have to stop a little too

1) yuu, 2) u, 3) a(ru) - to have, to exist, is

There is a moon

arigatou - arigatou, thank you [set expression] kou yuu chi - public land yuu mei - famous

1) an - safe, peaceful , 2) yasu(i) - cheap, inexpensive,

Remember this kanji has two different

meanings: 1) safe and 2) cheap

an shin - peace of mind yasui mono - something cheap an zen - safe, safety

1) i - to heal, to cure i sha - doctor i in - clinic

1) i - mind, heart, attention

When you stand [] you are at attention;

When it is day [] you are awake and attentive; and your heart [] is mindful

i mi - meaning chuu i - warning, caution, be careful you i - preparation, prepare i ken - opinion, view

1) i - more, with, through, on account of

This one doesn't seem to have a concrete

meaning, but is used with other kanjis

i ka - below, less than, under i jou - more than, over, this is all i shin den shin - telepathy, mind reading

1) gen, 2) gon - speech, statement 3) iu - to koto ba - word, language say 4) koto - word, expression hitori goto - soliloquy, talking to yourself hou gen - dialect

627

Sound waves coming from a mouth.

A lot of 'word' related kanji have this character as part of the kanji - nikki (diary); shi (poem); hanashi (a story)

1) ka, 2) ke, 3) ya, 4) ie - house

Think of the top part as a roof

ka zoku - family sakka - writer, novelist, author ai byou ka - lover of cats

1) kyuu, 2) isogu - to hurry

When you hurry your heart beats faster

kyuu kyuu sha - ambulance tokkyuu - limited express train oriento kyuu kou - Orient Express

1) ken, 2) inu - dog

A dog is man's [] big, [] best friend

ko inu - puppy ban ken - watch dog ai ken ka - lover of dogs

1) mai, 2) imouto - younger sister

Japanese makes a distinction between

younger and older [ ane] sisters and brothers

shi mai - sisters (elder & younger) itoko - cousin (female) shi mai to shi - sister cities

1) shiki, 2) shoku, 3) iro - color

Some color names have this kanji with it (see

examples)

ao iro - blue ki iro - yellow juu nin to iro - 10 people 10 colors, different strokes for different folks

1) on, 2) in, 3) ne, 4) oto - sound on gaku - music

727

Sound is standing [] on the sun [] - don't

confuse it with [] i (heart, attention)

hatsu on - pronunciation fuku in - the Gospel, good news

i in - committee member kai in - member, membership An official is just a shell [] with a mouth [] sha in - company employee 1) in - member, official

byou in - hospital i in - (doctor's) clinic This one is used for buildings and institutions dai gaku in - graduate school (see examples) 1) in - institution, academy

1) in, 2) nomu - to drink nomi mono - something to drink, a drink 'To drink' is similar to 'to eat' [] - looks like a nomi mizu - drinking water nomi hou dai - all you can drink man on the right leaning on a bar having a drink [By Dean]

1) gyo, 2) uo, 3) sakana - fish

Think of the bottom lines as being water

nin gyo - mermaid kin gyo - goldfish tobi uo - flying fish

1) dou, 2) ugoku - to move

Heavy [] + power [] = to move

un dou - exercise, movement dou butsu - animals kan dou - deeply impressed, moved, touched

1) gyuu, 2) ushi - cow, bull

Don't confuse this with [] go (noon)

gyuu nyuu - milk gyuu niku - beef, cow meat ushi - cow

kokka - national anthem ka shi - lyrics, words to music This has a distinctive shape. Think of several ka bu ki - Kabuki, Japanese play tan ka - Tanka, 31 syllable Japanese poem mouths singing songs 1) ka, 2) uta - a song 3) utau - to sing

827

1) sha, 2) utsusu - to copy, take (a photo)

It looks like a 5 but it is only a copy of a

photograph

sha shin - photograph sha shin ka - photographer sha sei - sketching, drawing from life

1) ei, 2) utsuru - to be reflected, 3) utsusu - to project on a screen, reflect ei ga - movie eiga kan - the movies, cinema Reflected light comes from the center [] of hou ei - televising the sun []

1) kai, 2) umi - sea, ocean nihon kai - Japan Sea hokkaidou - Hokkaido, the most northern The 3 little marks to the left mean water and big island of Japan [] is 'every.' So every water comes from the kai gan - beach, coast ocean.

1) bai, 2) uri - sale 3) uru - to sell

It is interesting in that 'to buy' also has the

reading 'bai'

hatsu bai - new product for sale, sale uri mono - something for sell bai bai - selling & buying

1) un - luck, 2) hakobu - to carry

In the army [], people have to carry many

things

un ga - canal un mei - fate, destiny an zen un ten - safe driving

1) juu, 2) chou, 3) omoi - heavy

This is a heavy village [] because it has

1000 [] people over it

ki chou - precious, valuable kasane gi - wearing clothes over clothes juu ten - important point, to stress something

927 1) ei, 2) hanabusa, 3) - England, English, grand

There is a lot of grass in the center [] of

England

seki ei - quartz ei kai wa - English conversation ei yaku - English translation ei yuu teki - heroic

1) eki - station (train)

A lot of horses [] R at the station

eki mae - in front of a station eki in - station attendant eki ben - station bento (lunch)

1) shuu, 2) owari, 3) tsui - end, finish

The last thread [] finishes the winter []

sweater

sai shuu - the final, last, closing shuu sen - end of war shuu den - the last train shuu ryou - end, termination

1) ta, 2) ooi - many, much, frequent

Two katakana ta's [] are too many

oosugiru - too much ta bun - probably, maybe ta moku teki - multi purpose

haya oki - getting up early omoi okosu - to recall a memory Running [] in the morning makes you wake ichi nen hokki - be resolved to ... up 1) ki, 2) okiru, 3) okosu - get up, wake up

1) oku, 2) ya - roof, house, shop

A roof starts from ground [] up

hon ya - book store shi bai go ya - playhouse, theater ya shiki - mansion

1) sou, 2) okuru - send ei sei hou sou - satellite broadcasting nama hou sou - live broadcast sou kin - sending money (through mail...)

1) kyou, 2) oshieru - teach, faith, education

This kanji is part of your education!

kirisuto kyou - Christianity shuu kyou - religion yudaya kyou - Judaism

1027 kyou iku - education

itoko - cousin kyou dai - brothers de shi - disciple, pupil A lot of younger brothers like bows and arrows mana deshi - favorite student, teacher's [] pet 1) dai, 2) tei, 3) otouto - younger brother

1) dou, 2) onaji - same, agree, equal

When everyone agrees they have one []

mouth []

dou i - agreement, same thought dou on go - homonym dou ki - same class, same period, contemporaries

1) shu, 2) su, 3) nushi - Lord, master, principal ji nushi - landlord matter jou shu - lord of a castle sou zou shu - Creator The Lord is above a king []

1) shi, 2) omou - think

A lot of thinking can be done in one's heart

[] in a rice patty []

i shi - intention, purpose kata omoi - one sided love, unrequited love ryou omoi - mutual love omoi dasu - to recall, remember

1) shin, 2) oya, 3) shitashii - parent, relative, familiar Becoming close to someone takes looking [] closely at them chichi oya - father parent haha oya - mother parent ryou shin - parents oya yubi - thumb

1127

1) ka, 2) ke, 3) hana - flower

Grass changes [] into a beautiful flower

ike bana - flower arrangement hi bana - a spark hana bi - fireworks hana mi - flower viewing (cherry blossoms)

1) ka, 2) natsu - summer

Compare with winter fuyu []

natsu yasumi - summer vacation natsu matsuri - summer festival ka ki ji kan - daylight savings time

1) ga, 2) kaku - picture

Many words pertaining to pictures, art, and

movies use this kanji

ei ga - a movie, film kei kaku - plan, schedule, program san sui ga - landscape picture

se kai - the world, society se kai ichi - the best in the world The world is like one big rice field [], isn't it? shi kai - field of vision, sight 1) kai - world

1) bai, 2) kau - buy

A lot of money words also have shell kai []

as part of the kanji. A long time ago shells were used as money.

kai mono - something to buy, shopping bai bai - selling & buying, trade kai nushi - the buyer, purchaser

1) ki, 2) kaeru - return, arrive at, come home okaerinasai - Welcome home!
Said when someone comes home

The first kanji of to clean souji [] looks like road home

this one. So coming home requires cleaning

kaeri michi - the way back home, the ki koku - return to home country

1) dai - generation, price, 2) kawari, 3) kawaru e do ji dai - Edo period (1603-1868) - substitute, exchange 4) yo - age, generation ko dai - ancient days juu dai - the teens, teenager, from 11-19 A lot of meaning packed in this small kanji

1227

1) gaku, 2) raku, 3) tanoshii - music, comfort, ease an raku - ease, comfort on gaku - music gakki - a musical instrument Sipping white [] wine under a tree [] is comfortable

1) fuu, 2) fu, 3) kaze- wind, air, style

Many insects [] fly in the air

kami kaze - divine wind, Kamikaze tai fuu - typhoon nihon fuu - Japanese style

1) tai, 2) kasu - lend

Many money related kanji have shell kai []

as part of the kanji

kane kashi - money lending kashi ya - a house for rent chotto kashite kudasai - Let me borrow ___ for a sec

1) hou - direction, 2) kata person, way of

It looks like a person running in direction

anata - you (usually written in hiragana) tsukai kata - how to use (something) mi kata - view point, way of looking

1) shi, 2) kami - paper

Paper is made of threads [] of wood

te gami - letter (postal) ori gami - origami, paper folding wa shi - Japanese paper

fu tsuu - common, generally, ordinary 1) tsuu, 2) tooru, 3) toori- go through, avenue, toori (or doori) - street, avenue traffic tuu yaku - translate, interprete

ki tai - gas, vapour gu tai teki - concretely, tangible The left part means person [] and the right is karada ga yowai - body is weak book [] 1) tai, 2) karada, 3) katachi - body, object

1327

1) shaku, 2) kariru - borrow, rent

A person borrows things during the day []

kari mono - borrowed thing shakkin - debt, loan kari ie - house for rent

1) kan, 2) han - China

China is across the ocean from Japan so it

has the 3 marks to the left which mean water

kan ji - Kanji, Chinese characters kan bun - Chinese literature kan wa - Chinese character - Japanese dictionary

ei ga kan - movie theater to sho kan - library A large building has a place to eat [] (the left sui zoku kan - aquarium part is related to this kanji) 1) kan, 2) yakata - building, palace

1) gen, 2) gan, 3) moto - beginning, origin

It has two legs going back to the beginning

moto moto - originally mi moto - ID, a person's identity ji gen - dimension

kou ko gaku - archaeology kangae naosu - to rethink, reconsider A lot of thought must be put in to learning this ii kangae - a good thought kanji 1) kou, 2) kangaeru - think, consider , 3) kangae - a thought

1) chaku, 2) jyaku, 3) kiru - to wear (clothes), arrive ama gi - rain wear uwa gi - a coat, jacket This kanji has sheep hitsuji [] in it. Perhaps tou chaku - to arrive because of wool

1427

ken kyuu - research ken kyuu kai - research society The top is hole ana [] and the botom is 9 [] kyuu mei - investigation so you are researching the 9 hole. 1) kyuu, 2) ku, 3) kiwameru - research, study

1) kyo, 2) ko, 3) saru - past, gone, leave sugi saru - to pass ka ko - the past sute saru - to abandon (ship)

1) kyou, 2) miyako, 3) kei - capital

Both Tokyo [] and Kyoto [] have this

tou kyou - Tokyo pekin - Beijing, China jou kyou - going to the capital (Tokyo)

kyou teki - strong enemy, fierce enemy ben kyou - study The left part means bow yumi [] so it takes a sai kyou - the strongest strong person to put a bow 1) kyou, 2) gou, 3) tsuyoi- strong

ei gyou - business, trade 1) gyou, 2) gou, 3) waza - business, vocation karu waza - acrobatics san gyou - industry

1) setsu, 2) sai, 3) kiru - cut, cut off

Seven [ - shichi] swords [ - katana] cut

better than one

shin setsu - kindness tsume kiri - (finger) nail clippers fumi kiri - railway crossing

1) kin, 2) kon, 3) chikai - near, early sai kin - recently kin ki - the Kinki area (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara...) chika goro - recently, lately kin jo - neighborhood

1527

1) gin, 2) shirogane - silver

Silver is related to gold [ - kin]

kin gin - gold & silver gin kou - bank jun gin - pure silver

1) kou, 2) ku, 3) kuchi - mouth

The opened mouth of a robot

de guchi - exit kara kuchi - spicy taste jin kou - population

1) kou, 2) ku, 3) gu - craft, construction

Capital 'i'

jin kou - manmade, artificial dai ku - carpenter kou jou - factory

1) koku, 2) kuro, 3) kuroi - black

There is a village [ - sato] there

an koku - darkness shiro kuro - black and white makkuro - pitch black

1) kei, 2) hakaru - plan, measure

Planning and measuring takes talk []

kei kaku - plan, scheme to kei - watch, clock on do ke - thermometer

1) ken, 2) togu - study of, sharpen

Sharpen your study of rocks [ - ishi]

ken kyuu - research ken kyuu sei - research student ken shuu - training

1) ken, 2) kon, 3) tateru - build ken koku - founding of a nation ni kai date - a 2 story building sai ken - rebuilding, reconstruction

1627

shi ken - exam, test 1) ken, 2) tamesu, 3) - testing, examine, effect jikken - experiment tai ken - (personal) experience

1) ko, 2) furui - old

It looks like an old gravestone

tsukai furusu - to wear out something kou ko gaku - archaeology furu hon ya - used bookstore

1) kou, 2) hiroi, 3) hiromeru - wide, broad

There is a lot of space around this kanji

hiro ba - an opened space, plaza kou koku - advertisement kou hou - public relations, publicity

ai koku shin - patriotism an shin - relief, peace of mind i shin den shin - telepathy This is a very basic kanji found in many other shita gokoro - hidden intentions, secret kanjis relating to the heart or emotions motive 1) shin, 2) kokoro - heart, mind

1) shi, 2) kokoromiru, 3) tamesu - test, try, experiment

Saying words [] during a ceremony []

makes an experiment

nyuu shi - entrance examination ude dameshi - testing one's abilities (arm) sotsu gyou shi ken - graduation test

1) tou, 2) kotaeru, 3) kotae - solution, answer

The two parts at the top represent bamboo

[] so using bamboo as a mic shout your answer

mon dou - questions and answers ou tou - reply, answer kai tou - answer, solution

1) ji, 2) zu, 3) koto - matter, thing, fact, business shi goto - work dai ji - important ka ji - housework ki ji - article (newspaper)

1727

1) ten - revolve, turn around

The wheels of a car [] turn around

un ten - driving i ten - transfer, moving kai ten - revolution, rotate

sakka - author, writer te zukuri - handmade The mark to the left means a person [] so a tou saku - plagiarism person is making something 1) saku, 2) sa, 3) tsukuru - make, produce, prepare

1) cha, 2) sa - tea

Tea is made from grass (leaves) which is

represented by the top part of this kanji

o cha - Japanese tea, green tea u-ron cha - Oolong tea, Chinese tea mugi cha - barley tea

1) sou, 2) hayai - fast, early

The sun [] rises early

haya kuchi - talk fast asa hayai - early morning sassoku - at once, immediately (irreg. sound)

1) shi, 2) tomaru, 3) tomeru, 4) tome - stop

Think of a policeman standing on the road

saying, "stop"

kin shi - prohibited, not allowed tachi iri kin shi - keep off! dont come in chuu shi - suspension, interruption

1) ji, 2) shi, 3) mizukara - oneself

Don't confuse this with eye [ - me], and

white [ - shiro]

doku ji - original, peculiar ji ei - self-defense ji ga ji san - praising one's own work

1) shi, 2) ji, 3) tsukaeru - official, serve, attend hou shi - service, attendance shi age - finished, end shi goto - work A person [] serves

1827

1) shi, 2) shinu - death, die uchi ji ni - die in battle, die in action chi shi - lethal, fatal hisshi - desperate, inevitable death, frantic

1) shi, 2) hajimeru - begin

The woman [ - onna] on stage [ - dai]

began

kai shi - commencement, begin sue shi jyuu - forever hajimemashite - nice to meet you

1) shi, 2) tsukau, 3) tsukai- use ten shi - angel tai shi - ambassador tsukai yasui - easy to use

watashi / watakushi - I || more... shi sho bako - post office box This one's useful when talking to oneself (and shi ji - personal affairs others) see also pronouns 1) shi, 2) watashi, 3) watakushi - I, me, private

1) chi, 2) ji - ground, earth igoko chi - comfort u chuu ki chi - space station gen zai chi - you are here on a map, present location

1) ji, 2) motsu, 3) moteru - hold, have ki mochi - feeling, mood okane mochi - rich man chikara mochi - strong man

1) shitsu - quality, matter, substance

The bottom has the kanji for shell [ - kai]

shitsu mon - question hin shitsu - quality jisshitsu - substance, essence

1927

1) shitsu, 2) muro - room, chamber

The top part is a roof

misshitsu - hidden room kyou shitsu - classroom on shitsu - greenhouse

1) hin, 2) shina - goods, article, elegance, dignity

The three mouths [ - kuchi] are eating the

goods with dignity

kuruma you hin - car parts ge hin - vulgar, indecent ke shou hin - cosmetics

1) sha, 2) yashiro - company, firm, office sha kai - society kai sha - office, company shuppan sha - publisher

1) sha, 2) mono - someone, person

The sun [ - hi] is needed to make out just

who that someone is

i sha - medical doctor gaku sha - a scholar gei sha - Geisha, woman performer

1) shu, 2) zu, 3) te - hand

After several years of looking at this kanji, I

still don't see the hand the ancient Chinese saw!

kara te - Karate heta - not good at, poor at jou zu - good at, excells at te gami - letter (postal)

1) shuu - week

This is one of those rare kanji with just one

reading and meaning

isshuu kan - one week sen shuu - last week rai shuu - next week shuu matsu - weekend

2027

ren shuu - practice ji shuu - self study The top is feather or wing [ - hane] and the fuku shuu - review, study again bottom is white [ - shiro] 1) shuu, 2) ju, 3) narau - learn

1) juu, 2) chuu, 3) sumu - live, reside, dwell

You are the lord [ - shu] of the house

juu sho - (mailing) address i shoku juu - necessities of life, clothing, food, and housing i juu - migration

1) shun, 2) haru - spring (season)

The season where the sun [ - hi] returns

haru yasumi - spring break sho shun - early spring sei shun - youth

1) sei, 2) shou, 3) tadashii - correct, justice, right sei kai - correct kai sei - revisement, amendment If you stop [] and think about it you will get it shou gatsu - the New Year right

1) shou, 2) sukunai , 3) sukoshi - few, little

Small is []

shou shou omachi kudasai Please wait a moment shou nen - youth, boy

1) jou, 2) chou, 3) ba - location, place

The bit on the left [] means ground

ba sho - a place, area suki- jou - ski area chuu sha jou - parking lot

1) chi, 2) shiru - to know, wisdom chi e - wisdom

2127

To the left [ - ya] means arrow and to the

right [ - kuchi] is a mouth.

chi ji - governor koku chi - announcement, notice

sha shin - photograph makkura - pitch black This kanji has a ten [ - juu] over an eye [ - makotoni - really, truely me] 1) shin, 2) ma, 3) makoto - true, reality

1) zu, 2) to, 3) e, 4) hakaru - map, drawing, plan, unexpected

Think of it as a treasure map where X marks

the spot

chi zu - map ai zu - sign, signal i to - intention, aim

se kai - the world 1) sei, 2) se, 3) yo - generation, world, society sei ki - century jin sei - life

1) seki, 2) yuu - evening

Think of it as the moon in the evening sky

yuu gata - evening yuu yake - sunset yuu shoku - dinner

kyou sou - race dassou - escape, desertion It looks like a runner getting ready to start the nige hashiru - to run away race 1) sou, 2) hashiru - run

min zoku - tribe ka zoku - family There is a person [ - kata] with an arrow [ kaku ka zoku - nuclear family - ya] finding food for his tribe and family 1) zoku - tribe, family

2227

1) chuu, 2) sosogu, 3) sasu- pour, flow into, concentrate on chuu i - caution, warning chuu mon - order (restaurant...) The marks on the left indicate water (pouring) chuu sha - injection, a shot and the right means "lord"

1) den, 2) ta - rice field

Think of 4 square rice fields together

yu den - oil field ta ue - rice planting inaka - the country (irreg. pron)

1) dai, 2) tai - stand, stage, pedestal

It looks like someone sitting on a box and

talking into a mic

bu tai - stage tai fuu - taiphoon dai dokoro - kitchen

1) tai, 2) matsu - wait, depend on

Don't confuse with samurai []

matte kudasai - please wait a sec ki tai - expectations, hopes shou tai - invitation

1) dai - topic, subject shuku dai - homework wa dai - topic, subject mon dai - problem

1) do, 2) to, 3) taku, 4) tabi - degree, time, times occurred ichi do - one time, once on do - temperature kon do - next time

1) ritsu, 2) ryuu, 3) tatsu - to stand

Think of a person in the act of standing up

ken ritsu - prefectural doku ritsu - independence hi tachi - Hitachi company

2327

1) ryo, 2) tabi - trip, travel

A person [] packing his bag for a trip

ryo kou - trip tabi bito - a traveller ryo ken - passport

1) ryoku, 2) riki, 3) chikara - power, strength, chikara mochi - strong person exertion nou ryoku - ability kyou ryoku - cooperation Don't confuse it with nine [ - kyuu]

1) chuu, 2) hiru - noon, daytime

The sun [ - hi] is in the middle at noon

hiru ne - a nap chuu shoku - lunch, noonmeal hiru yasumi - lunch break, noon break

1) chou, 2) machi - town, village

Think of a small town with a T shaped road

leading to a rice field

minato machi - port city chou min - townspeople chou kai - town council

1) chou, 2) tori - bird

Think of a bird in its nest

yaki tori - grilled chicken isseki ni chou - one stone, two birds to kill 2 birds with one stone ko tori - a small bird

1) ten, 2) mise - store, shop kai ten - the opening of a shop kissaten - coffee shop ten in - attendant, clerk of the store

1) mon, 2) tou - question, ask, problem mon dai - problem shitsu mon - question

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Compare with gate mon []

gi mon - question, doubt, problem

1) tou, 2) fuyu - winter

Think of a cloud dropping two snow flakes

tou min - hibernation, winter sleep fuyu yasumi - winter vacation tou ki - winter season

1) dou, 2) tou, 3) michi - way, road, street, course ma gari michi - a winding road kaeri michi - the way home kata michi - a one way (trip)

1) dou - hall nin ten dou - Nintendo video game company shoku dou sha - dining car shoku dou - lunch room, cafeteria

toku betsu - special toku ni - especially, particularly This is a very special kanji so don't confuse it toku gi - special skill with 'to wait' [ - matsu] 1) toku - special

1) niku - meat

Two people [ - hito] are walking into a

restaurant for meat. Don't confuse with [ uchi]

hi niku - irony, ironic gyuu niku - beef kin niku - muscle

ara no - wasteland, wilderness ya kyuu - baseball On the other side of a village [ - sato] there nagano ken - Nagano prefecture is a field 1) ya, 2) sho, 3) no - plains, field

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1) hatsu, 2) abaku, 3) tatsu - depart, start from, to happen Think of it as a rocket launching to the stars shuppatsu - depart, leave baku hatsu - explosion hakken - discovery hatsu mei - invention

1) han, 2) meshi - meal, cooked rice

The left part is from the kanji to eat [ shoku]

go han - rice, meal asa go han - breakfast sui han ki - rice cooker

1) byou, 2) yamai, 3) yamu - ill, sick byou ki - sick byou in - hospital kyuu byou - sudden illness

1) fu, 2) bu - non-, negative, bad

This is useful for negating the following kanji

fu ka nou - impossible fu an - uneasy, unsure fu kou hei - unfairness, injustice

you fuku - western style clothes i fuku - clothes Obey me and wear moon [ - getsu] clothing fuku juu - obedience 1) fuku - clothing, obey

shoku butsu - plant life mono gatari - story, legend This mono pertains to non human objects. The tabe mono - something to eat other mono [] is for people 1) butsu, 2) motsu, 3) mono - thing, matter, object

1) bun, 2) mon, 3) fumi, 4) aya - sentence, literature bun mei - civilization bun ka - culture bun gu - stationery

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Someone crossing his legs and reading a

book

bun shou - a sentence

1) betsu, 2) wakareru, 3) wakeru - separate, another, specially bessou - a second house toku betsu - special The bottom left part is from the kanji for sword betsu ni - it's not that important, not [ - katana] and it thus separates it from other particularly kanji

1) ben, 2) tsutomeru - exertion

It takes power [ - chikara] to exert oneself

ben kyou - study fu ben kyou - idleness ben kyou chuu - in the midst of studying

1) moku, 2) boku, 3) me - eye

Think of a monster with three vertical eyes

hito me bore - love at first sight moku teki - purpose, goal hidari me - left eye

1) you, 2) mochiiru - use, service, business

This is the moon [ - tsuki] with a line in the

middle

shi you - use you shi - paper, form you i - prepare you jin bou - body gaurd

1) ya, 2) yo, 3) yoru - night, evening yo nige - flight in the night, fleeing in the night kon ya - this evening ya kan - night, night time

1) you - weekday

This is found in all 7 days of the week

nan you bi - what day of the week? kin you bi - Friday do you bi - Saturday

1) you - the West, western style, ocean you fuku - western style clothing you shoku - western (foreign) food

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The left means water and the right means

sheep [ - hitsuji]

you ga - foreign painting

ri yuu - reason, cause mu ri - impossible, unreasonable Logic is found in the villages [ - sato] not in ri ka - science the cities 1) ri - logic, reason, truth

1) ryou - fee, materials

The part to the left means 'rice' [ - kome]

Rice is an essential material to pay for

ryou kin - a charge, a fee ryou ri - cooking, dish in ryou - a drink (written word)