Numbers 1-10
Tap an example word to hear it pronounced.
On'yomi & Kun'yomi
On'yomi (音読み) is the reading borrowed from Chinese, usually used in compound words, e.g. 三月 (さんがつ, March).
Kun'yomi (訓読み) is the native Japanese reading, used when the kanji stands alone or takes kana endings, e.g. 三つ (みっつ, three items).
By convention the readings list writes on'yomi in katakana (シュ) and kun'yomi in hiragana (さけ). Example words show furigana in hiragana, so the same on'yomi can look like シュ in the list but しゅ in a word.
What the component colors mean
Blue - the main radical the kanji is filed under in dictionaries.
Green - a component that hints at the meaning.
Orange - a component that hints at the reading (sound).
Grey - another building block, with no clear meaning or sound role.
one item (counter for objects)
January
one person
two items (counter for objects)
February
two people
three items (counter for objects)
March
three people
When counting, 四 is usually read よん, not し (which sounds like 死 "death") - but fixed words keep し, e.g. 四月 (しがつ).
four items (counter for objects)
April
four people
five items (counter for objects)
May
five people
six items (counter for objects)
June
Often read なな when counting to avoid confusion with 一 (いち), though the on'yomi is しち (七月 = しちがつ).
seven items (counter for objects)
July
eight items (counter for objects)
August
Read きゅう or く; the month uses く (九月 = くがつ).
nine items (counter for objects)
September
October
twenty years old
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.