Grade 2 kanji
Lesson 11

Animals & countryside

Tap an example word to hear it pronounced.

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.

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).

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Grey - another building block, with no clear meaning or sound role.

#1

Meaning

bird

Components

On'yomi

チョウ

Kun'yomi

とり

Example words
小鳥ことり

small bird

白鳥はくちょう

swan

#2

Meaning

fish

Components

On'yomi

ギョ

Kun'yomi

さかな | うお

Example words
魚屋さかなや

fish shop

金魚きんぎょ

goldfish

川魚かわうお

river fish

#3

Meaning

horse

Components

On'yomi

Kun'yomi

うま | ま

Example words
馬車ばしゃ

horse carriage

竹馬たけうま

stilts

#4

Meaning

cow, cattle

Components

On'yomi

ギュウ

Kun'yomi

うし

Example words
子牛こうし

calf

牛肉ぎゅうにく

beef

牛乳ぎゅうにゅう

milk

#5

Meaning

feather, wing

Components

On'yomi

Kun'yomi

は | はね

Note

Also the counter for birds and rabbits (一羽, 二羽).

Example words
羽音はおと

sound of wings

羽毛うもう

feathers, down

一羽いちわ

one bird

#6

Meaning

horn; corner, angle

Components

On'yomi

カク

Kun'yomi

つの | かど

Example words
角笛つのぶえ

horn (instrument)

三角さんかく

triangle

四角しかく

square, quadrangle

#7

Meaning

chirp, cry; to sound

Components

On'yomi

メイ

Kun'yomi

な(く) | な(る)

Example words
鳴くなく

to chirp, to cry (animal)

鳴るなる

to sound, to ring

鳴き声なきごえ

animal cry

#8

Meaning

field, plain; the wild

Components

On'yomi

Kun'yomi

Example words
野球やきゅう

baseball

野原のはら

field, plain

野菜やさい

vegetables

#9

Meaning

village; ri (old distance unit)

Components

On'yomi

Kun'yomi

さと

Example words
古里ふるさと

hometown

山里やまざと

mountain village

一里いちり

one ri (~3.9 km)

#10

Meaning

rock, boulder

Components

On'yomi

ガン

Kun'yomi

いわ

Example words
岩石がんせき

rock, stone

大岩おおいわ

big rock

Practice

Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.