Grade 3 kanji
Lesson 18

Business & change

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).

?

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

#1

Meaning

commerce, trade; merchant

Components

On'yomi

ショウ

Kun'yomi

あきな(う)

Example words
商人しょうにん

merchant, trader

商店しょうてん

store, shop

商業しょうぎょう

commerce, business

#2

Meaning

to entrust; committee

Components

On'yomi

Example words
委員いいん

committee member

委員会いいんかい

committee

委員長いいんちょう

committee chairperson

#3

Meaning

to change, to transform

Components

On'yomi

カ | ケ

Kun'yomi

ば(ける)

Example words
化けるばける

to transform, to take on a form

文化ぶんか

culture

化学かがく

chemistry

#4

Meaning

to substitute; generation; fee

Components

On'yomi

ダイ | タイ

Kun'yomi

か(わる) | よ | しろ

Example words
代わるかわる

to substitute, to replace

時代じだい

era, period, age

電気代でんきだい

electricity bill

#5

Meaning

opposite; versus; to face

Components

On'yomi

タイ | ツイ

Example words
反対はんたい

opposition, opposite

対するたいする

to face, to deal with

一対いっつい

a pair

#6

Meaning

to lose; to bear; to owe

Components

On'yomi

Kun'yomi

ま(ける) | お(う)

Example words
負けるまける

to lose, to be defeated

負うおう

to bear, to carry (on the back)

勝負しょうぶ

match, contest

#7

Meaning

part, section, department

Components

On'yomi

Example words
部分ぶぶん

part, portion

全部ぜんぶ

all, the whole

部屋へや

room

#8

Meaning

to win, to excel

Components

On'yomi

ショウ

Kun'yomi

か(つ) | まさ(る)

Example words
勝つかつ

to win

勝負しょうぶ

match, victory or defeat

決勝けっしょう

final (match)

#9

Meaning

to ride, to board; to multiply

Components

On'yomi

ジョウ

Kun'yomi

の(る) | の(せる)

Example words
乗るのる

to ride, to get on

乗車じょうしゃ

boarding (a vehicle)

乗客じょうきゃく

passenger

#10

Meaning

to exist, to have

Components

On'yomi

ユウ | ウ

Kun'yomi

あ(る)

Example words
有名ゆうめい

famous

有料ゆうりょう

paid, fee-charging

所有しょゆう

ownership, possession

Practice

Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.