Nation & society
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.
citizen, nation
citizen (of a city)
farmer, peasant
police officer
instructor, teaching officer
director, chief
soldier, serviceman
air force
soldier, troops
weapon, arms
chairing, master of ceremonies
superior, boss
sumo referee
cabinet minister
vassal, retainer
subject, retainer
meeting, conference
debate, argument
assembly, parliament
rural districts
to give birth, to produce
production
local specialty
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.