People, family & roles
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.
husband and wife
wife and children
married woman
lady, woman
housewife
married couple
grandfather
grandmother
ancestors
teacher (instructor)
medical doctor
master (craftsman)
samurai, warrior
doctor (PhD), expert
lawyer
resemblance, similarity
to resemble
portrait, likeness
individual
individuality
one (item)
protection
insurance
to keep, to maintain
occupation, profession
finding employment
staff member
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.