Will & expression
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.
desire, ambition
motivation, drive
appetite
excitement
hard struggle
stirring oneself up
year-end party
memorandum
to forget
secret
mystery, mystique
secretary
recognition, cognition
confirmation
to recognize, to admit
denial, negation
refusal, rejection
safety, well-being
Meaning
specialize; exclusive
Components
On'yomi
セン
Kun'yomi
もっぱ（ら）
specialty, expertise
exclusive use
major (of study)
declaration
propaganda, advertising
pronouncement, sentence
Meaning
general, commander; future
Components
On'yomi
ショウ
future
general, shogun
captain (of a team)
birth
birthday
birth (of a notable person)
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.