Character & virtue
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.
benefactor
one’s (respected) teacher
repaying a kindness
faithful, devoted
advice, warning
loyalty, allegiance
sincere, honest
sincerity, good faith
loyalty
respect, esteem
honorific language
to respect
filial piety
filial devotion
lack of filial piety
benevolence, charity
humanity and justice
benevolent art (medicine)
good, virtuous
improvement
the best, one’s utmost
ego, self
we
selflessness
self, oneself
self-interest
close friend
death
exile, defection
to pass away
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.