The body
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.
cowardice, timidity
conjecture, hypothesis
shame, diffidence
crotch, groin
hip joint
inner thigh; pigeon-toed
tumor
to swell
edema, dropsy
kidney
kidney failure
essential, vital
vertebra, spine
spinal cord
spinal column
sweat gland
tear gland
thyroid gland
serving food
a bowl (of rice); a pair (chopsticks)
preparation, setting up
kneecap
lap pillow
kneecap
elbowing; rejection
armrest
elbow joint
supporting role
side of the belly, flank
looking aside
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.