People & actions
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.
thrift, economy
diligence and thrift
frugality, simplicity
subjugation, punitive attack
logging, felling
thinning (forest)
imitation, copying
imitation product
to imitate, to follow
calculation; the bill
misunderstanding
pardon, forgiveness
recruitment
application, entry
to recruit; to grow intense
encouragement
encouragement, promotion
to strive, to work hard
both sides, both parties
twins
binoculars
hearsay, secondhand info
or, otherwise
subletting
wholesale
wholesale price
to sell wholesale; to grate
going slowly
gradually
slow, gentle
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.