Thread & cloth
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.
relaxation, easing
slow, sluggish
loose, slack
tension, nervousness
emergency, urgent
austerity, tightening
strangulation
to wring, to squeeze
choke hold (grappling)
platform, general principles
yokozuna (top sumo rank)
tug of war
navy blue
dark navy blue
Prussian blue
repair, mending
building maintenance
to mend, to patch up
conclusion (of a treaty)
contract, agreement
to tighten, to fasten
restraint, restriction
capture, arrest
to tie, to bind
dispute, strife
loss (of an item)
to be mistaken for; to slip in
suture, sewing together
sewing, needlework
to sew
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.