Hand 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.
handshake
grasp, comprehension
to grip, to grasp
seizure, confiscation
affixing a seal
to push
excavation
mining, extraction
to dig
attack, offense
blow, shock; batting
to shoot, to strike
vibration
slump, stagnation
to wave, to shake
outstanding, preeminent
selection
to pull out
depiction, description
sketch, drawing
to draw, to depict
payment
shortage, running out
to pay; to brush off
capture, catch
arrest
to catch, to seize
aspiration, ambition
nursing, care
to hold, to embrace
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.