Society & concepts
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.
prayer, supplication
prayer
to pray
play, game
drama, play (script)
to frolic, to joke
influence, effect
sound, acoustics
to resound, to echo
within range
the atmosphere
metropolitan area
heartbeat, pulsation
drum (taiko)
encouragement, inspiration
mutual, reciprocal
alternate, reciprocal
each other
item, entry
matter, item
articles and clauses
time, years
hurrah, banzai
year-end gift
slope, incline
slope, incline surface
diagonal, slanting
interpretation
explanation, justification
slight bow, nod
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.