Jewels, gods & grain
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.
xylophone
heartstrings
harp
seal of state
imperial seal
imperial/state seals
pearl
gem, jewel; masterpiece
rosary, prayer beads
weal and woe
disaster, calamity
ravages of war
good omen
origin, birthplace
scandal, disgrace
Zen sect
seated meditation
Zen dialogue, riddle
operation (of machines)
to earn (money)
dual income (couple)
taxes
lease (of territory)
land tax
order, discipline
disorder, chaos
stipend, salary
ceramics industry
pottery workshop
charcoal kiln
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.