Speech & words
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.
audience (with royalty)
having an audience (humble)
private audience
self-restraint, penance
Happy New Year (formal)
to be reverent, to refrain
modesty, humility
humbleness, modesty
humbling oneself, deference
fraud, swindle
defrauding, swindling
misrepresentation
lawsuit, litigation
dispute, litigation
litigation costs
imperial rescript
imperial edict
imperial command
medical examination
diagnosis
percussion (medical); sounding out
oath, vow
oath, pledge
to swear, to vow
certified copy
copying, transcription
copy of family register
musical score
genealogy, lineage
chronological record
Practice
Test yourself on this lesson's kanji.