犬

Dog Jumping 1
Originally uploaded by
smileywhiley05

Dog

犬（いぬ） - a dog
inu

野（ヤ）犬（ケン） - a stray dog
yaken

犬



犬 shows a side view of a dog, and it makes the animal radical (けものへん）.
cf.
狼 - wolf
猫 - cat
狐 - fox
猪 - wild boar
猿 - monkey
狩 - to hunt (verb)
狂 - crazy, wild (adjective)

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Radical: 犬
Stroke Count: 4
音：ケン
訓：いぬ
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本

DSC_4898.JPG
Originally uploaded by autan

Base, book

本（もと） - the base of something
moto

本（ホン） - a book
hon

基（キ）本（ホン） - basis, foundation
kihon

本（ホン）当（トウ） - truth
hontou

本（ホン）質（しつ） - essence
honshitsu

本
The little horizontal line (-) in 本 indicates the base of 木 (tree).
-----
Radical: 木
Stroke Count: 5
音：ホン
訓：もと
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入

tent view
Originally uploaded by ronk53.


Sharpener
Originally uploaded by Big-E-Mr-G

Enter, insert

入（はい）る - to enter
hairu

入（い）れる - to insert
ireru

入（い）り口（ぐち） - entrance
iriguchi

入（い）れ物（もの） - container
iremono

入（ニュウ）学（ガク） - enter (a) school
nyuugaku



Note: 入 is different from 人!!
Imagine 入 as the head of an arrow-shaped object (↑)　to insert.
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Radical: 入
Stroke Count: 2
音：ニュウ・ジュ
訓：い・はい
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名

Attractive Women Amuse Me
Originally uploaded by "CAVE CANEM".

Name

名（な） - name
na

名（な）前（まえ） - name
namae

名（ミョウ）字（じ） - family name, surname
myouji

名（メイ）人（ジン） - a master, an expert, a person whose name is well-known for his/her skill.
meijin

名

夕 +　口　= 名
Do you think the girl in the picture would reveal her name? :)
名 indicates that you speak up in darkness to let others know where/who you are.

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Radical: 口
Stroke Count: 6
音：ミョウ・メイ
訓：な
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夕

Crescent Moon
Originally uploaded by markkilner

Evening

夕（ゆう）方（がた） - evening, nightfall
yuugata

夕（ゆう）食（ショク） - supper, dinner [eaten in the evening]
yuushoku

夕（ゆう）日（ひ） - the evening/setting sun
yuuhi

夕

夕 represents the crescent moon.　See 月.
cf. 外、名

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Radical: 夕
Stroke Count: 3
音： セキ
訓： ゆう
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町

Rice Field Mirror
Originally uploaded by timtak.

Town

町 - town
machi



田 + 丁 = 町

町 originally represented a T-shaped path between rice fields (田), but it came to mean streets in a town, and then the town itself as well.

- watashi no itoko wa hokkaidou asahikawa-shi no kamui-chou ni sunde imasu.
- 私のいとこは北海道旭川市の神居町に住んでいます。
- My cousin lives at Kamui-chou (the section called Kamui-chou) in Asahikawa, Hokkaido.

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Radical: 田
Stroke Count: 7
音： チョウ
訓： まち
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竹

Bamboo
Originally uploaded by hargtimothy

Bamboo

竹（たけ） - bamboo
take

竹（チク）林（リン） - bamboo forest
chikurin






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Radical: 竹
Stroke Count: 6
音： チク
訓： たけ
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小

Ruby - North Carolina
Originally uploaded by adamantine.

Small

• mal, mala, malo
• malen, malena, maleno
  

小（ちい）さい - small
chiisai

小（こ）型（がた） - small size
kogata

小（ショウ）学（ガッ）校（コウ） - elementary school
shougakkou

小（お）川（がわ）
ogawa - stream, brook, creek



antonym: 大

--> usage examples
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Radical: 小
Stroke Count: 3
音： ショウ
訓： こ・ちい・お
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石

Cliffs of Stone
Originally uploaded by Rexton


Cave woman
Originally uploaded by kasiahalka.

Stone

• kamen
  

石（いし） - stone
ishi

石（セキ）炭（タン） - coal
sekitan

• ugalj
  

石

石 shows a stone （口） under a cliff.
Make sure to distinguish between 石 and 右.

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Radical: 石
Stroke Count: 5
音： セキ・シャク・コク
訓： いし
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玉

Cool beads!
Originally uploaded by charmednblum


飴 Ame
Originally uploaded by kamoda

Ball, Sphere, Jewel

• lopta, kugla, sfera, dragulj
  

玉（たま） - ball, sphere, jewel
tama

玉（たま）子（ご） - egg　（＝卵）
tamago

玉（ギョク）座（ザ） - throne
gyokuza

玉

It is said that 玉 represents three jewels connected with a string.



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Radical: 玉
Stroke Count: 5
音： ギョク
訓： たま
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王

Redentor Christ statue (Christ the Redeemer)
Originally uploaded by Carrie J

King

• kralj
  

王（オウ） - king
ou (pronounced "oh")

• kralj
  

女（ジョ）王（オウ） - queen
jo'ou

• kraljica

王（オウ）子（ジ） - prince
ouji

• princ
  

王（オウ）女（ジョ） - princess
oujo

• princeza
  

王

王 represents a person standing between the sky and the ground.

一　(the top horizontal line, the sky) + 大 + __ (the bottom horizontal line, the ground) = 王

cf. 大、立、天


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Radical: 玉
Stroke Count: 4
音： オウ
訓： -
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草

Sprung
Originally uploaded by _Dano.

Grass, plant

• trava (grass)
• biljka (plant)

草（くさ）
kusa

草（ソウ）原（ゲン） - grassy field
sougen

• travnato polje
  

草

• The top part originally looked like 艸, which meant grass/weed. 早 (sou) was added for pronunciation purposes.

Also see 朝、早

The ┼┼ radical （くさかんむり） is often used with a kanji that relates to a plant:
葉　leaf

• list

花　flower

• cvijet

芽　bud, sprout

• pup, pupoljak

茎　stem, stalk

• stabljika

蘭　orchid

• orhideja

苺　strawberry

• jagoda

-----
Radical: ┼┼
Stroke Count: 9
音： ソウ
訓： くさ
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早

Picture 001
Originally uploaded by Amanda J G.


Fallen
Originally uploaded by Roger Smith.

Early

• rano
  

早（はや）い
hayai

早（ソウ）朝（チョウ） - early morning
souchou

• rano jutro
  

早

• It is said that 早 shows the shape of an oak nut or an alder nut (on a branch), both of which are dark in color, and it indicates the darkness of early morning.

Also see 朝,　草

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Radical: 日
Stroke Count: 6
音： ソウ・サッ
訓： はや
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糸

Threads of ideas
Originally uploaded by bigarnex.

Thread

• nit (plural: niti)
  
• vlakno (plural: vlakna)
  
• konac (plural: konci)
  

糸（いと）
ito



The old form of this kanji is 絲. It represents twisted threads.



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Radical: 糸
Stroke Count: 6
音： シ
訓： いと
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八

Dragonfly on Lotus Bud Widescreen Wallpaper
Originally uploaded by TheEclecticArtisan.

Eight (8)

• osam
  

八（ハチ）
hachi

八（ハッ）歳（サイ） - eight years old
hassai

八

八 indicates something divided into two. In other words, eight is a number that is easy to divide in half.

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Radical: 八
Stroke Count: 2
音： ハチ
訓： や・よう
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貝

Seashell
Originally uploaded by NYBunny.

Shellfish

• školjka (plural: školjke)
  

貝（かい）
kai

貝（かい）殻（がら） - shell, seashell
kaigara



貝

貝 represents a bivalve split open. Seashells were used as money in the old times, and those kanjis with the 貝 radical often relate to money and fortunes.

財 - fortune
費 - to spend
貧 - poor
買 - to buy
賭 - bet, wager
負 - to owe

-----
Radical: 貝
Stroke Count: 7
音： -
訓： かい
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雨

rain drops
Originally uploaded by Isis.


Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Originally uploaded by Slavina Bahchevanova
.

Rain

• kiša

雨　（あめ） - rain
ame

雨（あま）宿（やど）り　- hide/shelter from the rain
amayadori

雨（ウ）天（テン） - rainy weather
uten

• 一　= sky, somewhere high above (See 天）
• 巾　= clouds
• 、、 = raindrops - kapi kiše

Another way to remember this kanji is, imagine something falling down from the sky as shown below.



See 雲、雪、電
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Radical : 雨
Stroke Count: 8
音：ウ
訓：あめ・あま
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耳

rory's ear
Originally uploaded by normaltoilet.

Ear

• uho (plural: uši)

耳（みみ）
mimi

耳

See 聞

-----
Radical : 耳
Stroke Count: 6
音：ジ
訓：みみ
-----

天

owning the sky
Originally uploaded by sincerely.

Sky, heaven, somewhere high above

• nebesa, raj

天（テン）
ten

天（テン）国（ゴク）　- heaven
tengoku

天（テン）使（シ） - angel
tenshi

天（テン）井（ジョウ） - ceiling
tenjou

天（あま）の川（がわ） - Milky Way
amanogawa

天

• Notice 大 under 一.
• 天 is somewhere higher than 空.

Also see 人, 大, 空

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Radical : 大
Stroke Count: 4
音：テン
訓：あま・あめ
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空

Ameba
Originally uploaded by boskizzi.

Sky, empty

• nebo
  

空（そら） - sky
sora

空（から） - empty
kara

空（クウ）気（キ）　- air
kuuki

航（コウ）空（クウ） - aviation, flying
koukuu

空

• the top part (looking like ウ) = a roof, or a house
  
• the middle part (八) = an opening
• the bottom part （エ） = penetration

空 originally means "empty". Imagine, when something penetrates somewhere, it makes a hole and leaves an empty space.

See 天 (sky), 穴, 工

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Radical : 穴
Stroke Count: 8
音：クウ
訓：そら・から・あ・むな
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