Kanji and kana
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Kanji and kana · Page 5
Kanji for Wish: 願 vs 祈, from お願い and 願い事 to 祈る
The Japanese kanji for wish is 願, as in 願い (negai, a wish) and 願い事 (negaigoto, a wish you make). Its partner 祈 means to pray, as in 祈る (inoru), and is used when you hope for something you cannot control, often for someone else. The everyday word お願い (onegai, please, a favour) is built on 願 too.
11 min readKanji for King: 王 in 王様, 女王 and 王子, and Why Japan Says 天皇
The Japanese kanji for king is 王, read ō. The everyday word for a king is 王様 (ōsama), a queen is 女王 (joō) and a prince is 王子 (ōji). Japan itself has an emperor, not a king, and he is called 天皇 (tennō), written with a different kanji, 皇.
10 min readKatakana Practice for Beginners: Five Drills That Build Real Reading
The best katakana practice for beginners is short, varied and built on real words: separate the look-alikes シ, ツ, ソ and ン, read long vowels and small ッ correctly, learn the combinations like ティ and ファ, read the objects around you, then build speed with timed rounds. A few focused minutes a day of these five drills will do more than copying the chart again and again.
10 min readHow Long Does It Take to Learn Hiragana? A Realistic Answer
Many learners can recognise the 46 basic hiragana within one to two weeks of short daily practice, and add the voiced kana (が, ぱ) and combinations (きゃ, しゃ) within another week or two. Reading hiragana smoothly, without sounding out each symbol, usually takes a few months of regular reading.
10 min readKanji for Music: 音 and 楽 in 音楽, 楽しい and Everyday Words
The Japanese word for music is 音楽 (ongaku), written with two kanji: 音 (oto, sound) and 楽 (gaku, music, or raku and tanoshii, ease and fun). Neither kanji means music on its own, so if you want to say or write music, use the full word 音楽.
13 min readKanji for Blood: 血 (chi, ketsu), Blood Types and Everyday Words
The Japanese kanji for blood is 血, read chi on its own and ketsu in compound words such as 血液 (ketsueki, blood, formal) and 出血 (shukketsu, bleeding). It has six strokes and looks like 皿 (dish) with one extra stroke on top.
12 min readKanji for Home: 家 vs 宅 vs うち, and Which One to Use
The everyday kanji for home and house is 家, read ie (a house) and also used for uchi (home, my place), and ka or ke in compounds such as 家族 (kazoku, family). 宅 (taku) also means home, but only inside formal words like 自宅 (jitaku, one's own home); on its own, warm home is usually うち.
11 min readKanji for Ice: 氷 (kōri), Kakigōri, Glaciers and Everyday Words
The Japanese kanji for ice is 氷, read kōri on its own and hyō in compounds such as 氷河 (hyōga, glacier). It is the kanji for water, 水, with one extra dot, and it also gives summer one of its best words: かき氷 (kakigōri, shaved ice).
11 min readKanji for Gold: 金 in お金, 金曜日, 金色 and Everyday Words
The Japanese kanji for gold is 金, read kin, as in 金メダル (kin medaru, gold medal). The same kanji also means money, read kane in お金 (okane), and Friday, 金曜日 (kin'yōbi), so context decides which meaning you see.
10 min readKanji for Earth: 地 vs 土 vs 地球, and Which One You Need
Japanese splits the English word earth into three: 地 (chi, ji) for the ground and land, 土 (tsuchi, do) for soil, and 地球 (chikyū) for the planet Earth. Which one you need depends on whether you mean the ground under your feet, the dirt in a flowerpot or the world itself.
10 min readKanji for Color: 色 (iro) in 色々, 景色, 顔色 and More
The Japanese kanji for color is 色, read iro on its own, as in 好きな色 (suki na iro, favourite colour). It also builds everyday words that are not about paint at all: 色々 (iroiro, various), 景色 (keshiki, scenery) and 顔色 (kaoiro, how healthy someone looks).
10 min readKanji for Child: 子 in 子供, 様子, 帽子 and Everyday Words
The Japanese kanji for child is 子, read ko, as in 子供 (kodomo, child) and 息子 (musuko, son). It is also a tiny suffix with no child meaning at all in words like 帽子 (bōshi, hat), 椅子 (isu, chair) and 様子 (yōsu, how things look).
11 min readPractical guides
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