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 6
Kanji for Beginning: 始 vs 初, and 初めて vs 始めて Explained
Japanese has two kanji for beginning: 始 (shi, hajimeru) for starting an action, as in 始める (hajimeru, to start), and 初 (sho, hatsu, hajime) for the first time or the earliest part, as in 初めて (hajimete, for the first time). Both 初めて and 始めて are read hajimete, but they mean different things, so the kanji matters.
11 min readKanji for Blessing: 祝 vs 恵 vs 福 and How Each One Is Used
There is no single kanji for blessing in Japanese; three kanji share the idea. 祝 (shuku, iwau) is to celebrate, as in お祝い (oiwai), 恵 (megumi) is a gift you are blessed with, as in 恵まれる (megumareru, to be blessed with), and 福 (fuku) is good fortune, as in 福袋 (fukubukuro, lucky bag).
11 min readLearn Your First Kanji With Mocchi Through Useful Words
Learn a first kanji inside a useful word rather than trying to memorize all its readings at once. Ask Mocchi to connect the character's shape, the reading of one familiar word, and a short sentence you can understand.
4 min readUse Kanji Components With Mocchi Without Inventing Etymology
Kanji components can give you a useful visual memory cue, but a memorable story is not automatically the character's historical origin. Ask Mocchi to label a personal mnemonic clearly and still practice the character inside a real Japanese word.
4 min readAsk Mocchi to Explain a Kanji Reading in the Word You Found
When a kanji reading surprises you, give Mocchi the complete word and sentence rather than the character alone. Learn the reading that belongs to that word, then compare another useful example without assuming one familiar sound fits every compound.
4 min readJapanese City Names and Their Meanings: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka
Most Japanese city names can be read as two small pictures. Tōkyō (東京) is eastern capital, Kyōto (京都) is capital city, Ōsaka (大阪) is large slope and Yokohama (横浜) is side beach. A few, such as Nara and Nagoya, use kanji mainly for their sound, and their origins are uncertain.
8 min readKanji of the Year: Kotoshi no Kanji and How to Pick Your Own
Kotoshi no kanji (今年の漢字), the kanji of the year, is a single character chosen by public vote to sum up the year in Japan. It is announced each December at Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto, where the head priest writes it with a huge brush.
7 min readJapanese Formal Number Kanji: Daiji on Envelopes and Receipts
Daiji (大字) are formal kanji numerals, chiefly 壱, 弐, 参 and 拾 for one, two, three and ten, used for sums of money on gift envelopes, receipts and legal documents because the plain 一, 二, 三 and 十 can be enlarged with a single stroke.
12 min readJapanese Map Symbols (Chizu Kigō): How to Read Them, With Diagrams
Japanese map symbols, chizu kigō, are small drawings of something you would find at the place, such as a torii gate for a shrine or crossed batons for a police box, and a circle added around a symbol usually marks the bigger version.
12 min readJapanese Stroke Endings: Tome, Hane and Harai Explained With Diagrams
Every kanji stroke ends in one of three ways: tome, where the pen stops before lifting; hane, where it stops and flicks off in a new direction; or harai, where it sweeps away and thins out while still moving.
12 min readKanji Pictographs: The Kanji That Began as Pictures, With Diagrams
Kanji pictographs are characters that began as drawings of things, such as three peaks for yama, mountain, and a tree for ki; their curves were squared off into strokes, and they now serve as building blocks inside thousands of other kanji.
12 min readHiragana and Katakana Origins: How Kana Came From Kanji
Both kana scripts come from kanji used only for their sound: hiragana is a whole kanji written in flowing cursive, as 安 became あ, while katakana is one piece cut from a kanji, as the left side of 阿 became ア.
13 min readPractical guides
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