_Introduction to Japanese Writing System is here
Kanji (漢字)
_Kanji (漢字), characters of Chinese origin. Kanji's main use is as the stems of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Japanese students begin to learn kanji from their first year at elementary school. A guideline created by the Japanese Ministry of Education, the list of kyōiku kanji (教育漢字)("education kanji", a subset of jōyō kanji), specifies the 1,006 simple characters a child is to learn by the end of sixth grade.
Children continue to study another 939 characters in junior high school, covering in total 1,945 jōyō kanji (常用漢字), literally means "commonly used Kanji". The official list of jōyō kanji was revised several times, but the total number of officially sanctioned characters remained largely unchanged.
There are about 2000 kanji needed to be literate in Japan. But in reality, knowing just a couple hundred will allow you to read most anything with the aid of a dictionary.
Kanji unlike both Hiragana and Katakana, have meaning and pronunciation (usually multiple pronunciations, for example On-readings and Kun-readings).
When learning Kanji please keep in mind 3 important things--1.On-reading and Kun-reading; 2.Stroke; and 3.Radicals. I will go in details with you all in the following articles.
Children continue to study another 939 characters in junior high school, covering in total 1,945 jōyō kanji (常用漢字), literally means "commonly used Kanji". The official list of jōyō kanji was revised several times, but the total number of officially sanctioned characters remained largely unchanged.
There are about 2000 kanji needed to be literate in Japan. But in reality, knowing just a couple hundred will allow you to read most anything with the aid of a dictionary.
Kanji unlike both Hiragana and Katakana, have meaning and pronunciation (usually multiple pronunciations, for example On-readings and Kun-readings).
When learning Kanji please keep in mind 3 important things--1.On-reading and Kun-reading; 2.Stroke; and 3.Radicals. I will go in details with you all in the following articles.
_ On-readings and Kun-readings
When pronunciation Kanji, it is important to keep in mind that there are 2 readings--On-reading and Kun-reading. Almost all kanji have On-readings except for most of the kanji that were developed in Japan (e.g. 込 has only Kun-readings). Some dozen kanji don't have Kun-readings, but most kanji have multiple readings.
Kanji was imported from China around the 5th century. The Japanese incorporated both the original Chinese reading and their native Japanese reading. On-reading (On-yomi) is the Chinese reading of a Kanji character. It is based on the sound of the Kanji character as pronounced by the Chinese at the time the character was introduced, and also from the area it was imported. That is why the On-reading might be quite different from Standard Mandarin today.
The Kun-reading (Kun-yomi) is the native Japanese reading associated with the meaning of a Kanji. For example, 山 (mountain) can be read either san (On-reading) or yama (Kun-reading). Below are some more examples.
When pronunciation Kanji, it is important to keep in mind that there are 2 readings--On-reading and Kun-reading. Almost all kanji have On-readings except for most of the kanji that were developed in Japan (e.g. 込 has only Kun-readings). Some dozen kanji don't have Kun-readings, but most kanji have multiple readings.
Kanji was imported from China around the 5th century. The Japanese incorporated both the original Chinese reading and their native Japanese reading. On-reading (On-yomi) is the Chinese reading of a Kanji character. It is based on the sound of the Kanji character as pronounced by the Chinese at the time the character was introduced, and also from the area it was imported. That is why the On-reading might be quite different from Standard Mandarin today.
The Kun-reading (Kun-yomi) is the native Japanese reading associated with the meaning of a Kanji. For example, 山 (mountain) can be read either san (On-reading) or yama (Kun-reading). Below are some more examples.
Meaning | On-reading | Kun-reading |
mountain (山) | san | yama |
river (川) | sen | kawa |
flower (花) | ka | hana |
___
How do you know when to use On-reading and Kun-reading?
Unfortunately there is no simple way to explain when to use On-reading or Kun-reading. You need to memorize the pronunciation on an individual basis, one word at a time.
However, here are some facts that are worth remembering. On-reading is usually used when the kanji is a part of a compound (two or more Kanji characters are placed side by site). Kun-reading is used when the Kanji is used on its own, either as a complete noun or as adjective stems and verb stems. This is not a hard rule, but at least you can make a better guess.
Let's take a look at the Kanji character for "水 (water)". The On-reading for the character is "sui" and the Kun-reading is "mizu." "水 (mizu)" is a word in its own right, meaning "water". The Kanji compound "水曜日(Wednesday)" is read as "suiyoubi." Below are other examples.
How do you know when to use On-reading and Kun-reading?
Unfortunately there is no simple way to explain when to use On-reading or Kun-reading. You need to memorize the pronunciation on an individual basis, one word at a time.
However, here are some facts that are worth remembering. On-reading is usually used when the kanji is a part of a compound (two or more Kanji characters are placed side by site). Kun-reading is used when the Kanji is used on its own, either as a complete noun or as adjective stems and verb stems. This is not a hard rule, but at least you can make a better guess.
Let's take a look at the Kanji character for "水 (water)". The On-reading for the character is "sui" and the Kun-reading is "mizu." "水 (mizu)" is a word in its own right, meaning "water". The Kanji compound "水曜日(Wednesday)" is read as "suiyoubi." Below are other examples.
Kanji |
On-reading | Kun-reading |
音 | 音楽 - ongaku (music) |
音 - oto sound |
星 | 星座 - seiza (constellation) |
星 - hoshi (star) |
新 | 新聞 - shinbun (newspaper) |
新しい -atara(shii) (new) |
食 | 食欲 - shokuyoku (appetite) |
食べる - ta(beru) (to eat) |
_ Stroke
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is the stroke. It is very important to know stroke count and stroke order when writing Kanji. The stroke count is the number of strokes used to write the Kanji character. Both stroke count and stroke order help you to write a Kanji character properly. The stroke count is also useful when using a Kanji dictionary.
The most basic rule for stroke order is that Kanji are written from top to bottom and from left to right.
Below are some other basic rules.
1.Horizontal strokes are written from left to right and are parallel. (Example: the kanji character for "three")
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is the stroke. It is very important to know stroke count and stroke order when writing Kanji. The stroke count is the number of strokes used to write the Kanji character. Both stroke count and stroke order help you to write a Kanji character properly. The stroke count is also useful when using a Kanji dictionary.
The most basic rule for stroke order is that Kanji are written from top to bottom and from left to right.
Below are some other basic rules.
1.Horizontal strokes are written from left to right and are parallel. (Example: the kanji character for "three")
_
2.Vertical strokes are written from top to bottom. (Example: the kanji character for "river")
_ 3.When
strokes cross each other, horizontal strokes are usually written before
vertical strokes. (Example: the kanji character for "ten")
_ 4.Outside frames first, but bottom line last. (Example: the kanji character for "sun")
_ 5.Central
vertical strokes are written last. (Example: the kanji character for
"middle")
_ 6.Right-to-left
diagonal strokes precede left-to-right diagonal strokes. (Example: the kanji
character for "letter")
_7.Strokes which cut through the middle of kanji come last. (Example: the kanji character for "boat")
_ 8.There are three different endings: Stop, Stretch,
Hook.
All kanji should be uniform size. If you want to master kanji, I suggest you put a lot of effort into writing kanji properly with the right stroke order from the beginning. Once you get bad habits, it is very hard to correct them later.
All kanji should be uniform size. If you want to master kanji, I suggest you put a lot of effort into writing kanji properly with the right stroke order from the beginning. Once you get bad habits, it is very hard to correct them later.
_ Radical
Most Kanji can be divided into fairly clear sections. Either from the left & right or top & bottom. The parts may be Kanji themselves squished in to form another Kanji, or they may be special shapes used with other shapes only to make different kanji. There are 7 positions for these shapes. For example the position to the left is called the 偏 hen section. Here is one shape that is positioned in the hen area (the left side of the kanji):
松 matsu (pine tree)
梅 ume (plum tree)
Above are 2 examples of the きへん ki hen in action! It is 偏 hen because the 木 ki is placed to the left side of the Kanji. Notice that the meaning usually pertains to the parts that make it up. So in our examples the ki hen makes words that relate to trees (pines and plums)!
The following table shows the 7 possible places of radical of a Kanji.
Most Kanji can be divided into fairly clear sections. Either from the left & right or top & bottom. The parts may be Kanji themselves squished in to form another Kanji, or they may be special shapes used with other shapes only to make different kanji. There are 7 positions for these shapes. For example the position to the left is called the 偏 hen section. Here is one shape that is positioned in the hen area (the left side of the kanji):
松 matsu (pine tree)
梅 ume (plum tree)
Above are 2 examples of the きへん ki hen in action! It is 偏 hen because the 木 ki is placed to the left side of the Kanji. Notice that the meaning usually pertains to the parts that make it up. So in our examples the ki hen makes words that relate to trees (pines and plums)!
The following table shows the 7 possible places of radical of a Kanji.
The place names:
Really, you don't have to know this, but...
1 |
|
偏 hen
(left side) |
||||
2 |
|
つくり tsukuri (right side) |
||||
3 |
|
冠 kanmuri
(crown) (top) |
||||
4 |
|
脚 ashi
(leg, foot) (the bottom) |
||||
5 |
|
垂 tare (top & left) |
||||
6 |
|
にょう nyou (left & bottom) |
||||
7 | ? | 構 kamae (everything else!) |
_
There are 214 radicals. Don't worry about learning all of them! I doubt most Japanese can recognize and name them all. However, if you memorize some of the important radicals, they will help you to figure out the meanings of many kanji.
<Japanese symbols except Kana or Kanji>
1. Punctuation marks
The punctuation marks used in Japanese are Kuten " 。" and Touten " 、". As for the Touten in lateral writing, " 、" or " . " is used. Kuten is equivalent to an English period. It is always used in the end of a sentence. Touten is used in order to make a sentence easy to read and to understand. However, there is no regular rule in this.
2. Iteration marks
Japanese does not have a grammatical plural form per se like English. However, some Kanji can indicate plurality by iterating. The iteration mark of Kanji is "々".
For example,
3. Other marks
Conclusion
Last but not least, my suggestions for studying Kanji (as humble as they may be) are to Create fun mnemonics that will help you remember the character. Make it personal and even absurd to make it stick better. For example, the moon 月 looks like the character for sun 日 but with legs. Think of the moon trying to run away from the sun since it usually only comes out at night.
Copy each individual kanji several times while speaking and thinking the readings. While writing them, try to emphasize the kanji's reading, meaning, and shape in your head.
Finally, read! Begin with the reading practice on this site and then search for the newly learned kanji in other contexts. It is an exciting feeling to come across Kanji that you have just studied.
Set some realistic goals for yourself and get as much exposure to the language as possible.
P.S. Please remember, I will post Kanji lessons in the "Blog" section. If you want to learn Kanji with me, you can go in there and start learning. I will use the "Education Kanji" for my reference point. Japanese school children first learn Hiragana and Katakana, then from grades one to six, the 1006 'Education Kanji' characters plus the remaining 700+ in high shcool.
There are 214 radicals. Don't worry about learning all of them! I doubt most Japanese can recognize and name them all. However, if you memorize some of the important radicals, they will help you to figure out the meanings of many kanji.
<Japanese symbols except Kana or Kanji>
1. Punctuation marks
The punctuation marks used in Japanese are Kuten " 。" and Touten " 、". As for the Touten in lateral writing, " 、" or " . " is used. Kuten is equivalent to an English period. It is always used in the end of a sentence. Touten is used in order to make a sentence easy to read and to understand. However, there is no regular rule in this.
2. Iteration marks
Japanese does not have a grammatical plural form per se like English. However, some Kanji can indicate plurality by iterating. The iteration mark of Kanji is "々".
For example,
- 人 (hito) a person - 人々 (hitobito) people
- 時 (toki) time - 時々 (tokidoki) sometimes
3. Other marks
- "//" : This is often used for entry of documents etc. It is used when entering the same word or phrase.
- "ー" : Indicates a lengthened vowel sound. The direction of writing depends on the direction of text.
- "~" : This means "from..to..". For example, the meaning of "月~金曜日" is "from Monday to Friday".
- "。。。" : This expresses silence and the situation of choking up.
- "「」" : This is the usual Japanese quotation marks.
Conclusion
Last but not least, my suggestions for studying Kanji (as humble as they may be) are to Create fun mnemonics that will help you remember the character. Make it personal and even absurd to make it stick better. For example, the moon 月 looks like the character for sun 日 but with legs. Think of the moon trying to run away from the sun since it usually only comes out at night.
Copy each individual kanji several times while speaking and thinking the readings. While writing them, try to emphasize the kanji's reading, meaning, and shape in your head.
Finally, read! Begin with the reading practice on this site and then search for the newly learned kanji in other contexts. It is an exciting feeling to come across Kanji that you have just studied.
Set some realistic goals for yourself and get as much exposure to the language as possible.
P.S. Please remember, I will post Kanji lessons in the "Blog" section. If you want to learn Kanji with me, you can go in there and start learning. I will use the "Education Kanji" for my reference point. Japanese school children first learn Hiragana and Katakana, then from grades one to six, the 1006 'Education Kanji' characters plus the remaining 700+ in high shcool.