- What is Kanji?
- Very basic pictographic letters
animated five kanji - Other basic kanji
- Signs written in kanji
Chinese characters kanji were imported from China over1,500 years ago and develoved and changed in Japan. They are neither syllabic letters like the kana nor a way of spelling words like the alphabet. Each kanji has its own particular meaning. Oldest kanjis are pictographic characters.
Japanese sentence is written with a mixture of kanjis and kanas. To read a newspaper, one must know about 1,950 commonly used kanjis, hiragana, katakana. They are taught in elementary school and junior high school, along with the English alphabet.
Vertically written sentences (conventional style) should be read from top to bottom and from the right to the left line.
Horizontally written sentences should be read from left to right as well as English.
I watch television. Watashi-wa terebi-o mimasu.
Pictographic letters
Some kanjis were developed from hieroglyphics like this.
Click to the animation.
sun hi
moon tsuki
mountain yama
river kawa
mouth kuchi
| one ichi |
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two ni |
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three san |
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four shi |
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five go |
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| six roku |
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seven shichi/nana |
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eight hachi |
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nine kyuu/ku |
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ten juu |
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| right migi |
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left hidari |
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up ue |
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down shita |
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book hon |
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| in naka |
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out soto |
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red aka |
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white shiro |
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blue ao |
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| town machi |
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village mura |
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house ie |
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door to |
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car kuruma |
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| human hito |
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head atama |
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ear mimi |
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hand te |
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foot ashi |
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| eye me |
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name na |
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father chichi |
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mother haha |
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man otoko |
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| older brother ani |
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younger brother otooto |
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older sister ane |
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younger sister imooto |
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woman onna |
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| year nen |
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spring haru |
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summer natsu |
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fall aki |
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winter huyu/fuyu |
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| east higasi |
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west nishi |
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south minami |
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north kita |
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sky sora |
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| star hoshi |
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water mizu |
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fire hi |
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light hikari |
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time ji |
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| stone ishi |
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soil/ground tuchi |
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flower hana |
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tree ki |
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forest mori |
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| dog inu |
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cow ushi |
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fish sakana |
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bird tori |
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horse uma |
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You will see these signs when you walk on a street in Japan.
| station eki |  |
exit deguchi |  |
| police box kooban |  |
airport kuukoo |  |
| one way ippoo tsuukoo |  |
pedestrian crossing oodan-hodoo |  |
| watch your step ashimoto chuui |  |
no throughfare tsuukoo kinshi |  |
| ticket office kippu uriba |  |
wicket kaisatsu-guchi |  |
Centaury Home (in Japanese) | 
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