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The Kanji Readings & Meanings

1) ki, 2) kaeru - return, arrive at, come home

The first kanji of to clean souji [掃除] looks like this one. So coming home requires cleaning

お帰りなさい okaerinasai - Welcome home! Said when someone comes home
帰り道 kaeri michi - the way back home, the road home
帰国 ki koku - return to home country

1) dai - generation, price, 2) kawari, 3) kawaru - substitute, exchange 4) yo - age, generation

A lot of meaning packed in this small kanji

江戸時代 e do ji dai - Edo period (1603-1868)
古代 ko dai - ancient days
十代 juu dai - the teens, teenager, from 11-19

1) gaku, 2) raku, 3) tanoshii - music, comfort, ease

Sipping white [] wine under a tree [] is comfortable

安楽 an raku - ease, comfort
音楽 on gaku - music
楽器 gakki - a musical instrument

1) fuu, 2) fu, 3) kaze- wind, air, style

Many insects [] fly in the air

神風 kami kaze - divine wind, Kamikaze
台風 tai fuu - typhoon
日本風 nihon fuu - Japanese style

1) tai, 2) kasu - lend

Many money related kanji have shell kai [] as part of the kanji

金貸し kane kashi - money lending
貸家 kashi ya - a house for rent
ちょっと貸してください chotto kashite kudasai - Let me borrow ___ for a sec

1) hou - direction, 2) kata person, way of

It looks like a person running in direction

貴方 anata - you (usually written in hiragana)
使い方 tsukai kata - how to use (something)
見方 mi kata - view point, way of looking

1) shi, 2) kami - paper

Paper is made of threads [] of wood

手紙 te gami - letter (postal)
折り紙 ori gami - origami, paper folding
和紙 wa shi - Japanese paper

1) tsuu, 2) tooru, 3) toori- go through, avenue, traffic

普通 fu tsuu - common, generally, ordinary
通り toori (or doori) - street, avenue
通訳 tuu yaku - translate, interprete

1) tai, 2) karada, 3) katachi - body, object

The left part means person [] and the right is book []

気体 ki tai - gas, vapour
具体的 gu tai teki - concretely, tangible
体が弱い karada ga yowai - body is weak

1) shaku, 2) kariru - borrow, rent

A person borrows things during the day []

借り物 kari mono - borrowed thing
借金 shakkin - debt, loan
借り家 kari ie - house for rent

1) kan, 2) han - China

China is across the ocean from Japan so it has the 3 marks to the left which mean water

漢字 kan ji - Kanji, Chinese characters
漢文 kan bun - Chinese literature
漢和 kan wa - Chinese character - Japanese dictionary

1) kan, 2) yakata - building, palace

A large building has a place to eat [] (the left part is related to this kanji)

映画館 ei ga kan - movie theater
図書館 to sho kan - library
水族館 sui zoku kan - aquarium

1) gen, 2) gan, 3) moto - beginning, origin

It has two legs going back to the beginning

元々 moto moto - originally
身元 mi moto - ID, a person's identity
次元 ji gen - dimension

1) kou, 2) kangaeru - think, consider , 3) kangae - a thought

A lot of thought must be put in to learning this kanji

考古学 kou ko gaku - archaeology
考え直す kangae naosu - to rethink, reconsider
いい考え ii kangae - a good thought

1) chaku, 2) jyaku, 3) kiru - to wear (clothes), arrive

This kanji has sheep hitsuji [] in it. Perhaps because of wool

雨着 ama gi - rain wear
上着 uwa gi - a coat, jacket
到着 tou chaku - to arrive

1) kyuu, 2) ku, 3) kiwameru - research, study

The top is hole ana [] and the botom is 9 [] so you are researching the 9 hole.

研究 ken kyuu - research
研究会 ken kyuu kai - research society
究明 kyuu mei - investigation

1) kyo, 2) ko, 3) saru - past, gone, leave

過ぎ去る sugi saru - to pass
過去 ka ko - the past
捨て去る sute saru - to abandon (ship)

1) kyou, 2) miyako, 3) kei - capital

Both Tokyo [東京] and Kyoto [京都] have this

東京 tou kyou - Tokyo
北京 pekin - Beijing, China
上京 jou kyou - going to the capital (Tokyo)

1) kyou, 2) gou, 3) tsuyoi- strong

The left part means bow yumi [] so it takes a strong person to put a bow

強敵 kyou teki - strong enemy, fierce enemy
勉強 ben kyou - study
最強 sai kyou - the strongest

1) gyou, 2) gou, 3) waza - business, vocation

営業 ei gyou - business, trade
軽業 karu waza - acrobatics
産業 san gyou - industry

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By Clay & Yumi Boutwell www.thejapanesepage.com