Free Japanese resources
Kanji: Introduction
Why do kanji have several readings? How are they built? And how can you remember them without learning each character in isolation?
01 · A little bit of history Where KUN and ON readings come from
Originally, Japanese did not have its own writing system. Chinese characters were introduced to Japan and adapted to write Japanese. Very roughly, this is how one character could end up with different readings:
Japanese already had the spoken word yama for “mountain”.
They borrowed the Chinese character 山 to write that Japanese word. Naturally, they gave it the pronunciation やま yama. This type of reading, based on the pronunciation of a Japanese word, is called a “KUN-yomi” (KUN reading).
The character also arrived with a Chinese-derived pronunciation, adapted to Japanese as サン san. This type of reading, derived from a Chinese pronunciation, is called an “ON-yomi” (ON reading).
So the same kanji could now be read in more than one way.
Over time, hiragana and katakana developed from kanji. Kanji continued to be used alongside kana, and they are particularly useful for distinguishing many homophones (words that sound the same but are not written the same way).
This history helps explain why kanji can have several readings. But don’t panic: KANJI-Link is here to help you organize and memorize them.
02 · Understanding the different types of kanji Four traditional categories that are useful for learners
Let’s look at four of the traditional ways kanji were formed. Open each category to see the idea visually.
象形文字 shōkei moji Drawing of a concrete object or phenomenon
指示文字 shiji moji Representation of an abstract concept
会意文字 kaii moji Association of meanings
形声文字 keisei moji Meaning component + pronunciation component
This last category is especially important: more than 70% of kanji were formed this way. A component suggests the general meaning while another component often gives a clue to the pronunciation.
The traditional classification contains two other categories as well; this introduction focuses on the four that are the most useful here.
03 · Memorizing the shape of a kanji Break characters into memorable visual units
Picture association can help with the first three categories. Just remember that kanji forms have changed considerably over the centuries, so the modern character does not always look like the original drawing.
One of the most useful habits is to break a kanji into smaller visual units and turn those units into a memory cue.
Visual decomposition
You can visually break down 女 (“woman”) into く + ノ + 一. This decomposition also inspired the term くノ一 (kunoichi), an old coded way of writing “woman” that is now commonly associated with female ninja.
Memory story
For 親 (“parent”), you can use the visible elements 立＋木＋見 to imagine someone standing on a tree to watch over their children. This is a mnemonic, not the historical etymology of the character.
Knowing hiragana, katakana and common kanji components gives you more material for creating associations like these.
04 · The most frequent radicals Focus first on the components you will meet again and again
Traditionally, 214 radicals are used to classify kanji in dictionaries. Let’s try to be more efficient and focus on the most frequent ones!
Printable reference
The 48 most frequent radicals
These 48 groups cover approximately 75% of the 2,136 jōyō kanji.
Want to go further? The Kanji by radical page contains every historical KANJI-Link group that appears in more than ten kanji.
05 · Memorizing the readings Group kanji by shared component and pronunciation
So far, we have focused mainly on memorizing the shape of a kanji. But we have also seen that:
- kanji can have multiple readings;
- many kanji combine a component related to meaning with another component related to pronunciation.
The “secret” to memorizing this second category more efficiently is to group kanji that have both a common component and a similar pronunciation. How do you know which kanji to group together? KANJI-Link has done the job for you!
Once you are familiar with the different readings, learn words in which those readings actually appear. The more associations you make, the more chances you have of recalling them later.