Japan Corner

The Japanese kanji 学 means “study” or “to learn“. The pronunciation of the Kanji 学 is “mana-bu” (まな-ぶ) in its kun’yomi (Japanese reading) and “gaku” (ガク) in its on’yomi (Chinese reading). The Kanji 学 is constructed with 8 strokes. It is a part of the JLPT N5 syllabus (please check the JLPT N5 Kanji list), and is taught in grade

The Japanese kanji for “character” or “letter” is 字. The pronunciation of the Kanji 字 is “aza” (あざ) in its kun’yomi (Japanese reading) and “ji” (ジ) in its on’yomi (Chinese reading). The Kanji 字 is constructed with 6 strokes. It is a part of the JLPT N4 syllabus (please check the list of JLPT N4 kanji), and is taught in

Japanese kanji for “Child” is 子. The pronunciation of the Kanji 子 is “ko” (こ) in its kun’yomi (Japanese reading) and “shi” (シ) or “su” (ス) in its on’yomi (Chinese reading). Please note that the Kanji 子, meaning “child,” is also one of the twelve Zodiac animal signs in the Chinese zodiac, representing the rat. Additionally, pronounced as zǐ, it

The Japanese kanji for “Long” is 長. The pronunciation of the Kanji 長 is “naga-i” (なが-い) in its kun’yomi (Japanese reading) and “chou” (チョウ) in its on’yomi (Chinese reading). However, the Kanji 長 is also pronounced as “osa” (おさ) in it’s Japanese reading. The reading “osa” is for words when this Kanji extends its meaning from long to mean the

The Japanese kanji for “Time” is 時. The pronunciation of the Kanji 時 is “Toki” (とき) in its kun’yomi (Japanese reading) and “ji” (ジ) in its on’yomi (Chinese reading). In some contexts, 時 can also refer to an occasion, moment, or period, as in その時 (そのとき / sono toki), meaning “at that time” or “then.” Please note that when writing

The Japanese Kanji for “temple” is 寺. The Kunyomi or the Japanese pronunciation of the Kanji 寺 is tera (てら), and the Onyomi (Chinese) pronunciation is ji (ジ). Temple’s Kanji is part of JLPT N2 and is taught in grade 2 in Japanese schools. Origin of Shape 寺 Temple’s Kanji 寺 is constructed with 6 strokes. At first glance, the

寸 is the Kanji, which means shortness or tininess. The onyomi or Chinese pronunciation of 寸 is すん (sun). This Kanji does not have kunyomi, or Japanese reading; however, in Japanese names (nanori reading), it is pronounced as す (su) or みき (miki). The Kanji 寸, which is part of JLPT N1 and taught in the 6th grade in Japanese

The Japanese Kanji meaning “Inside,” “Middle,” or “Within” is 中. The Kun’yomi, or the Japanese pronunciation of the Kanji 中, is “naka” (なか), and the On’yomi (Chinese) pronunciation is “ju” (ジュウ) or “chu” (チュウ). The Kanji 中, meaning middle, is part of JLPT N5 (please check the list of JLPT N5 Kanji) and is taught in grade 2 in Japanese

The Japanese Kanji for “year” is 年. The Kunyomi or the Japanese pronunciation of the Kanji 年 is “toshi” (とし), and the Onyomi (Chinese) pronunciation is “nen” (ネン). Year’s Kanji is part of JLPT N5 (please check the JLPT N5 Kanji list) and is taught in grade 1 in Japanese schools. Construction and Origin of the Shape 年 The construction