Before learning japanese kanji, let me briefly explain the basic concept of kanji and how to study it effectively.
Meaning and Reading of Kanji
Every kanji has its own meaning, on’yomi, and kun’yomi.
- Meaning: The specific meaning that each kanji carries.
- On’yomi: The pronunciation of Chinese origin.
- Kun’yomi: The pronunciation developed in Japan. Sometimes hiragana is added after it to express grammatical forms.
The kanji in a word is pronounced using either its on’yomi or kun’yomi. For example, consider the kanji 書 (on’: しょ / kun’: かく).
- 書く (かく): to write
- 書店 (しょてん): bookstore
For simple and intuitive learning, this site presents only the representative readings (yomi), excluding grammatical variations derived from them.
How Kanji Is Formed
In English, the word “dislike” is made by putting the prefix “dis-” (meaning “not”) in front of “like.” Kanji work in a similar way — each part adds to the overall meaning, creating a word or story.
By understanding these parts, you can memorize and recall kanji much more easily.
- Radical: Each component that forms a kanji.
Let’s look at some examples of how radicals form kanji.
- 「休」: A person (亻) leaning against a tree (木) — it means “to rest.”
- 「硬」: Means “hard,” like a stone (石). The part 更 (こう) indicates only the sound, not the meaning.
As you can see, a radical may express meaning or simply indicate pronunciation. Most kanji are composed this way.
Also, a single radical can represent multiple ideas or shapes.
- 口: Means “mouth,” but can also represent speech or square-shaped objects.
- 十: Means “ten,” but can also suggest a cross or intersection.
You don’t need to memorize radicals separately. You’ll naturally remember them as you study kanji.
Example Words
Kanji are easier to remember when learned through example words. On this site, we provide representative words that use each kanji. Always study them together.
How to Study
Now that you know the basics, here’s how to study effectively on this site.
- First, look at the meaning and yomi.
- Read the short story that explains the kanji through its radicals.
- Check the meaning again through the illustration.
- See how on’yomi and kun’yomi are used in example words.
- Don’t force yourself to memorize. Just skim through like reading a news article, then move on to the next kanji.
Q&A
Q: When do I use on’yomi or kun’yomi?
There are no strict rules, but you can roughly predict it.
On’yomi is mainly used when a word consists only of kanji, while kun’yomi is used when hiragana is mixed in.
For example, consider the kanji 書 (on’: しょ / kun’: かく).
- 読書 (どくしょ): reading
- 書店 (しょてん): bookstore
- 書く (かく): to write
- 書き込み (かきこみ): a post (on the internet)
Of course, this rule doesn’t always apply, so you should still memorize words individually.
Q: Should I practice writing kanji by hand?
No. It’s not recommended.
Unless your job requires handwritten kanji or you enjoy calligraphy, focusing on reading practice is far more effective.
Even in Japan, most people rely on automatic keyboard conversion when writing. Because of that, the ability to instantly recognize and read kanji naturally functions as your “writing ability” as well.
The Cat Kanji Method on this site and app is optimized for modern Japanese usage and helps you build strong kanji-reading skills efficiently.
Q: Isn’t it better to memorize words instead of individual kanji?
Yes, if you must choose one, learning words is more practical. However, knowing kanji gives your word learning a huge boost.
Kanji learning doesn’t take much time. Spend just 5 minutes a day going through 20 kanji like you’re skimming a news article. You don’t need to spend tens of minutes or write them down 20 times.
This site is designed to help you achieve great results with minimal effort. If you study Japanese for an hour a day, start the first 5 minutes here reviewing kanji.
Now you’re ready to begin learning.
- Start with the first kanji → 「絵」 Go to lesson
- Or explore kanji through the ‘Search’ and ‘Tags’ menus.
Study more conveniently on your mobile app 👇️
- Go to “Android App”
- Go to “iPhone App”