🇯🇵 JAPANESE
Kanji – Batch 01
漢字 1–5 · 日 一 人 年 大 · JLPT N5
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A – Flashcard Practice
Click each card to reveal the meaning and readings. Aim to recall the meaning before you flip.
B – Type the On-yomi
Type the romaji for the on-yomi (Chinese reading) of each kanji. Any one correct on-yomi is accepted. Use standard Hepburn: nichi, ichi, jin, nen, dai …
C – Type the Meaning
Type the primary English meaning of each kanji. Close synonyms are accepted — e.g. big / large / great for 大.
日
sun / day
On: ニチ (nichi) · ジツ (jitsu) | Kun: ひ (hi) · び (bi) · か (ka)
Mnemonic
The oracle bone script for 日 was a circle ○ with a dot in the middle — literally the sun. Over centuries the circle became a rectangle and the dot became a horizontal stroke. Picture a window framing the sun in the sky: the rectangle is the frame, the horizontal line is the sun's glare. If there's a sun, there's a day — so 日 means both.
Key vocabulary
- 1日ひ (hi)the sun; a day
- 2同日どうじつ (doujitsu)the same day
- 3日米にちべい (nichibei)Japan–US (relations)
- 4日本人にほんじん (nihonjin)a Japanese person
- 5毎日まいにち (mainichi)every day
Sentences in context
Kyou wa ii hi desu.
今日はいい日です。
"Today as-for good day is."
Today is a good day.
Mainichi Nihongo wo benkyou shimasu.
毎日日本語を勉強します。
"Every-day Japanese (obj) study do."
I study Japanese every day.
Nihonjin wa yasashii desu.
日本人はやさしいです。
"Japan-person as-for kind is."
Japanese people are kind.
一
one
On: イチ (ichi) · イツ (itsu) | Kun: ひと- (hito-) · ひとつ (hitotsu)
Mnemonic
The simplest kanji possible — just one horizontal stroke. The count of strokes IS the number: one line = one. 一 is the same tally mark a shopkeeper would scratch on a wall. You write what you mean. Compare with 二 (two lines = two) and 三 (three lines = three) — the pattern holds.
Watch out for gemination: before p, k, t, and s sounds, イチ compresses to イッ — a small っ doubles the next consonant: 一般 = いっぱん (ippan), 一個 = いっこ (ikko), 一歩 = いっぽ (ippo).
Watch out for gemination: before p, k, t, and s sounds, イチ compresses to イッ — a small っ doubles the next consonant: 一般 = いっぱん (ippan), 一個 = いっこ (ikko), 一歩 = いっぽ (ippo).
Key vocabulary
- 1一つひとつ (hitotsu)one thing
- 2一月いちがつ (ichigatsu)January
- 3一般いっぱん (ippan)general; in general
- 4一番いちばん (ichiban)number one; most; first
- 5一部いちぶ (ichibu)a part; one portion
Sentences in context
Ringo wo hitotsu kudasai.
りんごを一つください。
"Apple (obj) one please-give."
Please give me one apple.
Ichiban suki na tabemono wa sushi desu.
一番すきな食べ物はすしです。
"Number-one liked food as-for sushi is."
My favourite food is sushi.
Ichigatsu wa samui desu.
一月はさむいです。
"January as-for cold is."
January is cold.
人
person / people
On: ジン (jin) · ニン (nin) | Kun: ひと (hito) · り (ri) · と (to)
Mnemonic
Look at 人 from the side — it is a person walking: the long stroke is the body leaning forward, the short stroke is the trailing leg. Two strokes, two legs, one person.
ジン vs ニン: ジン attaches to groups and nationalities (日本人 nihonjin — a Japanese person, 外国人 gaikokujin — a foreigner). ニン is used for counting and roles (三人 sannin — three people, 人気 ninki — popularity, 犯人 hannin — culprit).
ジン vs ニン: ジン attaches to groups and nationalities (日本人 nihonjin — a Japanese person, 外国人 gaikokujin — a foreigner). ニン is used for counting and roles (三人 sannin — three people, 人気 ninki — popularity, 犯人 hannin — culprit).
Key vocabulary
- 1外国人がいこくじん (gaikokujin)foreigner
- 2個人こじん (kojin)individual; private person
- 3三人さんにん (sannin)three people
- 4人間にんげん (ningen)human being; humanity
- 5人気にんき (ninki)popularity
Sentences in context
Ano hito wa dare desu ka.
あの人はだれですか。
"That person as-for who is (question)?"
Who is that person?
Nihonjin no tomodachi ga imasu.
日本人のともだちがいます。
"Japanese-person 's friend (subj) exists."
I have a Japanese friend.
San-nin kazoku desu.
三人家族です。
"Three-people family is."
We are a family of three.
年
year
On: ネン (nen) | Kun: とし (toshi)
Mnemonic
Ancient Japan counted years by harvests — one crop cycle = one year. The original form of 年 depicted a person carrying a bundle of grain stalks on their back: the strokes at the top are the heavy grain bowing under its own weight. Think of a farmer bent under a year's worth of crops.
ネン dominates in formal and written Japanese (昨年 sakunen, 来年 rainen, 年間 nenkan). とし appears in everyday speech: 今年 kotoshi (this year), 年を取る toshi wo toru (to grow older).
ネン dominates in formal and written Japanese (昨年 sakunen, 来年 rainen, 年間 nenkan). とし appears in everyday speech: 今年 kotoshi (this year), 年を取る toshi wo toru (to grow older).
Key vocabulary
- 1年とし (toshi)year; age
- 2昨年さくねん (sakunen)last year
- 3前年ぜんねん (zennen)the previous year
- 4年間ねんかん (nenkan)yearly; annual period
- 5来年らいねん (rainen)next year
Sentences in context
Rainen Nihon ni ikimasu.
来年日本に行きます。
"Next-year Japan to go."
I will go to Japan next year.
Sakunen Nihongo wo hajimemashita.
昨年日本語を始めました。
"Last-year Japanese (obj) began."
I started Japanese last year.
Maitoshi tanjoubi ni keeki wo tabemasu.
毎年たんじょうびにケーキを食べます。
"Every-year birthday on cake (obj) eat."
Every year I eat cake on my birthday.
大
big / large / great
On: ダイ (dai) · タイ (tai) | Kun: おお- (oo-) · おおきい (ookii) · おおいに (ooini)
Mnemonic
大 is 人 (person) with arms stretched wide — like someone showing how big something is: "the fish was this big!" Compare the two kanji: 人 has two strokes (body + trailing leg, arms down); 大 adds one horizontal stroke through the middle — those are the outstretched arms. More strokes, bigger meaning.
Confusable — 太 (ふとい, fat/thick): 太 adds a small dot (丶) below the horizontal bar of 大. Remember: 太 has an extra dot like a belly button — that's the fat person's tummy.
Confusable — 太 (ふとい, fat/thick): 太 adds a small dot (丶) below the horizontal bar of 大. Remember: 太 has an extra dot like a belly button — that's the fat person's tummy.
Key vocabulary
- 1大きなおおきな (ookina)big; large (attributive)
- 2拡大かくだい (kakudai)enlargement; expansion
- 3最大さいだい (saidai)maximum; largest
- 4大いにおおいに (ooini)greatly; very much
- 5大会たいかい (taikai)tournament; large event
Sentences in context
Kono kaban wa ookii desu.
このかばんは大きいです。
"This bag as-for big is."
This bag is big.
Daigaku ni ikitai desu.
大学に行きたいです。
"University to want-to-go is."
I want to go to university.
Nihon wa ookii kuni desu.
日本は大きい国です。
"Japan as-for big country is."
Japan is a large country.
| Kanji | Meaning | On-yomi | Kun-yomi | JLPT | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 日 | sun / day | ニチ (nichi) · ジツ (jitsu) | ひ (hi) · び (bi) · か (ka) | N5 | 4 |
| 一 | one | イチ (ichi) · イツ (itsu) | ひと- (hito-) · ひとつ (hitotsu) | N5 | 1 |
| 人 | person | ジン (jin) · ニン (nin) | ひと (hito) · り (ri) | N5 | 2 |
| 年 | year | ネン (nen) | とし (toshi) | N5 | 6 |
| 大 | big / great | ダイ (dai) · タイ (tai) | おお- (oo-) · おおきい (ookii) | N5 | 3 |