🇯🇵 JAPANESE
🏆 Final N5 Batch — 80 kanji complete!
Kanji – Batch 16
漢字 76–80 · 草 耳 虫 糸 貝 · JLPT N5
Progress: 0 / 2 exercises completed
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 of each kanji. Any one correct on-yomi is accepted — e.g. sou, ji, chuu, shi, bai.
C – Type the Meaning
Type the primary English meaning of each kanji. Synonyms are accepted — e.g. grass / plant, ear, insect / bug, thread, shell / shellfish.
草
grass, plant, draft
On: ソウ (sou) | Kun: くさ (kusa) · くさ- (kusa-) · -ぐさ (-gusa)
Mnemonic
草 = 艸 (grass radical ⺾ at the top) + 早 (early, batch 13) — the grass that grows early in spring, pushing up before anything else. The grass radical (two small strokes at the top) marks all botanical kanji: 花 (flower, batch 13), 茶 (tea), 薬 (medicine), 葉 (leaf). Cross-batch: 早 inside 草 is the component you already know. On: ソウ (sou) — 草案 (souan, "draft plan"), 草原 (sougen / kusahara, "grassland/prairie"). The secondary meaning "draft" comes from an old practice of writing rough notes on grass paper. 起草 (kisou, "to draft a document") uses this sense.
Key vocabulary
- 1草くさ (kusa)grass, weed, plant
- 2草案そうあん (souan)draft plan, rough draft
- 3草の根くさのね (kusanone)grassroots
- 4草原そうげん / くさはら (sougen / kusahara)grassland, prairie, meadow
- 5起草きそう (kisou)drafting (a document)
Sentences in context
Niwa no kusa wo karimashita.
庭の草を刈りました。
"Garden's grass (obj) cut."
I cut the grass in the garden.
Hiroi sougen wo arukimashita.
広い草原を歩きました。
"Wide grassland (obj) walked."
I walked across a wide grassland.
Kenpou no souan wo sakusei shimashita.
憲法の草案を作成しました。
"Constitution's draft (obj) created."
A draft of the constitution was created.
耳
ear
On: ジ (ji) | Kun: みみ (mimi)
Mnemonic
耳 is a stylised pictograph of an ear — the horizontal strokes suggest the helix and antihelix of the outer ear, with the bottom stroke as the earlobe. On: ジ (ji) — 耳目 (jimoku, "public attention," literally "ears and eyes"), 耳鼻咽喉科 (jibiinkōka, "ENT department" — ear–nose–throat). This radical appears in 取 (take/receive — a hand reaching to an ear), 最 (most), and 職 (occupation). Cross-batch: 耳打ち (みみうち, "whispering in someone's ear") uses 打 (strike, future batch). Note: ジ is also the on-yomi of 字 (character, batch 13) — another homophone pair to watch.
Key vocabulary
- 1耳みみ (mimi)ear
- 2耳目じもく (jimoku)public attention; ears and eyes
- 3中耳炎ちゅうじえん (chuujien)otitis media, middle-ear infection
- 4耳打ちみみうち (mimiuchi)whispering in someone's ear
- 5耳鼻咽喉科じびいんこうか (jibiinkōka)ENT department (ear, nose, throat)
Sentences in context
Mimi ga itai no de byouin ni ikimashita.
耳が痛いので病院に行きました。
"Ear (subject) hurts so hospital to went."
My ear hurt, so I went to hospital.
Kanojo wa mimi ga ii desu.
彼女は耳がいいです。
"She (topic) ear (subject) good is."
She has good hearing.
Kono nyuusu wa seken no jimoku wo atsumete imasu.
このニュースは世間の耳目を集めています。
"This news (topic) public's attention attracting is."
This news is attracting public attention.
虫
insect, bug, worm, creature
On: チュウ (chuu) · キ (ki) | Kun: むし (mushi)
Mnemonic
虫 originally depicted a snake or coiling creature — the top part is a head with open mouth, and the body coils below. In classical Chinese, 虫 covered all creeping things (snakes, insects, worms). Today in Japanese it mainly means insect or small creature. On: チュウ (chuu) — 昆虫 (konchuu, "insect"), 殺虫剤 (sacchuuzai, "insecticide"). Cross-batch: 玉虫色 (たまむしいろ, batch 15 vocab) uses this kanji — たまむし is a jewel beetle (玉虫). 虫歯 (むしば, "cavity/decayed tooth") means literally "worm tooth" — the ancient belief that tooth decay was caused by tiny worms gnawing at teeth. The radical 虫 appears in 蛇 (snake), 蜂 (bee), 蛍 (firefly).
Key vocabulary
- 1虫むし (mushi)insect, bug, worm, creature
- 2昆虫こんちゅう (konchuu)insect (zoological term)
- 3殺虫剤さっちゅうざい (sacchuuzai)insecticide, pesticide
- 4虫歯むしば (mushiba)cavity, decayed tooth
- 5玉虫色たまむしいろ (tamamushiiro)iridescent; deliberately ambiguous
Sentences in context
Niwa ni mushi ga takusan imasu.
庭に虫がたくさんいます。
"Garden in insects (subject) many are."
There are many insects in the garden.
Mushiba ga ite, ha ga itai desu.
虫歯があって、歯が痛いです。
"Cavity has, tooth hurts."
I have a cavity and my tooth hurts.
Konchuu no kenkyuu wo shite imasu.
昆虫の研究をしています。
"Insect's research doing am."
I am researching insects.
糸
thread, string, yarn
On: シ (shi) | Kun: いと (ito)
Mnemonic
糸 is a pictograph of twisted silk threads — the top part (幺) represents a coil or skein of thread, and the three strokes at the bottom are the loose ends. It is one of the most important radicals, appearing in dozens of textile and connection kanji: 絵 (picture — silk painting), 続 (continue), 結 (tie/conclude), 組 (group/assemble), 終 (end), 紙 (paper — originally made from plant fibres). On: シ (shi). Cross-batch: 糸口 (いとぐち, "clue/thread-end") uses 口 (opening, batch 12) — the opening end of a thread, extended to mean "the first clue." 生糸 (きいと, "raw silk") uses 生 (raw/live, batch 03). The radical form 糸 (いとへん) is written 糸 on the left side of compound kanji.
Key vocabulary
- 1糸いと (ito)thread, string, yarn
- 2糸口いとぐち (itoguchi)clue, lead, starting point
- 3毛糸けいと (keito)knitting wool, woollen yarn
- 4撚糸ねんし (nenshi)twisted thread, spun yarn
- 5生糸きいと (kiito)raw silk thread
Sentences in context
Ito ga kirete shimaimashita.
糸が切れてしまいました。
"Thread (subject) has broken."
The thread has snapped.
Jiken no itoguchi ga mitsukari mashita.
事件の糸口が見つかりました。
"Case's clue (subject) was found."
A clue to the case was found.
Keito de seetaa wo amimashita.
毛糸でセーターを編みました。
"Wool with sweater knitted."
I knitted a sweater with wool.
貝
shellfish, shell
On: バイ (bai) | Kun: かい (kai)
Mnemonic
貝 is a pictograph of a cowrie shell viewed from the front — 目 (eye/opening at the top) sits above the shell's body with two feet-like strokes at the bottom representing the shell's lip. Cowrie shells were used as currency in ancient China, which is why the 貝 radical appears in dozens of financial and value kanji: 買 (buy), 売 (sell), 費 (expense), 貯 (save), 財 (wealth), 貧 (poor), 賞 (prize). On: バイ (bai) — rare in everyday speech; かい (kai) dominates. Cross-batch: 貝塚 (かいずか, "shell mound") is an important archaeological site type in Japan, evidence of ancient coastal communities.
Key vocabulary
- 1貝かい (kai)shellfish, shell
- 2貝殻かいがら (kaigara)seashell, empty shell
- 3貝塚かいずか / かいづか (kaizuka / kaidzuka)shell mound (archaeological site)
- 4貝ばい / バイ (bai)Japanese babylon snail; on-yomi
- 5巻き貝まきがい (makigai)spiral shell, gastropod
Sentences in context
Hama de kaigara wo hiroimashita.
浜で貝殻を拾いました。
"Beach on seashells (obj) collected."
I collected seashells on the beach.
Kono kaizuka wa joumon jidai no mono desu.
この貝塚は縄文時代のものです。
"This shell mound (topic) Jōmon period's thing is."
This shell mound dates from the Jōmon period.
Umi de kai wo totte, tabemashita.
海で貝を採って、食べました。
"Sea at shellfish (obj) gathered, ate."
I gathered shellfish from the sea and ate them.
| Kanji | Meaning | On-yomi | Kun-yomi | JLPT | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 草 | grass, draft | ソウ (sou) | くさ (kusa) | N5 | 9 |
| 耳 | ear | ジ (ji) | みみ (mimi) | N5 | 6 |
| 虫 | insect, bug | チュウ (chuu) · キ (ki) | むし (mushi) | N5 | 6 |
| 糸 | thread, string | シ (shi) | いと (ito) | N5 | 6 |
| 貝 | shellfish, shell | バイ (bai) | かい (kai) | N5 | 7 |