Studied by 1 person
This includes Level 1-10 of the radicals. This is a Flashcard set and works best with the “Flashcard” test. I do include Kanji/Vocab where applicable, where the Kanji is provided it will typically follow the On reading and any vocabulary that is the same as the radical will follow the Kun reading. There are exceptions of course.
亅
Barb (like a barb you see on a barb wire)
大
Big (a person 人 with arms is definitely a big person!)
The Kanji (たい) and the radical are the same!
工
Construction (think of steel girders all put together to help you to construct kanji’s)
The Kanji (こう）and the radical mean the same thing!
十
Cross (it looks like a cross .. yes, that’s a cross)
In Kanji, this is not a cross, this is 10 (じゅう), in Vocabulary this is ALSO 10(じゅう) because numbers are special and they follow the On readings
丶
Drop (Definitely looks like a drop of water)
入
Enter (This almost looks like a person, but it’s not! The right side is longer than the left and looks like a little extra part sticking out of the top if you’re seeing it on computer font. Now it looks like a flap of a tent. And that’s the best place to ENTER)
The Kanji (にゅう）means the same thing!
ハ
Fins (Picture a fish with fins .. now only think of the fins)
The Kanji (はち）for 8 is ALMOST the same shape. The vocabulary for 8 (はち) is the same as the Kanji (and uses the On reading because numbers are special)
一
Ground (Yes, it looks like one, but it’s one long line you would draw if you were to draw the ground)
The look alike Kanji would be 1 (いち）as well as the vocabulary (because numbers usually take the on reading)
𠂉
Gun / No-One
Some sees this as a gun, but I don’t like guns, so I see no (ノ）one (一)
亠
Lid (Looks like the perfect lid for a pot)
山
Mountain (Perfect one liner drawing of a mountain with 3 different peaks)
The Kanji (さん）and the Vocabulary (やま）means the same thing!
口
Mouth (A big gaping square hole is definitely a mouth!)
The Kanji (こう）and Vocabulary (くち）means the same thing
九
Nine (almost looks like the first two letters of NIne)
The Kanji (く) and Vocabulary (きゅう) means the same thing! (Both are on readings in this case). The Kun reading is (ここの)
人
Person (A head and two legs, definitely a stick person)
The Kanji (にん) and the Vocabulary (ひと) mean the same thing
力
Power (this is someone flexing their arm to show how much power they have!)
The Kanji (りょく) (Rick from the Walking Dead does have a lot of power!) and the Vocab (ちから) mean the same thing!
勹
Prison (It’s like a lock that will lock you in, like a prison)
川
River (This is a great line drawing of a river, with the river banks and the water in the middle)
The Kanji (かわ) and the Vocab mean the exact same thing and use the same Kun reading! (If you really want the On reading, it’s (せい))
七
Seven (This is an upside down seven)
The Kanji (しち) and the Vocab(なな) means the same thing! The numbers four and seven are special! They use different readings for the kanji and the vocab.
丿
Slide (Just think of those slides you went on as a kid)
|
Stick (No imagination needed, it’s a stick!)
日
Sun (There are no circles in Japanese characters, so this big rectangle is the sun with a line through it to show that we have one sun!)
The Kanji (にち) and the Vocab (ひ)🔥 mean the same thing!
ト
Toe (This looks just like the katakana character “to” ト. So when you see ト toe!)
木
Tree (This is a tree 🌲! There’s a stick branch, a stick for the tree trunk and then two extra branches)
The Kanji (もく) and the Vocab (き) means the same thing!
二
Two (Two lines counts up to 2!)
The Kanji (に) and the Vocab means the same thing and both uses the On reading because numbers are special. If you really want to know the Kun reading, it is (ふた)
女
Woman (Two stacked X’s make the woman kanji .. or wide hips!)
The Kanji (じょ) and the Vocab (おんな) means the same thing! Think of “Jo-anne” and “Donna” to think of the two readings!
本
Book (Using the tree 木 radical and a small cut on the base of the tree, you can create a book 📕!. Mostly by cutting the tree and using the wood for the paper)
The Kanji (ほん) and the Vocab (ほん) mean the same thing and both use the On readings! If you want to know the Kun reading it is (もく)
弓
Bow (This looks just like a fancy composite bow where you pulled back on the middle .. getting ready to shoot 🏹)
子
Child (Two barbs 亅and a ground ー radical is not something you want your child to walk on!)
The Kanji (し or す) and the Vocab (こ) mean the same thing! Children like to dress up in Sheep Suits
牛
Cow (No-one 𠂉 uses only a stick | to draw a cow🐂, you need at least one more horizontal ー. If you use your imagination you can see the body of the cow as the two horizontal lines with the little ノ as the tail and the stick makes the head and feet!
The Kanji (ぎゅう) and the Vocab (うし) mean the same thing.
土
Dirt (Best place to draw a cross 十 with your fingers is on the ground ー)
The Kanji (ど) and the Vocab (つち) mean the same thing (but can also mean soil, earth)
犬
Dog (So the big person 大 has something 丶 on his shoulder. It’s a dog 🐩)
The Kanji (いぬ) and the Vocab mean the same thing and they share the same Kun reading! The On reading if you’re interested is (けん)
夕
Evening (Using the prison 勹 radical if you use your imagination a bit and a drop 丶 radical you’ll see that it’s evening. Because that’s the best time for dew drops to form.
The Kanji (ゆう) means the same thing! Evening is the best time when the ‘youths’ come out.
目
Eye (There are no circles .. so this is an eye with the two lines in the middle forming the iris 👁. Just use your imagination)
The Kanji (め) and the Vocab mean the same thing and uses the same Kun reading. If you’re interested, the On reading is (もく)
火
Fire (There’s 丶 around the person 人 radical. It must be fire! The person is on fire!)
The Kanji (か) and the Vocab (ひ)🔥 mean the same thing!
五
Five (Use your imagination and it looks like the number 5 with an extra vertical line in the bottom left).
The Kanji (ご) and Vocab means the same thing and use the same On readings because Numbers are special! The Kun reading is いつ
尸
Flag (This is a pole with a flag on the end of it. It looks just like a flag!)
彡
Hair (That’s hair strands! So it’s hair)
手
Hand (Use your imagination , the barb 亅in the middle is the whole hand. The top 丿 is the thumb, then the two additional lines form the other fingers)
The Kanji (て) and the Vocab mean the same thing and share the same Kun reading. The On-reading is (しゅ or す)
冂
Head (this is weird non-round head. Think of famous square headed characters)
天
Heaven (Using the two radical and the person radical shows that we have two lives. One on earth and one in heaven! So a level 2 human is in heaven!)
The Kanji (てん) and Vocab mean the same thing and also shares the same On readings. The Kun reading is (あま). You get to heaven by being a perfect 10!
王
King (The king🤴 is the only one to wear a crown. It’s a very interesting crown)
The Kanji (おう) and Vocab both share the same meaning as well as On-reading. No Kun reading to memorize, not if you’re the king.
丆
Leaf (It’s a leaf on top of a stem .. like a Lilly pad leaf!)
儿
Legs (These are a pair of legs. There’s even some feet on them if you use your imagination)
中
Middle (A stick going through a mouth means it’s going right through the middle of the mouth!)
The Kanji (ちゅう) and Vocab (なか) mean the same thing!
月
Moon (It’s like the sun but with little legs leaning towards the left because the moon 🌛is running away from the sun)
The Kanji (げつ) and the Vocab (つき) mean the same thing.
ナ
Narwhal (Just like the Katakana ナ (na) this is now the narwhal sign! The see the narwhal horn at the top and the fins on the side)
ム
Private (A little triangle that’s almost closed off is a place where you can be in private)
田
Rice Paddy (Rice paddies are made up out of fields with irrigation lines going through them)
The Kanji (た) and the Vocab mean the same thing and use the same Kun reading! The On-reading is (でん)
小
Small (If you have the fins ハ radical and the barb 亅radical it must be a pretty small fish that is stuck on the barb)
The Kanji (しょう) share the same meaning!
立
Stand (Two sticks propping up a radical lid 亠 on the ground ー, means it’s standing up)
The Kanji (りつ or りゅう) has the same meaning! The Kun reading is (た)
止
Stop (You need to stop because there is a giant toe ト on the ground ー)
The Kanji (し) has the same meaning and if there is a sheep in the road you need to STOP 🛑)
丁
Street (There’s a barb radical亅.. it makes for a nice looking street even though it is a one way street)
The Kanji (ちょう) has the same meaning! Ms Chou is the street lady .. a very scary one.
刀
Sword (Using your imagination this is the handle of the sword, so it’s the sword radical 🗡. Don’t confuse this with the power radical, the power radical has an extra piece on the top)
The Kanji (どう) and Vocab (かたな) have the same meaning!
千
Thousand (The slide radical ノ and the 十 radical makes a thousand. Think of sliding down 10 times .. then 10 more times until you reached a thousand)
The Kanji (せん) and Vocab has the same meaning and reading. How fortunate even if it doesn’t make sense. The Kun reading is (ち) because nothing says a 1000 like being cheesy
メ
Treasure ( X (メ) marks the spot! That’s where you’ll find the tresasure, even if the treasure is “meh” (if you know your katakana this is a fun pun!)
水
Water ( There are drops 丶 or maybe ice 冫 coming off this barb radical 亅. It must be water 💦 )
The Kanji (すい) and Vocab (みず) share the same meaning! Think of the water tasting sweet
白
White ( Add a drop 丶 of the sun 日 to anything and it turns white!)
The Kanji (はく) and Vocab (しろ) share the same meaning. Who hacked the white phone? It was the white team!
文
Writing ( If you put a lid radical 亠 on a stool 又 it makes for a good place for writing. It’s like a desk!
The Kanji (ぶん or もん) and Vocab shares the same reading and On-reading!. The Kun reading is (ふみ). Remember to write on your buns before the monsters get them
矢
Arrow (Something big 大 is something that no-one (ノー)can use as an arrow! Like Darrell, he knows how to shoot big arrows like no-one else can!)
The Kanji (や) and Vocab shares the same meaning and Kun reading! The On-reading is (し). Think of the Yankees (や), maybe they have a new mascot, a giant arrow!
广
Canopy (It’s a cloth draping down and a little point at the middle holding it up making a very nice canopy!)
方
Direction (This is a person running in a specific direction! It’s made up out of the lid 亠 radical and the power カ radical, because nothing helps you go more in the right direction than putting on a lid and going somewhere using all the power you can muster)
The Kanji (ほう) and Vocab (かた) share the same meaning! Which way to go? Go home!
戸
Door (There is a line ー radical and a flag 尸 radical. If you put them together it’s a door! Use your imagination to see the top of the door frame as the line)
The Kanji (と) and Vocab have the same meaning and Kun reading! The On reading is (こ)
干
Dry (If you have two 二 on a stick I then it must be two very dry things)
父
Father ( If you take the fins ハ radical over the treasure 㐅 radical you’ll find your father! He’s looking for treasure and got some fins instead)
The Kanji (ちち) and Vocab share the same meaning and Kun reading! The On reading is (ふ)
扌
Fingers (This is almost like the hand 手 radical but it’s smaller, because it’s only the fingers!)
毛
Fur (Using the hair 彡 radical, if you attach it to the umbrella 乚 (but pretend it’s a tail) you get a very furry thing, like an animal.
The Kanji (もう) and the Vocab (け) share the same meaning.
𠆢
Hat (This is a great looking hat. Pointy like those wizard and witch hats)
心
Heart (Time to use your imagination. See the heart shape, and the three arteries all around it)
The Kanji (しん) and Vocab (こころ) share the same meaning!
冫
Ice ( So just like the drop 丶 radical there are two instead of one. They’re all in the air and there is just one way that can be if they’re ice drops!)
生
Life (It’s good life if you have a 牛 on the ground ー)
The Kanji (せい) shares the same meaning!
The Vocab (なま) is close but not completely (The Vocab means Fresh, Raw or Live)
今
Now (Right NOW you need your hat 𠆢 radical on top of the katakana ra ラ (think Ra) you need to think of ramen right now. Now think of it ramen while wearing your hat)
The Kanji (こん) and Vocab (いま) share the same meaning!
古
Old (What’s really old are the ten 十 commandments that were told by mouth 囗 to one another)
The Kanji (こ) and i-adjective Vocab (ふる) means the same thing.
幺
Poop (So in private ム you normally poop. That’s the something sticking out. Gross I know.
宀
Roof (This is a flat ー roof with a little chimney at the top. Usually you draw the chimney first!)
匕
Spoon (Time to use your imagination. This is a spoon, it’s been bent a lot)
石
Stone (Made up out of a leaf 丆and rock: 口 .. because rolling stones gather no moss, but this one is just sitting there so it’s a stone)
又
Stool (Using your imagination, this is a fold-out stool. Like one of those teeny ones you take with you when you camp)
用
Task (This looks just like a calendar, with spaces in it to write all your tasks! It’s made up out of the moon 月 with a stick! Because we usually count our months using the moon!
The Kanji (よう) and Vocab shares the same On reading. The Kun reading is (もち)
巾
Towel (That stick that you used to dry things will also be used for your towel! Use your imagination)
⺌
Triceratops (Three horns makes you think of the three horned dinosaur! The Triceratops)
毋
Window (This is a very fancy window, maybe not straight but definitely artistic)
夂
Winter (This looks like the evening 夕 radical but with a longer stroke. That’s because evenings are longer in winter.)
也
Alligator (Use your imagination and see the mouth and teeth of this alligator facing the right. Don’t get your hand stuck in there)
竹
Bamboo (No ノ one ー can make bamboo without the stick ｜ radical. And what’s better than one bamboo stick .. two bamboo sticks!)
The Kanji (たけ) and Vocab share the same Kun reading and meaning! The On reading if you’re interested (ちく)
巴
Bed (Using your imagination, do you see the two pillows at the top and the rest of the bed below. Definitely a bed)
丂 (与)
Beggar (See the person on their knees holding out their hands begging? It’s a beggar. Yes, you’re seeing both a radical and a Kanji here, it’s because beggar isn’t an easy radical to reproduce. The Give Kanji is actually the beggar radical with the ground radical. Which is typically what a beggar wants you to do. To give them something while they’re down on their luck )
支
Branch (Time to use your imagination. There’s a cross 十 radical branching off a stool 又 radical. It’s because the stool was made of wood and now it’s branching off)
車
Car (This is a car as seen from the top. There’s the two lines ー at the top and body that make the rods for the wheels to go on, and there’s the sun 曰 radical that makes up the body. See the nice yellow car.
The Kanji (しゃ) shares the same meaning!
宍
Center (If you start drawing a forehead 冖 or head 冂 but then make it big 大, you are happy you drew it all in the center! Look at how nice that is in the center.
The Kanji (おう) have the same meaning!
弋
Ceremony (This is a person with a fancy cape or long dress and hat. They must be going to a ceremony!)
厂
Cliff (The cliff is facing towards the west. What can you see over the cliff edge?)
耳
Ear (This is almost like the eye 目 but with the lines sticking out at the top and bottom. That’s because our ears 👂are not square! You can’t always believe what you see, but you should totally believe what you hear with that ear)
The Kanji (みみ) and Vocab share the same Kun-reading. The On-reading if you’re interested is (じ)
气
Energy (This is like a dam with the wall at the top and the water pushing over the top of the dam creating energy!)
艹
Flowers (First you have the ground, and then little pretty flowers coming out of the ground)
足
Foot (So if you have you have a mouth 囗, at some point you put your toe トinside it, but then realized it wasn’t just your toe it was your whole foot 🦶!
The Kanji (そく) and Vocab (あし) share the same meaning! Remember to wear your socks on your feet so they don’t get covered in ash
冖
Forehead (It’s a square forehead to go with the square head we learnt about. This is Frankenstein’s forehead!)
穴
Hole (You have a roof on top of a volcano, it’s covering the HOLE of the volcano. Not the whole volcano, just the hole)
The Kanji (あな) and the Vocab shares the same meaning and Kun reading. The On reading (けつ) for completeness.
丷
Horns (Can you see the two horns? There are horns on a lot of animals (or demons))
虫
Insect (So use the middle 中 radical because insects are always in the middle of everything. But the insect also has a little private leg ム if you use your imagination)
The Kanji (むし) and the Vocab shares the same meaning and Kun reading! The On-reading (ちゅう）
ｲ
Leader (This is a leader, because nothing says leader like someone with a slanted hat on their stick body)
