5-Stroke Kanji, Part 1
IP: This means that this section is “In Progress,” but you can use it anyways! Just know that it’s not really done, and it’s being worked on a bit at a time. Keep checking back to see what kinds of updates there are to the page until it’s all finished up!
We’re going to start out with the lowest level 5-stroke kanji (level 1) and move our way up to level S (which is for those smart secondary school kids). Remember, just because a kanji gets more complicated in how it’s written, it doesn’t necessarily get more complicated in terms of meaning. A kanji with 2 strokes can have a more difficult meaning than a kanji with 15 strokes. All that doesn’t matter too much, but just for the sake of your sanity, we’re going to start with the simplest 5-stroke kanji and work our way up to the more difficult ones.
Level 1 Kanji
| 漢字(Kanji) | 出 |
| Meaning | exit, pull out, hand over |
| おんよみ | しゅつ、すい |
| Build | Mountain Radical (山) x2 -Imagine you’ve climbed two mountains. You’re tired, haggard, and haven’t had any food for days. Finally, as you get over the second mountain you see the EXIT, and you’re saved. Can you imagine that feeling of relief that would go along with this, after climbing 2 mountains? |
| Memory | Upon EXITing the club, you run into two mountain-like men. One of them takes out a gun and shoots (shutsu) you in the chest. They both look down at you, one on top the other. Can you imagine the surprise that would go along with something like this? |
| くんよみ | で.る、だ.す |
| Common Words |
出す（だす）＝ to take something out, to hand something over 出る（でる）＝ to leave, (something) comes out 出口（でぐち）＝ exit 出会う（であう）＝ to meet by chance 出来る（できる）＝ able to do something, can do something 貸し出す（かしだす）＝ to lend 呼び出す（よびだす）＝ to summon, to call (e.g. on the phone) |
| Notes | A very useful kanji with some very useful words. You’ll be seeing this a lot! |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 石 |
| Meaning | Stone |
| おんよみ | せき、しゃく |
| Build | Stone Radical (石) |
| Memory | That stone is super Sexy (seki) -The challenging part of this one is imagining a sexy stone… which of course depends on the person, so imagine the sexiest stone that you can. |
| くんよみ | いし |
| Common Words |
石（いし）＝ stone |
| Notes | Don’t get this one confused with 右 and 左 (coming up!). They’re very similar, but remember that both right and left have the “slide radical line” go through the ground sticking out at the top. Stones are underground, which is why it doesn’t go through. |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 右 |
| Meaning | right |
| おんよみ | う |
| Build | Stone Radical (石) with a little extra (右) It seems like it’s the RIGHT wingers who always cast the first stone. -Remember, these stones have a little extra to them too. What little extra bit can you add to the stone that’s 1) ridiculous 2) something you can remember? |
| Memory | The RIGHT side of his face was hit by a stone, making it Ugly -Can you imagine what this ugly right side of his face might look like? Try to shock yourself into remembering. |
| くんよみ | みぎ |
| Common Words |
右（みぎ）＝ right 右手（みぎて）＝ right hand 右側（みぎがわ）＝ right side 右利き（みぎきき）＝ right-handed |
| Notes | You can probably assume that anything with 右 in it has something to do with the right side of things. |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 左 |
| Meaning | left |
| おんよみ | さ |
| Build | Construction Radical (工) + Crooked Ten Radical (十) After the tenth try, we were finally able to construct the house… though the LEFT side was missing. - Can you picture this image in your mind? |
| Memory | Because his house was so terribly built, they threatened to saw (sa) off my left hand! - Try to imagine the fear that would go along with this (and possibly the relief that it’s only your left hand… unless you are left handed, uh oh). |
| くんよみ | ひだり |
| Common Words |
左（ひだり）＝ left (side) 左手（ひだりて）＝ left hand 左側（ひだりがわ）＝ left side 左利き（ひだりきき）＝ left handed 左様なら（さようなら）＝ good bye* |
| Notes | *Almost always written only in hiragana |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 四 |
| Meaning | Four |
| おんよみ | し |
| Build | Mouth radical (口) + Fish Legs radical (儿) Putting the fish legs in my mouth made me throw up FOUR times. -try to imagine how bad the fish legs tasted in your mouth. |
| Memory | FOUR times was all she could take before she started throwing up too (ew) |
| くんよみ | よ、よ.つ |
| Common Words |
四（し）＝ four 四季（しき）＝ four seasons 四角（しかく）＝ square 四月（しがつ）＝ April 四日（よっか）＝ Fourth day of the month, four days 四つ（よっつ）＝ Four (somethings) 四千（よんせん）＝ 4,000 四十（よんじゅう）＝ 40 四時（よじ）＝ 4 o’ clock 四時間（よじかん）＝ 4 hours |
| Notes | There are two ways to say four: し and よん. し, many people think, is bad luck because it has the same pronunciation as death (死＝し). Depending on the grammar going along with it, or how 四 is being used, you’ll hear both し and よん. As for when to use which… you’ll just have to experience and learn on a case by case basis. |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 本 |
| Meaning | Book |
| おんよみ | ほん |
| Build | Tree Radical (木) + One / Ground Radical (一) In this case, let’s think of the one radical (一) as a cut going through the tree. Many trees are cut down to make the paper for BOOKS. |
| Memory | BOOKS are an excellent way to hone (hon) your intellect |
| くんよみ | もと |
| Common Words |
本（ほん）＝ book 絵本（えほん）＝ picture book 本音（ほんね）＝ one’s real feelings (because the Japanese people, in general, don’t like to share their real feelings to you directly). 本当（ほんとう）＝ real (本当ですか？ = is that really so?) 本物（ほんもの）＝ genuine, the real thing 本気（ほんき）＝ serious 日本（にほん）＝ Japan 本屋（ほんや）＝ book store 本塁打（ほんるいだ）＝ home run |
| Notes | 本 has a variety of meanings. One is book, but it also has to do with “real” or “main” things. You can actually add 本 to the beginning of a lot of words, too, and it will make it be “the real ____” or “the main ____.” Look out for it! |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 正 |
| Meaning | correct |
| おんよみ | せい、しょう |
| Build | Stop Radical (止) + One Radical (一) One stop ahead is the CORRECT driveway to pull into |
| Memory | “CORRECT as usual, King Friday!” you will say (sei) when I show (shou) you the answer |
| くんよみ | ただ.しい |
| Common Words |
正しい（ただしい）＝ correct 正義（せいぎ）＝ justice 正す（ただす）＝ to correct 不正（ふせい）＝ injustice 正月（しょうがつ）＝ New Years 正直（しょうじき）＝ honesty |
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 玉 |
| Meaning | ball |
| おんよみ | ぎょく |
| Build | King Radical (王) + Drop of Liquid Radical (丶) The king spilled a drop of liquid onto his crystal ball collection, at which point the queen shrieked (embarrassingly for the king) “Your BALLs!” |
| Memory | *Don’t worry about the on’yomi for this one. Learning the meaning of the kanji is good enough. |
| くんよみ | たま |
| Common Words |
玉（たま）＝ ball, sphere 目玉（めだま）＝ eyeball 玉ねぎ（たまねぎ）＝ (the round) onion ビー玉（びーだま）＝ (a) marble |
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 生 |
| Meaning | life |
| おんよみ | せい、しょう |
| Build | Life Radical (生) - Same meaning as its radical |
| Memory | See “notes” section |
| くんよみ | い.きる、う.まれる、なま |
| Common Words |
生まれる（うまれる）＝ to be born 生む（うむ）＝ to give birth 生きる（いきる）＝ to live 先生（せんせい）＝ teacher 学生（がくせい）＝ student 生徒（せいと）＝ pupil 生活（せいかつ）＝ life (e.g. “my life is awesome!”) 生（なま）＝ raw (if you see this on a menu, it’s probably raw) 人生（じんせい）＝ one’s life 生き物（いきもの）＝ living thing |
| Notes | There are actually SO MANY pronunciations for this kanji… You’re only seeing a few, but just know that this particular kanji is best learned by learning a lot of vocabulary that uses it, rather than trying to memorize the 20+ on/kun readings that it has. |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 田 |
| Meaning | rice paddy |
| おんよみ | でん |
| Build | Rice Field Radical (田) |
| Memory | The RICE FIELD had a huge dent in it, from where the alien spaceship crash landed. |
| くんよみ | た |
| Common Words |
田（た）＝ rice field 田舎（いなか）＝ rural area, “the boonies” |
| Notes | The た version of 田 is often seen in names (for example, 田中 / たなか). You should know both of those kanji, actually! |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 白 |
| Meaning | White |
| おんよみ | はく |
| Build | White Radical (白) |
| Memory | Team WHITE was able to hack (haku) the WHITE iPhone in only a couple of minutes - Be sure to imagine everybody wearing a pristine white color, working hard to hack the white iPhone (imagine white iPhones, everywhere… piling up on the floor making it so you have to wade through them). |
| くんよみ | しろ |
| Common Words |
白（しろ）＝ white 面白い（おもしろい）＝ interesting 白黒（しろくろ）＝ black & white 白人（はくじん）＝ white person (Caucasian) 明白（めいはく）＝ obvious 真っ白（まっしろ）＝ pure white, bright white |
| Notes | 白 can also refer to “good” too. You’ll sometimes see someone in manga being referred to as 白 (white) and 黒 (black). The one with 白 is probably the good guy. |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 目 |
| Meaning | eye |
| おんよみ | もく |
| Build | Eye radical (目) |
| Memory | Don’t look at a moke (moku) with stink EYE, or he’ll beat you up good. |
| くんよみ | め |
| Common Words |
目（め）＝ eye目的（もくてき）＝ purpose 目立つ（めだつ）＝ to stand out 駄目（だめ）＝ bad, stop, not good (almost always written in hiragana) 目玉（めだま）＝ eyeball 真面目（まじめ）＝ serious, diligent 見た目（みため）＝ appearance |
| Notes | There’s a lot of symbolism that goes on with this kanji, though usually most words using it have something to do with sight in some way (even if it gets super symbolic). |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 立 |
| Meaning | stand up |
| おんよみ | りつ、りゅう |
| Build | Stand Radical (立) |
| Memory | The doormen at the Ritz (ritsu) STAND straight up to greet you -imagine some fancy doormen standing up so straight they look like they can’t stand it any more. No matter what they do, they’re standing up straight. Up the stairs, with your luggage even. |
| くんよみ | た.つ |
| Common Words |
立つ（たつ）＝ to stand 起立（きりつ）＝ standing up (you’ll hear it with groups and such, where the leader says “stand up!”) 市立（しりつ）＝ municipal, city 自立（じりつ）＝ independence, self reliance 立てる（たてる）＝ to stand (something) |
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
Before You Move On:
- Take a look at the vocabulary practice for this section on Smart.fm
- Review kanji from previous chapters. Can you still remember them? If not, try to create a more vivid image / association in your mind to remember them more effectively now that you’ve been away from them for a little while (and your brain has had some time to rest).
- As always, you can also use this blank kanji sheet to get some writing practice with the above kanji.
Level 2 Kanji
| 漢字(Kanji) | 冬 |
| Meaning | Winter |
| おんよみ | とう |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | ふゆ |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 北 |
| Meaning | North |
| おんよみ | ほく |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | きた |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 半 |
| Meaning | half |
| おんよみ | はん |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | なか.ば |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 古 |
| Meaning | old |
| おんよみ | こ |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | ふる.い |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 台 |
| Meaning | pedestal |
| おんよみ | だい、たい |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | n/a |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 外 |
| Meaning | Outside |
| おんよみ | がい |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | そと |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 市 |
| Meaning | city |
| おんよみ | し |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | いち |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 母 |
| Meaning | Mother |
| おんよみ | ぼ |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | はは |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 用 |
| Meaning | use |
| おんよみ | よう |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | もち.いる |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 矢 |
| Meaning | arrow |
| おんよみ | し |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | や |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |
| 漢字(Kanji) | 広 |
| Meaning | wide |
| おんよみ | こう |
| Build | |
| Memory | |
| くんよみ | ひろ.い |
| Common Words |
|
| Notes | |
| Practice | Stroke Order |