Kanji
Kanji Foundations: School and language
学校と言葉の漢字
Elementary
~35 min
~35 min
I can recognise kanji in basic school and Japanese-language words.
Can-do goal
I can recognise kanji in basic school and Japanese-language words.
Learn kanji through words
Notice the shape and core meaning, then learn the reading used in the example word. A kanji may have other readings later.
| Kanji | Strokes | Target reading | Core meaning | Example word | Shape cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 学 | 8 | がく | study | 学生 がくせい — student | A child 子 learns under a roof. |
| 校 | 10 | こう | school | 学校 がっこう — school | Tree 木 is the left component. |
| 先 | 6 | せん | ahead / previous | 先生 せんせい — teacher | Someone who was born before you. |
| 生 | 5 | せい | life / birth | 学生 がくせい — student | A plant grows from the ground. |
| 語 | 14 | ご | language / word | 日本語 にほんご — Japanese language | The speech radical 言 signals language. |
Practice sequence
- Say the example word.
- Identify the kanji inside it.
- Recall its core meaning.
- Type the character from memory.
- Review again on a later day.
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