Jōyō Kanji Junior High-school

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The jōyō kanji is the guide to kanji characters announced officially by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Current jōyō kanji are those on a list of 1,945 characters issued on October 10, 1981. It is a slightly modified version of the tōyō kanji, which was the initial list of secondary school-level kanji standardized after World War II.

魂【たましい】 soul; spirit
齢【よわい】 (one's) age
暦【こよみ】 calendar; almanac
劣【れつ】 sub-; inferior; minor
かど《廉》 charge; grounds; suspicion
恋【こい】 (romantic) love
炉【ろ】 hearth; fireplace / furnace; kiln
露【つゆ】 dew / tears / (not) a bit; (not) at all
廊【ろう】 corridor; passage; hall
楼【ろう】 tower; tall building; turret; lookout; belvedere
波【なみ】 wave
賂【まいない】 bribe
枠【わく】 frame; framework / border; box / limit; restriction; quota
湾【わん】 bay; gulf; inlet
腕【うで】 arm / skill; efforts; ability
糧【かて】 food; provisions / nourishment (mental, spiritual, etc.); sustenance (e.g. of one's life); source of encouragement
陵【みささぎ】 imperial mausoleum; Emperor's tomb / big hill
厘【りん】 one-hundredth; 0.3 mm (one-hundredth of a sun); 0.1 percent (one-hundredth of a wari); 0.0375 grams (one-hundredth of a monme) / old monetary unit (0.001 yen)
隣【となり】 neighbor (neighbour); next to (esp. living next door to)
塁【るい】 base; bag; sack / fortress; stronghold
涙【なみだ】 tear; tears; lachrymal secretion / sympathy
累【るい】 trouble; evil influence; implication; involvement
鈴【すず】 bell (often globular)
れい《零》 zero; nought
謡【うたい】 noh chanting; recitation
そもそも《抑》 in the first place; to begin with; from the start; originally; ab initio / after all; anyway; actually; well, ...; ... on earth (e.g. "what on earth?"); ... in the world (e.g. "why in the world?") / beginning; start
翼【つばさ】 wing / Chinese "Wings" constellation (one of the 28 mansions) / counter for birds or bird wings
薄物【うすもの】 lightweight fabric or clothing; silk gauze; thin silk / Latin (language)
裸【はだか】 nakedness; nudity / bareness; nakedness; baldness; being uncovered / being penniless / concealing nothing; openness
雷【かみなり】 lightning; thunder; thunderbolt / god of thunder; god of lightning / anger; fit of anger
欄【らん】 column of text (e.g. in a newspaper) / field (in a form, web page, etc.)
吏【り】 government official; public official
靴【くつ】 shoes; boots; footwear; footgear
離【り】 li (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: fire, south)
粒【つぶ】 grain; bead; drop / counter for small round objects including grains, seeds, pills, drops
竜【りゅう】 dragon (esp. a Chinese dragon) / naga; semi-divine human-cobra chimera in Hindu and Buddhist mythology / promoted rook
虜【とりこ】 captive; prisoner / victim (of love, etc.); slave (to one's lust, etc.)
了【りょう】 finish; completion; understanding
寮【りょう】 hostel; dormitory / bureau (government department beneath a ministry under the ritsuryo system)
涼【りょう】 cool breeze; cool air; refreshing coolness
猟【りょう】 hunting; shooting / game; quarry
窯【かま】 stove; furnace; kiln
庸【よう】 tax paid to avoid forced labor (ritsuryo period)
揺【ゆり】 vibration; flickering; jolting; tremor
与【むた】 together with ...
おす《雄》 male (animal)
なお《尚》 furthermore; still; yet; more; still more; in addition; greater; further
ただ《唯》 ordinary; common; usual / free of charge / unaffected; as is; safe / only; merely; just; simply / but; however; nevertheless
柳【やなぎ】 willow (any tree of genus Salix) / weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
静寂【せいじゃく】 silence; stillness; quietness
紋【もん】 (family) crest; coat of arms
匁【もんめ】 monme (unit of weight, 3.75 g)
厄【やく】 misfortune; bad luck; evil; disaster
猛【もう】 greatly energetic / ferocious / extreme; severe
盲【めくら】 blindness; blind person / illiteracy; illiterate person / ignorance; ignoramus
網【あみ】 net; netting / web
銘【めい】 inscription; epitaph / (manufacturer's) engraved signature / motto; maxim; precept
免【めん】 dismissal
岬【みさき】 cape (on coast)
妙【みょう】 strange; weird; odd; curious / wonder; mystery; miracle; excellence / cleverness; adroitness; knack; skill
矛【ほこ】 long-handled Chinese spear; lance; pike / weapon; arms / grip of a bow / parade float decorated with long-handled Chinese spears
霧【きり】 fog; mist / spray
婿【むこ】 husband; groom / (one's) son-in-law
娘【むすめ】 (my) daughter / girl (i.e. a young, unmarried woman)
膜【まく】 membrane; film
また《又》 again; and; also; still (doing something)
繭【まゆ】 cocoon
穂【ほ】 ear (of plant); head (of plant) / point; tip / scion (in grafting); cion
俸【ほう】 salary
峰【みね】 peak; summit; ridge; top / back of a blade
泡【あわ】 bubble; foam; froth; head on beer
銃【じゅう】 gun; rifle; small arms
国【くに】 country; state / region / national government; central government / home (i.e. hometown, home country) / province (of Japan) / land; earth
そば《側》 near; close; beside; vicinity; proximity; besides; while / third person
坊【ぼう】 bonze; monk / monk's dwelling / boy; sonny / I; me / little / person who is ...
帽【ぼう】 hat; cap
房【ふさ】 tuft; tassel / bunch (of grapes, etc.) / section (of an orange, etc.)
某【ぼう】 certain; one
謀【はかりごと】 plan; strategy
僕【ぼく】 I; me / you / manservant
墨【すみ】 sumi; India ink; Chinese ink; ink stick; ink-cake / squid ink; octopus ink / carpenter's inking string
えのき《榎》 Japanese hackberry (Celtis sinensis var. japonica); Chinese nettle tree / enoki mushroom (Flammulina velutipes); winter mushroom; velvet shank; enokitake; enokidake
没【ぼつ】 death / rejection (of a manuscript, etc.) / lacking; without
堀【ほり】 moat; fosse / canal; ditch
零し【こぼし】 waste-water container (tea ceremony)
おおよそ《大凡》 about; roughly; approximately / generally; on the whole; as a rule / completely; quite; entirely; altogether; totally; not at all (with neg. verb) / outline; gist
盆【ぼん】 tray / family; household / O-Bon; Bon Festival; Lantern Festival; Festival of the Dead
魔【ま】 demon; devil; evil spirit; evil influence / someone who (habitually) performs some (negative) act
麻【あさ】 cannabis (Cannabis sativa); hemp (plant) / hemp (fiber); linen; flax; jute
遍【へん】 number of times
舗【ほ】 shop; store / counter for foldable things such as maps, etc.
丙【へい】 third in rank; third sign of the Chinese calendar
塀【へい】 wall / fence
幣【へい】 staff with plaited paper streamers
弊【へい】 bad habit; harm
柄【がら】 pattern; design / body build; figure; physique / essential qualities; character; nature / appropriate to; fitting of; suitable for
壁【かべ】 wall; partition / barrier; obstacle / Chinese "Wall" constellation (one of the 28 mansions)
癖【くせ】 habit (often a bad habit, i.e. vice); tendency / peculiarity; idiosyncrasy; mannerism / crease; wrinkle; curl; kink
偏【へん】 left-hand radical of a character
賦【ふ】 poem / narrative (style of the Shi Jing) / classical Chinese rhymed prose
侮【ぶ】 (something) despised; (something) made light of
舞【まい】 dancing; dance
封【ふう】 seal
幅【はば】 width; breadth / freedom (e.g. of thought); latitude / gap; difference (e.g. in price); range (e.g. of voice)
浜【はま】 beach; seashore / captured pieces (in the game of go); captured stones / Yokohama / riverbank; riverside
客賓【まろうど】 visitor from afar; guest
瓶【びん】 bottle; jar; decanter; flagon; phial; vial
こわ《怖》 frightening; terrifying
敷き【しき】 spreading; laying out; covering / security deposit / Japanese mattress
符【ふ】 charm; talisman; amulet / tally / sign; mark; note / fu; unit used in calculation of a hand's score
肌【はだ】 skin / body (in the context of intimate bodily contact) / surface; grain (e.g. of wood); texture / disposition; temperament; character; type
譜【ふ】 (sheet) music; (musical) note; (musical) score / genealogy; family tree / record of a game of go, shogi, chess, etc.
肌【はだ】 skin / body (in the context of intimate bodily contact) / surface; grain (e.g. of wood); texture / disposition; temperament; character; type
鉢【はち】 bowl; pot; basin / flowerpot / crown; brainpan
髪【かみ】 hair (on the head)
罰【ばち】 (divine) punishment; curse; retribution
閥【ばつ】 clique; clan; faction
供【とも】 companion; follower; attendant; retinue
帆【ほ】 sail
あたり《辺り》 on the bank of; by the side of (e.g. a river, pond) / (in the) neighbourhood; neighborhood; vicinity; nearby / around (Sunday, last year, etc...) / for instance
藩【はん】 feudal domain (Edo and early Meiji periods, precursor to current prefectures); fiefdom; province; clan
範【はん】 example; model
煩【はん】 trouble
皿【さら】 plate; dish; platter; disc / serving; helping; course / kanji radical 108 (at the bottom)
妃【ひ】 princess; consort
あれ《彼》 that (indicating something distant from both speaker and listener (in space, time or psychologically), or something understood without naming it directly) / that person (used to refer to one's equals or inferiors) / over there / down there (i.e. one's genitals) / period; menses / hey (expression of surprise, suspicion, etc.); huh?; eh? / that (something mentioned before which is distant psychologically or in terms of time)
扉【とびら】 door; gate; opening / title page
碑【いしぶみ】 stone monument bearing an inscription (esp. memorial for future generations); stele; stela
被【ひ】 indicates the target of an activity; -ee (e.g. employee, examinee, trustee)
尾【お】 tail (animal, kite, comet, etc.); tail end / slope at the foot of a mountain
微【び】 minuteness / one millionth
匹【ひき】 counter for small animals / counter for rolls of cloth (two han in size) / counter for horses / roll of cloth
姫【ひめ】 young lady of noble birth; princess (esp. in Western contexts, tales, etc.) / girl / small; cute; lesser (in names of species) / prostitute
苗【なえ】 seedling; young plant / rice seedling
拍【はく】 beat / mora
泊【はく】 counter for nights of a stay
舶【つむ】 large ship
すすき《薄》 Japanese pampas grass (Miscanthus sinensis); silver grass; zebra grass
迫り【せり】 stage elevator; trapdoor
爆【ばく】 burst of laughter; roar of laughter
伯【はく】 count; earl / chief official of the Department of Worship / eldest brother / Brazil; Brazilian
軟【なん】 soft
尼【あま】 nun / bitch / Amagasaki, Hyogo / Amazon (online retailer)
二【に】 two
如【にょ】 tathata (the ultimate nature of all things)
尿【にょう】 urine
忍【にん】 endurance; forbearance; patience; self-restraint
むしろ《寧ろ》 rather; better; instead
猫【ねこ】 cat / shamisen / geisha / wheelbarrow / clay bed-warmer / bottom; submissive partner of a homosexual relationship
濃【のう】 dark (color) / concentrated; thick
束【たば】 bundle; bunch; sheaf
覇【は】 supremacy (over a nation); hegemony; domination; leadership / championship; victory
ばば《婆》 old woman / joker (card) / hag; bitch
排【はい】 anti-
杯【さかずき】 sake cup; cup for alcoholic beverages
輩【やから】 party (of people); set (of people); clan; family; fellow
仲人【なこうど】 matchmaker / go-between; intermediary; middleman; mediator; intercessor
陶【すえ】 ceramics; pottery; porcelain
虚ろ【うつろ】 cavity; hollow; void / hollow (voice, smile, etc.); blank (eyes, look, etc.); vacant (expression, stare, etc.); empty (words, heart, etc.)
胴【どう】 trunk; torso; body; abdomen; waist / plastron (in kendo); touching the plastron (kimari-te in kendo) / frame (of a drum, etc.); sound box (of a shamisen, etc.); hull (of a ship)
峠【とうげ】 (mountain) pass; ridge; peak / peak (e.g. of summer); worst (e.g. of an illness); crisis; critical point; most difficult part
匿【とく】 shelter; shield; hide
でこ《凸》 brow; forehead / bump
取っ【とっ】 very; much
トン《屯》 ton (now usu. a metric ton, i.e. 1,000kg); tonne
豚【ぶた】 pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) / fat person
曇り【くもり】 cloudiness; cloudy weather / fog (on a mirror, glasses, etc.); cloud (e.g. in marble); blur; mist; shadow; dimness / gloom; dejection
鈍【どん】 dull; slow; stupid; dull-brained
縄【なわ】 rope; cord / policeman's rope
奴【やっこ】 servant (esp. a samurai's attendant) / chivalrous man (c. Edo period) / cubed tofu (often served cold) / kite shaped like a footman / Edo-period hairstyle worn by samurai's attendants / enslavement (of a woman; Edo-period punishment for her own or her husband's crime) / he; she; him; her
逆さま【さかさま】 inverted; upside down; reversed; back to front
唐【とう】 Tang Dynasty (China, 618-907) / China; foreign country
塔【とう】 tower; steeple; spire / stupa; pagoda; dagoba
桃【もも】 peach (Prunus persica)
棟【とう】 large building; building with a long roof / counter for buildings, apartments, etc.
痘痕【いも】 smallpox; variola / pockmark; pock
筒【つつ】 pipe; tube; cylinder / gun barrel / gun; cannon / well lining; well curb
斗【と】 to; traditional unit of volume, approx. 18 litres / square bearing block (at the top of a pillar) / Chinese "Dipper" constellation (one of the 28 mansions)
道【みち】 road; path; street; lane; passage / route; way / distance; journey / road (e.g. to victory); course / way (of living, proper conduct, etc.); moral principles / teachings (esp. Confucian or Buddhist); dogma / field (e.g. of medicine); subject; speciality / means; way; method
彫り【ほり】 carving; engraving / chiselled features
徴【ち】 fourth degree (of the Japanese & Chinese pentatonic scale)
超【ちょう】 super-; ultra-; hyper-; very; really / over (after a number or counter); more than
勅【ちょく】 imperial decree; imperial edict
朕【ちん】 We; Our
珍【ちん】 rare; curious; strange
鎮【ちん】 a weight / temple supervisor / town (of China)
津【つ】 harbour; harbor; port / ferry
塚【つか】 mound; heap; hillock / burial mound; tomb; tumulus; barrow
坪【つぼ】 tsubo; traditional unit of area, approx. 3.31 square meters
釣り【つり】 fishing; angling / change (e.g. for a purchase) / trolling; writing false posts online
亭【てい】 arbor; arbour; bower; pavilion / suffix forming the final part of the pseudonyms of some writers and performers / suffix forming the final part of the name of a restaurant
貞【てい】 firm adherence to one's principles / chastity (of a woman)
堤【つつみ】 bank; embankment; dike
帝【みかど】 emperor (of Japan); mikado / (the gates of an) imperial residence
艇【てい】 boat
屋敷【やしき】 residence; estate; grounds; premises; mansion
泥【どろ】 mud; slush; (wet) dirt; mire / thief
滴【しずく】 drop (e.g. of water); drip
哲【てつ】 sage; wise man; philosopher; disciple / sagacity; wisdom; intelligence
殿【しんがり】 rear; rear unit guard / anchor (man)
塗り【ぬり】 coating (esp. lacquering)
恥【はじ】 shame; embarrassment; disgrace
痴【ち】 foolishness; fool / moha (ignorance, folly)
若【わか】 youth / child (esp. of the young son of someone of high social standing) / young; new
択【たく】 counter for choices, options, etc.
沢【さわ】 swamp; marsh / mountain stream; valley; dale
諾【だく】 agreement; assent / Norway
ただ《唯》 ordinary; common; usual / free of charge / unaffected; as is; safe / only; merely; just; simply / but; however; nevertheless
脱【だつ】 de- (indicating reversal, removal, etc.); post-
棚【たな】 shelf; shelves; ledge; rack / trellis
丹【に】 red earth (i.e. containing cinnabar or minium); vermilion
嘆【たん】 sigh / grief; lamentation
そば《側》 near; close; beside; vicinity; proximity; besides; while / third person
肝【きも】 liver; innards / courage; spirit; pluck; guts / crux; essential point
壇【だん】 platform; podium; rostrum; pulpit / (ceremonial) mound / world (of haiku, art, etc.); (literary) circles / mandala
玉【たま】 ball; sphere; globe; orb / bead (of sweat, dew, etc.); drop; droplet / ball (in sports) / pile (of noodles, etc.) / bullet / bulb (i.e. a light bulb) / lens (of glasses, etc.) / bead (of an abacus) / ball (i.e. a testicle) / gem; jewel (esp. spherical; sometimes used figuratively); pearl / female entertainer (e.g. a geisha) / person (when commenting on their nature); character / item, funds or person used as part of a plot / egg / coin / precious; beautiful; excellent
滝【たき】 waterfall / rapids
卓【たく】 table; desk / counter for tables, desks, etc. / offering table before an altar (sometimes used in tea ceremony) / tabletop incense burner
タイ《泰》 Thailand
胎【たい】 womb
袋【ふくろ】 bag; sack; pouch / skin of an orange (and other like fruits) / dead end / plot of land surrounded by water
駄【だ】 poor; low-grade; trivial; insignificant; worthless / load; pack; horse load / packhorse
船【ふね】 ship; boat; watercraft; vessel; steamship / tank; tub; vat; trough / counter for boat-shaped containers (e.g. of sashimi)
荘【しょう】 manor; villa
藻【も】 algae; waterweed; seaweed; duckweed
霜【しも】 frost
即【そく】 instantly; immediately; at once / that is (to say); namely
俗【ぞく】 layman (esp. as opposed to a Buddhist monk); laity; man of the world; the world / local manners; modern customs / common; popular / vulgar; low
仇【あだ】 foe; enemy; rival / resentment; enmity; grudge / harm; injury
僧【そう】 monk; priest
双【そう】 pair
喪【も】 mourning
壮【そう】 vibrancy; strength; bravery; manliness / (esp. of men) one's prime (approx. age 30)
あたら《可惜》 alas; regrettably; to my great regret; tragically
柝【たく】 wooden clappers (signalling the beginning or end of a performance)
籍【せき】 one's family register; one's domicile / nationality / membership (club, party, etc.)
跡【あと】 trace; tracks; mark; sign / site; remains; ruins / scar
拙【せつ】 poor; weak / I; me
仙【せん】 hermit; wizard
卜【うら】 fortune-telling; divination
扇【おうぎ】 folding fan
栓【せん】 stopper; cork; stopcock
繊【せん】 daikon julienne; julienned daikon / one ten-millionth
薦【こも】 woven straw mat (orig. made of wild rice leaves) / beggar / Manchurian wild rice (Zizania latifolia)
銑【ずく】 pig iron
やや《稍》 a little; partially; somewhat; slightly; semi-; -ish; on the ... side; a short time; a while
禅【ぜん】 dhyana (profound meditation) / Zen (Buddhism)
疎【そ】 sparse / distant (of a relationship); estranged; alienated
礎【いしずえ】 foundation stone; cornerstone
租【そ】 rice tax (ritsuryo system); rice levy; tax on rice fields / annual tribute; annual tax
ほぼ《略》 almost; roughly; approximately
隻【せき】 counter for ships (large boats) / counter for half of a pair (e.g. half of a folding screen) / counter for fish, birds, arrows, etc.
斉【せい】 Qi (kingdom in China during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Period of the Warring States); Ch'i
贄【にえ】 offering (to the gods, emperor, etc.) / gift / sacrifice
枢【くるる】 pivot hinge (using extensions on the top & bottom of a door that fit into cavities in the frame) / sliding wooden bolt (for holding a door or window shut)
杉【すぎ】 Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
瀬【せ】 shallows; shoal / rapids; current; torrent / position; place / chance; opportunity
畝【うね】 ridge (in field); row of raised earth when planting crops / rib (cloth, mountains, sea); cord (e.g. corduroy)
これ《此れ》 this (indicating an item near the speaker, the action of the speaker, or the current topic) / this person (usu. indicating someone in one's in-group) / now / here / I (me) / certainly
姓【せい】 surname; family name / hereditary title (used in ancient Japan to denote rank and political standing)
しちょう《四丁》 ladder (in go)
酢【す】 vinegar
帥【そち】 director of the Dazaifu
眠り【ねむり】 sleep; sleeping / inactivity / death
粋【いき】 chic; smart; stylish; tasteful; refined; sophisticated; worldly (esp. in terms of being familiar with the red light district, geishas and actors) / considerate; understanding; sympathetic / essence; the best; the cream
終【つい】 end; final / end of life; death / never; not at all
重り【おもり】 weight / sinker (fishing)
髄【ずい】 medulla; marrow; pith
畳【たたみ】 tatami mat; Japanese straw floor coverings
錠【じょう】 lock; padlock / tablet; lozenge; pill
触れ【ふれ】 proclamation; official notice / touch; contact
恥【はじ】 shame; embarrassment; disgrace
唇【くちびる】 lips
寝【ね】 sleep
薪【まき】 firewood; kindling; fuel / piece(s) of firewood
辛【かのと】 8th in rank; eighth sign of the Chinese calendar
震【しん】 zhen (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: thunder, east)
刃【は】 edge (of a knife or sword) / prong (of an electrical plug)
尋【ひろ】 fathom
尽【じん】 last day (of the month)
陣【じん】 battle formation / camp; encampment; position / group; gang; party; corps / war; battle; campaign
あまつさえ《剰え》 besides; moreover; in addition
嬢【じょう】 unmarried woman / Miss / -ess; -ette
巡【じゅん】 counter for tours, cycles, rounds, circuits, etc.
糸口【いとぐち】 thread end / beginning / clue
匠【たくみ】 workman; artisan; mechanic; carpenter / craft; skill / means; idea
升【ます】 measuring container; measure / box (seating at a theatre, etc.) / square on a grid; cell of a grid / square bearing block (at the top of a pillar)
宵【よい】 evening; early night hours
なお《尚》 furthermore; still; yet; more; still more; in addition; greater; further
床【ゆか】 floor / stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player) / dining platform built across a river
抄【しょう】 excerpt; extract / annotation / shou (unit of volume, approx. 1.8 ml)
手のひら【てのひら】 palm (of one's hand)
沼【ぬま】 marsh; swamp; wetland; bog; pond
症【しょう】 illness
称【しょう】 name / reputation
衝【しょう】 important point (e.g. on a route) / important role (responsibility, etc.) / opposition
勅【ちょく】 imperial decree; imperial edict
鐘【かね】 bell (often a large hanging bell); chime
丈【たけ】 height; stature / length (esp. of clothing) / all (one has); everything / magnificence (of a waka poem, etc.)
冗【じょう】 uselessness
盾【たて】 shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext
準【じゅん】 semi-; quasi-; associate
旬【しゅん】 season (e.g. fruit, fish) / in vogue; popular; fresh; up to date
塾【じゅく】 coaching school; cramming school; juku
俊【しゅん】 excellence; genius
臭【しゅう】 -smell; stinking of / smacking of; hinting of
船【ふね】 ship; boat; watercraft; vessel; steamship / tank; tub; vat; trough / counter for boat-shaped containers (e.g. of sashimi)
重ね【かさね】 pile; heap; layers (e.g. of clothing); set (e.g. of boxes); course (e.g. of stones) / counter for things that are stacked, piled up (or layered, etc.) / layers of clothing worn under one's overcoat / combination of colors created by layering of garments (colours)
醜【しゅう】 ugliness
やわ《柔》 soft; fragile; weak; poorly built; insubstantial
汁【しる】 juice; sap / soup; broth / (dipping) sauce
渋【しぶ】 astringent (puckery) juice (of unripe persimmons)
獣【けもの】 beast; brute; animal
銃【じゅう】 gun; rifle; small arms
儒【じゅ】 Confucianism; Confucianist; Chinese scholar
寿【ことぶき】 congratulations; felicitations; best wishes / longevity; long life
秀【しゅう】 preeminence; superlativeness
赤【あか】 red; crimson; scarlet / red-containing colour (e.g. brown, pink, orange) / Red (i.e. communist) / red light (traffic) / red ink (i.e. in finance or proof-reading); (in) the red / complete; total; perfect; obvious / copper
異【こと】 difference (from one another); different thing; other / unusual; extraordinary
狩り【かり】 hunting / harvesting (e.g. berries, fruit); picking; gathering
玉【たま】 ball; sphere; globe; orb / bead (of sweat, dew, etc.); drop; droplet / ball (in sports) / pile (of noodles, etc.) / bullet / bulb (i.e. a light bulb) / lens (of glasses, etc.) / bead (of an abacus) / ball (i.e. a testicle) / gem; jewel (esp. spherical; sometimes used figuratively); pearl / female entertainer (e.g. a geisha) / person (when commenting on their nature); character / item, funds or person used as part of a plot / egg / coin / precious; beautiful; excellent
趣【おもむき】 meaning; tenor; gist / effect; influence / appearance; aspect / taste / grace; charm; refinement
寂【さび】 patina; antique look / elegant simplicity / well-trained voice
斜め【ななめ】 slanting; tilted; sloping; diagonal; oblique / distorted (feeling); slanted (e.g. view of the world); bad (mood); amiss; awry
煮【に】 simmered with; cooked with / boiling; boiled dish
蛇【へび】 snake / serpent; large snake
邪【よこしま】 wicked; evil
勺【しゃく】 shaku; traditional unit of volume, approx. 18 ml / shaku; traditional unit of area, approx. 0.033 meters square
爵【しゃく】 jue (ancient 3-legged Chinese wine pitcher, usu. made of bronze) / peerage (hereditary title bestowed by the emperor)
酌【しゃく】 pouring alcohol; person pouring alcohol
芝【しば】 lawn; sod; turf
軸【じく】 axis; shaft; axle / center; centre; focal point; key point / stalk; stem / hanging scroll
弓【たらし】 bow (and arrow; esp. of a noble)
七【しち】 seven / hepta-
賜物【たまもの】 gift; boon / (good) result; fruit (e.g. of one's efforts)
めす《雌》 female (animal)
侍【さむらい】 warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai / man in attendance (on a person of high standing); retainer
璽【じ】 emperor's seal
旨【むね】 principle; aim; main purpose; central part; pillar / purport; gist; drift; meaning / instructions; orders; intention; wishes
紫【むらさき】 purple; violet / Lithospermum erythrorhizon (species of gromwell) / type of soy sauce
足【あし】 foot / leg / gait / pace / bottom structural component (i.e. radical) of a kanji / means of transportation / money; coin
脂【あぶら】 fat; tallow; lard; grease
傘【かさ】 umbrella; parasol / something shaped like an umbrella or a conical hat; shade (of a lamp); mushroom cap; pileus
惨【さん】 appalling
懸け橋【かけはし】 suspension bridge; viaduct; temporary bridge / mediation; go-between
伺い【うかがい】 call; visit / inquiry; enquiry; question
刺【とげ】 thorn; spine; prickle / splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone) / biting words
索【さく】 rope; cord
擦り【こすり】 rubbing; scrubbing; scraping
載【さい】 10^44; hundred tredecillion
剤【ざい】 medicine; agent; (chemical) substance; drug; dose
岬【みさき】 cape (on coast)
削【さく】 plane; sharpen; whittle; pare; shave (leather); scrape off; crossout; reduce; curtail
鎖【くさり】 chain; chains
債【さい】 debt; loan
年【とし】 year / age; years / past one's prime; old age
祝い【いわい】 congratulation; congratulations; celebration; festival; congratulatory gift
くびき《頸木》 yoke / constraints; oppression
貢【こう】 tribute
うなじ《項》 nape (of the neck); nucha
香り【かおり】 aroma; fragrance; scent; smell
剛【ごう】 strong; hard; manly
剛【ごう】 strong; hard; manly
酷【こく】 severe; harsh; stringent; rigorous; strict; unfair
獄【ごく】 jail; gaol; prison
腰【こし】 back; lower back; waist; hips; lumbar region / body (of hair, noodle, paper, etc.); resilience; spring
夜這い【よばい】 creeping at night into a woman's bedroom; stealing into a girl's bedroom at night to make love; sneaking visit
ねんごろ《懇ろ》 kind; courteous; hospitable; warmly respectful / intimate / becoming intimate; having an intimate relationship (sometimes esp. a homosexual relationship)
紺【こん】 navy blue; deep blue
魂【こん】 Yang energy; spirit
こもごも《交々》 alternately; in succession
江【え】 inlet; bay
溝【こう】 10^32; hundred nonillion
甲【きのえ】 first sign of the Chinese calendar
硬【こう】 hardness
稿【こう】 manuscript; version; draft
綱【つな】 rope / grand champion's braided belt
あら《粗》 remaining bony parts (of a fish after filleting) / flaw (esp. of a person); fault; defect / rice chaff / rough / crude; raw; natural; wild
坑【こう】 pit (esp. of a mine)
穴【あな】 hole / deficit; shortage; missing person (in a team, meeting, etc.) / vacancy; opening / flaw / profitable place (or item, etc.) not well known by others / upset victory (with a large payoff) / pit (of a theater) / hiding place / underbelly (of society, etc.)
抗【こう】 anti-
お《御》 honorific/polite/humble prefix
碁【ご】 go; board game of capturing territory
侯【こう】 marquis; lord; daimyo
雇い【やとい】 employee; employment
鼓【つづみ】 hand drum
豆汁【ご】 go; soy beans soaked and mashed to a creamy paste (ingredient of tofu and soy milk)
孤児【こじ】 orphan
弧【こ】 arc
谷【たに】 valley
茎【くき】 stalk; stem
ほたる《蛍》 firefly (Luciola cruciata); lightning bug; glowworm
鶏【にわとり】 (domestic) chicken / chicken (meat)
くじら《鯨》 whale (Cetacea spp.)
倹【けん】 economizing; thriftiness; prudence; frugality
兼【けん】 cum (e.g. bedroom-cum-study); holding both roles (e.g. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs); and; in addition; concurrently; at the same time
剣【けん】 sword (originally esp. a doubled-edged sword); sabre; saber; blade / bayonet / swordsmanship / stinger; ovipositor; dart
圏【けん】 sphere; circle; range / category (in the context of category theory)
堅【けん】 strength; solidity; firmness / armour; armor
嫌【いや】 disagreeable; detestable; unpleasant; reluctant
掛け【かけ】 credit / money owed on an account; bill / hot noodles in broth / proportion (of wholesale price, as tenths of list price) / in the midst of / rest; rack; hanger
肩【かた】 shoulder
賢【けん】 intelligence; genius; scholarship; virtue
軒【のき】 eaves / narrow aisle surrounding the core of a temple building
露【あらわ】 exposed; scanty; bare; unconcealed; naked / public; open
幻【まぼろし】 phantom; vision; illusion; dream; apparition
弦【つる】 bowstring / string (of shamisen, guitar, violin, etc.) / bail (arched pot handle) / diagonal levelling wire across the top of a masu
恵【え】 wisdom; enlightenment / prajñā (one of the three divisions of the noble eightfold path); wisdom
憩い【いこい】 rest; relaxation
菌【きん】 fungus / germ; bacterium; bacillus
襟【えり】 collar; lapel; neckband; neck / nape of the neck; scruff of the neck
愚【ぐ】 foolishness; silliness; stupidity; folly / I; me
恐れ【おそれ】 fear; horror; anxiety; concern; uneasiness
たまたま《偶々》 casually; unexpectedly; accidentally; by chance
隅【すみ】 corner; nook; recess / downstage right (on a noh stage)
靴【くつ】 shoes; boots; footwear; footgear
桑【くわ】 mulberry (tree)
勲【いさお】 distinguished service; meritorious service
香り【かおり】 aroma; fragrance; scent; smell
斜め【ななめ】 slanting; tilted; sloping; diagonal; oblique / distorted (feeling); slanted (e.g. view of the world); bad (mood); amiss; awry
刑【けい】 penalty; sentence; punishment
狂【きょう】 (some type of) enthusiast / somebody possessed of a (certain kind of) mental abnormality
狭【せ】 narrowness; being cramped; being almost full
響き【ひびき】 echo; reverberation / sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum); noise / quality of a sound (e.g. a fine phrase, clear voice, resonant bell); feeling of a sound; emotion or feeling inspired by something heard or read
しこり《凝り》 muscle stiffness (esp. in shoulders) / lump (in tissue, esp. breast); swelling; hardening; lesion / lingering discomfort; uneasiness; bad aftertaste; unpleasant feeling
暁【あかつき】 dawn; daybreak / event (e.g. "in the event of ..."); occasion; occurrence
斤【きん】 unit of weight ~600g / pound (unit of mass: 453.6g) / loaf (of bread)
琴【こと】 koto (13-stringed Japanese zither) / stringed instrument / zheng (Chinese zither); guzheng
こわ《怖》 frightening; terrifying
峡【かい】 gorge; ravine
よりどころ《拠り所》 grounds; foundation; authority / support; prop; something upon which to rely
空【そら】 sky; the air; the heavens / weather / far-off place; distant place / state of mind; feeling / (from) memory; (by) heart / falsehood; lie / somehow; vaguely / fake
蹴爪【けづめ】 fetlock (horse, etc.); spur (chicken, etc.); cockspur; dewclaw (dog, etc.)
凶【きょう】 bad luck; bad fortune / evil; wickedness
騎【き】 counter for horsemen
鬼【おに】 oni; ogre; demon / spirit of a deceased person / ogre-like person (i.e. fierce, relentless, merciless, etc.) / it (in a game of tag, hide-and-seek, etc.) / Chinese "ghost" constellation (one of the 28 mansions) / very; extremely; super-
偽【にせ】 imitation; fake; phony; counterfeit; forged; bogus; sham / pseudo-
儀【ぎ】 ceremony / matter; affair / with regard to; as for; as concerns
宜【むべ】 truly; indeed
戯【あじゃら】 pleasantry; joke; tomfoolery
もどき《擬き》 -like; pseudo-; mock ...; imitation ...; in the style of ... / comical character who mocks or apes the main character (in Japanese performing arts) / criticism; censure
菊【きく】 chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
吉【きち】 good fortune (esp. omikuji fortune-telling result); good luck; auspiciousness
詰め【つめ】 stuffing; packing / end (esp. the foot of a bridge) / lowest-ranking guest at tea ceremony / tea master / endgame (esp. in shogi or used figuratively) / sweet eel sauce / middle-aged woman / appointment to a particular workplace / using as the sole ground of judgement (judgment) / continuing; keep doing for period of time
足【あし】 foot / leg / gait / pace / bottom structural component (i.e. radical) of a kanji / means of transportation / money; coin
丘【おか】 hill; height; knoll; rising ground / bonus points awarded to the winner at the end of a game
奇【き】 strange; unconventional
巷【ちまた】 the public; the street (e.g. "word on the street") / street; district; quarters / location (e.g. of a battle); scene (e.g. of carnage) / divide (e.g. between life and death) / fork (in a road); crossroads
幾【いく】 some; several / many / how many?; how much?
忌み【いみ】 mourning; abstinence / taboo / religious purification / pure; holy
碁【ご】 go; board game of capturing territory
暇【ひま】 spare time; free time; leisure / time (e.g. time it takes to do something) / time off; day off; vacation; holiday; leave / quitting (one's job); firing someone; divorcing (one's spouse) / (of one's time) free; (of one's business) slow / leaving; departing
頑な【かたくな】 obstinate; stubborn; mulish; die-hard; bigoted
鑑【かがみ】 model; pattern
缶【かん】 can; tin / canned food
肝【きも】 liver; innards / courage; spirit; pluck; guts / crux; essential point
艦【かん】 warship
貫【かん】 kan (obs. unit of weight, approx. 3.75 kg, 8.3 lb) / kan (obs. unit of currency) / pieces of sushi
くさび《楔》 wedge; chock; linchpin; lynchpin / tie; bond
刈【かり】 cut; clip; shear; reap; trim; prune
干し【ほし】 drying; dried
冠【かんむり】 traditional cap worn by Shinto clergy and courtiers / crown; diadem; coronet / top kanji radical / first verse of a haikai, etc. / best; peerless; first / name; title; named sponsorship of a program, event, team, etc.
勘【かん】 perception; intuition; the sixth sense
寛【かん】 lenient; gentle
棺【かん】 coffin; casket
款【かん】 title; heading; article / benevolence; friendly feeling
歓【かん】 joy; enjoyment; delight; pleasure
汗【あせ】 sweat; perspiration / moisture; condensation
輪【わ】 ring; circle; loop / hoop / wheel / circle (e.g. of friends)
監【げん】 special Nara-period administrative division for areas containing a detached palace (Yoshino and Izumi) / secretary; third highest-ranking officials in the Dazaifu
戒【かい】 admonition; commandment / sila (precept)
みんな《皆》 all; everyone; everybody / everything
涯【はて】 horizon
該【がい】 said; matter in question
垣【かき】 fence; hedge; barrier; wall; railing
核【かく】 pit (of a fruit); stone / core / nucleus; nuclear / nuclear weaponry / kernel
殻【から】 shell; husk; hull; pod; chaff
廓【くるわ】 district; quarter / enclosure; area enclosed by earthwork / red-light district / wide and empty
隔【かく】 every other; second; alternate
岳【たけ】 peak / mountain
掛け【かけ】 credit / money owed on an account; bill / hot noodles in broth / proportion (of wholesale price, as tenths of list price) / in the midst of / rest; rack; hanger
潟【かた】 lagoon
喝【かつ】 exclamation used to scold practitioners (in Zen) / scolding or threatening with a shout
渇【かつ】 thirst
怪【かい】 mystery; wonder
懐【ふところ】 bosom; bust / (breast) pocket; purse; handbag
塊【かたまり】 lump; mass; bundle; clump; clod; cluster / group; crowd / embodiment (of an idea, quality, feeling etc.); personification
韻【いん】 rhyme
渦【うず】 whirlpool; swirl; eddy; vortex; maelstrom
浦【うら】 inlet / seashore; beach
影【かげ】 shadow; silhouette; figure; shape / reflection; image / ominous sign / light (stars, moon) / trace; shadow (of one's former self)
鋭【えい】 sharpness / sharp weapon; blade / fine soldier
悦【えつ】 self-satisfaction; rejoicing
越【えつ】 Yue; kingdom in ancient China (6th c. - 334 BCE)
閲【えつ】 inspection (esp. of a document); stamp of approval (for a document)
宴【うたげ】 party; banquet; feast
炎【ほのお】 flame; blaze / flames (of intense emotion, e.g. love, jealousy, anger); passion
煙【けむり】 smoke; fumes
さる《猿》 monkey (esp. the Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata); ape; non-human primate / sly person / idiot; hick / sliding wooden bolt (for holding a door or window shut) / clasp used to control the height of a pot-hook / bathhouse prostitute
縁【ふち】 rim; brim; edge; brink
鉛【なまり】 lead (Pb)
よごれ《汚》 oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
凹【おう】 concave; hollow; sunken
奥【おく】 inner part; inside; interior; depths (e.g. of a forest); back (of a house, drawer, etc.); bottom (e.g. of one's heart); recesses; heart
翁【おう】 old man; venerable gentleman / venerable; old; father
沖【おき】 open sea
乙【おつ】 second (party to an agreement); the B party (e.g. in a contract); the latter; defendant / stylish; chic; spicy; witty; tasty; romantic / strange; quaint; queer / thank you; good job; goodbye; goodnight
卸【おろし】 wholesale
佳【か】 beautiful; good; excellent
嫁【よめ】 wife; bride / (one's) daughter-in-law
寡婦【かふ】 widow; divorced woman not remarried; unmarried woman
暇【ひま】 spare time; free time; leisure / time (e.g. time it takes to do something) / time off; day off; vacation; holiday; leave / quitting (one's job); firing someone; divorcing (one's spouse) / (of one's time) free; (of one's business) slow / leaving; departing
架【か】 rack; mount; stand
災い【わざわい】 calamity; catastrophe; misfortune
箇【か】 counter for the ichi-ni-san counting system (usu. directly preceding the item being counted); a noun read using its on-yomi
花【はな】 flower; blossom; bloom; petal / cherry blossom / beauty / blooming (esp. of cherry blossoms) / ikebana / hanafuda / (the) best / glorious; lovely
菓【か】 fruit / counter for fruit
蚊【か】 mosquito
雅【みやび】 refinement; elegance; grace
亜【あ】 sub- / -ous (indicating a low oxidation state); -ite
偉【い】 greatness
縅【おどし】 leather strap binding the plates of traditional Japanese armor (armour)
尉【じょう】 inspector (third highest of the four administrative ranks of the ritsuryo system) / (noh) old man / white ash (of charcoal)
ため《為》 good; advantage; benefit; welfare / sake; purpose; objective; aim / consequence; result; effect / affecting; regarding; concerning
これ《此れ》 this (indicating an item near the speaker, the action of the speaker, or the current topic) / this person (usu. indicating someone in one's in-group) / now / here / I (me) / certainly
横糸【よこいと】 weft; woof (crosswise threads on a loom)
井【い】 well
一【いち】 one / best / first; foremost / beginning; start / ace (playing card) / bottom string (on a shamisen, etc.)
一【いっち】 most
稲【いね】 rice plant
芋【いも】 tuber; taro; potato / yokel; bumpkin
陰【かげ】 shade; shadow / other side; back; background