Kanji: 1-100

Question 1

日

Answer 1

(ニチ)
ひ

sun; day; Japan

日 depicts the SUN with a line drawn along its equator.

Question 2

一

Answer 2

イチ
(ひと)

one

One line for 1.

Question 3

二

Answer 3

二
(ふた)

two

Two lines for 2.

Question 4

三

Answer 4

サン
(み)

three

Three lines for 3.

Question 5

十

Answer 5

ジュウ
(とお)

ten

Cross your hands in the shape of a cross: two hands = TEN fingers.

Question 6

四

Answer 6

(シ)
よん

four

The Kanji for FOUR is based on a square, which has FOUR sides.

Question 7

五

Answer 7

ゴ
(いつ)

five

Question 8

六

Answer 8

ロク
(む)

six

Question 9

七

Answer 9

(シチ)
なな

seven

Write a numeral 7 European-style, with a line slicing through the middle. Then turn it upside down.

Question 10

八

Answer 10

はち
(や)

eight

Put your EIGHT fingers (no thumbs) together in prayer (actually, almost together, imitating 八).

Question 11

九

Answer 11

キュウ
(ここの)

nine

The trick with this entry is distinquishing it from 力 (power). To do so, associate the wide, round hook at the end of S2 with the loop in the number 9.

Question 12

丸

Answer 12

(ガン)
まる

round

Similar to 九 (nine), so let the difference between them (S3) suggest the meaning. Because S3 curves slightly, we can see it as part of the circumference of a circle (geometrically speaking, an arc of about 20°), suggesting the meaning ROUND.

Question 13

円

Answer 13

エン
まる(い)

yen; circle

See the enclosure as a hand, wrapped in a CIRCULAR shape around two Japanese YEN coins.

Question 14

〇

Answer 14

レイ
ぜろ　まる

zero, placeholder; circle mark, blank

Rounding out our trio of circle characters is the non-traditional kanji 〇, long used in China but probably dreived from the Indian “0.”

Question 15

人

Answer 15

ニン
ひと

human being (person)

ニン is used more when refering to groups of people or roles, while ひと is more commonly used and generally is used for one person.

This minimal sketch of a HUMAN BEEING is most often modified to イ when it appears as a component grapheme in other kanji (休).

Question 16

百

Answer 16

ヒャク

hundred

See the number 100, turned sideways. A little line attachees the 1 to the place-holding zeroes.

Question 17

千

Answer 17

セン
(ち)

thousand

Think of this as a stylized letter T, to represent the distinct sound “th” in “THOUSAND.” Like the Greek letter for the same sound θ (theta), it has a line running across the center.

Question 18

万

Answer 18

マン

ten thousand

As a temporary expedient, see 一 (one) plus an upside-down numeral 4, suggesting a 1 with four zeroes after it: TEN THOUSAND.

Question 19

口

Answer 19

(コウ)
くち

mouth

Depicts a MOUTH. As we saw with 円, even a round object like MOUTH is drawn as a square in the kanji. Just as the English word MOUTH can refer to the end of a river or the entrance to a cave, 口 can refer to any mouth-like opening. Thus as a grapheme, 口 will sometimes mean opening or entrance.

Question 20

田

Answer 20

(デン)
た

rice field

Here we look down from the sky on a RICE FIELD, divided into four equal plots. As we see with 男, 田 will also be able to take on the meaning head when it appears as a grapheme.

Question 21

目

Answer 21

(モク)
め

eye; item

This kanji depicts an EYE propped up sideways; the middle section represents the iris. It also has a second meaning that is more abstract, but just as easy to see: each of the three rectangles represents one ITEM in a list of three items long.

Question 22

川

Answer 22

(セン)
かわ

river

Depicts a RIVER, with banks at the left and right, and water flowing through the middle.

Question 23

月

Answer 23

(ゲツ)　(ガツ)
つき

moon; month

Focus on the curves of the two upright lines and let them suggest a crescent MOON: the line at left outlines the dark portion of the sphere, whlie the line at right outlines the bright portion.

Question 24

明

Answer 24

(メイ)
あか(るい)　あき(らか)

bright, cheerful; clear

In this kanji we see the sun (日) shining on the moon (月), making it brilliantly BRIGHT and CLEAR.

Question 25

曜

Answer 25

ヨウ

day of the week

ヨヨ looks like a pair of wings–let them suggest a bird’s flapping movement. Compined with 日 day, the image depicts a little bird taking flight from one day to the next, to the next, as the DAYS OF THE WEEK fly by.

Question 26

火

Answer 26

(カ)
ひ

fire

A pyramid-shaped bonfire, from which flames leap to the left and right. As a grapheme, 火 means fire or burn, and takes either a norrowed form or the completely different form 灬, resembling four fingers of flame.

Question 27

水

Answer 27

(スイ)
みず

water

Looks roughly like 川 (RIVER) pinched from both sides, making WATER splash out. Though it can appear in this form as a grapheme, it almost always changes to the completely different form 氵, easily recognizable as drops of water.

Question 28

木

Answer 28

(ボク)　(モク)
き

tree; wood

Question 29

金

Answer 29

キン
かね

metal; gold; money

Visualize it as a stack of gold bars kept under a roof.

Question 30

土

Answer 30

(ド)　(ト)
つち

soil, land

See this as a sprout coming forth from the surface of the SOIL. Its shades of meaning extend to earth, land, ground, etc.

Question 31

本

Answer 31

ホン
(もと)

basis, origin, root; book; this

To 木 (tree) a stroke was added to indicate the tree’s roots. This gradually developed into the meaning BASIS. The root or BASIS of movies, plays, and many other things is in BOOKS. Indicating the time or place in which the speaker is BASED, 本 also means THIS.

Question 32

東

Answer 32

(トウ)
ひがし

east

This character can be broken down into two component graphemes. Visualize the sun (日) rising from behind a tree (木): EAST.

Question 33

大

Answer 33

ダイ
おお(きい)

big; university

Stretch out your arms, and spread out your legs: make yourself BIG. The second meaning UNIVERSITY comes from 大’s use as an abbreviation for 大学 (literally, “big school”).

Question 34

小

Answer 34

ショウ
ちい(さい)

small

Bring your legs together, and pull your arms down: make yourself SMALL.

Question 35

中

Answer 35

チュウ (ジュウ)
なか

middle; in, throughout; China

Right down the MIDDLE. 中 also serves as an abbreviation for CHINA, the MIDDLE Kingdom. IN, the second meaning, is likewise related to MIDDLE.

Question 36

生

Answer 36

セイ　(ショウ)
なま

life, grow; be born, give birth to; student

Behold a young plant sprining up from the ground and growing its first leaf. See BIRTH and LIFE symbolized in this first leaf, which you should make the focal point of this character.

Question 37

山

Answer 37

(サン)
やま

mountain

Three towering MOUNTAIN peaks.

Question 38

出

Answer 38

シュツ
でる　だす

go out; put out

Visualize the actions GO OUT and PUT OUT right in the character, by seeing one character for mountain (山) rising out of another. The lower mountain PUTS OUT the upper; the upper mountain GOES OUT from the lower.