Kanji - Level 28 - Vocab Flashcards
進撃
Advance
Kanji: 進 advance + 撃 attack
You advance and attack! This is a charge on someone or something, though it can also be an advance on them. Yep, this is the 進撃 from 進撃の巨人, the popular anime and manga. Don’t say you never learned anything useful here.
Reading: しんげき
The reading is the same as the ones you learned with the kanji. Advance! Charge! Move on to the next item!
前売り券
Advance ticket
Kanji: 前 front + 売 sell + り + 券 ticket
A ticket you sell beforehand are advance tickets. This is a ticket sold in advance. Buy your tickets early, or how else will you get in on a Conan audience?
Reading: まえうりけん
The readings are 前, 売る and 券 combined into one awkward word.
再び
Again
Kanji: 再 again + び
This is the adverb version of 再, so it shares the meaning again and also has the meaning once again.
Note that this word is somewhat formal and literary.
Reading: ふたたび
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun’yomi reading. You didn’t learn that reading with this kanji, so here’s a mnemonic to help you:
Once again, you have to say “Who? Ta-ta!” (ふたた). That’s because people you don’t know keep trying to talk to you, again and again. Whenever this happens you say “Who? Ta-ta!” again and run away.
巨人
A giant
Kanji: 巨 giant + 人 person
A giant person is a giant.
Reading: きょじん
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
軍隊
Army
Kanji: 軍 army + 隊 squad
The army squad is an army. It’s also just the army. It refers more to “an” army rather than “the” army. Just a group of people who do army things.
Reading: ぐんたい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
矢印
Arrow
Kanji: 矢 arrow + 印 seal
矢印 combines the kanji arrow and the vocab word 印 (mark), giving us the type of arrow you use for pointing at things, like these: →↑↓←. It could be an arrow on a sign, or on a piece of paper, or a document. We can just call it an arrow, or an arrow symbol.
Reading: やじるし
The reading is 矢 and 印 put together into one. The 印 is like the actual vocab word 印, but watch out for rendaku changing it from しるし to じるし.
金庫
A safe
Kanji: 金 gold + 庫 storage
Gold storage is where you put your gold. You want it to be safe, so you put it in a safe.
Reading: きんこ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
星占い
Astrology
Kanji: 星 star + 占 fortune + い
占い is “fortune telling.” Star fortune telling is when you use the stars for fortune telling. That’s known as astrology or horoscope.
Reading: ほしうらない
The reading is the words 星 and 占い put together into one. Did you foresee that one coming?
攻撃
Attack
Kanji: 攻 aggression + 撃 attack
With aggression you attack the enemy. This is an attack.
Reading: こうげき
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
浜
Beach
Kanji: 浜 beach
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well. It’s worth mentioning that a more common way to say beach is ビーチ, and many people actually say 海 even though this literally means “sea.”
Reading: はま
The reading is the same as the one you learned with the kanji.
浜辺
Beach
Kanji: 浜 beach + 辺 area
A beach area is just a beach!
Reading: はまべ
The readings for this word are both kun’yomi readings. You haven’t learned this reading for 辺 yet, so here’s a mnemonic to help you:
Beach starts with be. Be is べ! (I mean, it’s pronounced differently, but they’re spelled the same!) When you think of the beach, think of べ!
何故なら
Because
Kanji: 何 what + 故 circumstance + な + ら
This is like saying “when it comes to the 何故,” which means you’re giving a reason, making this because or the reason is, followed by… whatever you wanna say!
Note that this is a quite formal way to say “because,” so you’ll mostly encounter this in writing or formal speech, and almost always at the beginning of a sentence in Japanese.
Reading: なぜなら
This reading is an exception but you learned them already because they’re the same as the word 何故, which you learned a few levels ago. It just has some kana attached to it!
有益
Beneficial
Kanji: 有 have + 益 benefit
To have benefit is to be beneficial.
Reading: ゆうえき
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
大間違い
Big mistake
Kanji: 大 big + 間 interval + 違 different + い
A 間違い is a mistake. A big mistake is a big mistake.
大間違い is less about factual errors and more about someone being way off in their assumptions or expectations. It suggests things didn’t go according to plan — like you assumed a smile would fix everything or expected a date to go well, only for things to turn out completely wrong.
Reading: おおまちがい
The reading is 大 and 間違い put together into one not so mistaken word.
身振り
Body language
Kanji: 身 somebody + 振 shake + り
The way your body shakes is how you use body language or how you gesture.
身振り generally refers to gestures in terms of body movements that make communication more expressive or help bridge language barriers. You’ll often encounter this together with 手振り (hand gestures) in the phrase 身振り手振り.
Reading: みぶり
The reading for this is the kun’yomis for 身 and 振る put together, where the 振り gets rendaku’d to ぶり.
沼
Bog
Kanji: 沼 bog
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Note that, unlike English, which differentiates between different types of wetlands like marshes, swamps, or bogs, Japanese 沼 refers to any pond-like areas with muddy, murky water.
Reading: ぬま
The reading is the one you learned with the kanji, ぬま.
回数券
Book of tickets
Kanji: 回 times + 数 count + 券 ticket
Many times is how many times you can use this number of tickets. That means there are many tickets, making this a book of tickets.
Reading: かいすうけん
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
お菓子屋
Candy store
Kanji: お + 菓 cake + 子 child + 屋 roof
お菓子 is “candy,” right? Add store onto that and you have a candy store.
Reading: おかしや
This word uses the readings you learned with the kanji. It will help to know the word お菓子 as well.
幼年時代
Childhood
Kanji: 幼 infancy + 年 year + 時 time + 代 substitute
You have 時代 as a “period” of time you’re talking about. What period? The infancy years. Those years are not just when you’re a baby, but when you were growing up, too. That was your childhood.
Reading: ようねんじだい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
幼稚
Childish
Kanji: 幼 infancy + 稚 immature
He who is both in his infancy and immature is probably childish and immature.
When used as an adjective, 幼稚 describes negative immaturity in someone’s behavior, remarks, or ideas. However, in compounds like 幼稚園 (kindergarten), it simply refers to the early childhood stage without any negative tone.
Reading: ようち
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
児童
Children
Kanji: 児 child + 童 juvenile
The child who is a juvenile is just a child. A group of them is children.
児童 refers specifically to children who are of elementary school age, typically from around 6 to 12 years old. It’s often used in formal contexts, like in legal documents or when referring to school children in educational settings.
Reading: じどう
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
清潔
Clean
Kanji: 清 pure + 潔 pure
Something so pure it’s pure twice must be really clean! Cleanliness is next to pure…liness, after all. I’m sure that’s how the saying goes.
Reading: せいけつ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
冷たい
Cold
Kanji: 冷 cool + た + い
Something that is cool is cold. This refers to something that is cold to the touch, not the weather or something like that (which is 寒い).
Reading: つめたい
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun’yomi reading. You didn’t learn that reading with this kanji, so here’s mnemonic to help you: Something that is really cold to the touch is cold enough to make ice cream with.
比較的
Comparatively
Kanji: 比 compare + 較 contrast + 的 target
比較 is a comparison. Add 的 to it and you have comparatively.
Reading: ひかくてき
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well. Will help if you know the word 比較.
全景
Complete view
Kanji: 全 all + 景 scene
When you can see all the scene you have a complete view.
This is not a common word in everyday conversations, but it can be found in literature, art, film, photography, and travel writing to describe a panoramic or comprehensive view of a scene.
Reading: ぜんけい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
憲法
Constitution
Kanji: 憲 constitution + 法 method
The constitution laws are what makes up the constitution.
Reading: けんぽう
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
憲政
Constitutional government
Kanji: 憲 constitution + 政 politics
A constitution government is a constitutional government.
Reading:けんせい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
冷静
Cool headed
Kanji: 冷 cool + 静 quiet
You’re cool and quiet. That’s you, daddio. Nice and cool-headed and calm. So much composure
Reading: れいせい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
反攻
Counterattack
Kanji: 反 anti + 攻 aggression
Anti aggression is when you receive some aggression, then respond to it with anti aggression, aka your counterattack.
Reading: はんこう
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
従兄弟
Cousin
Kanji: 従 obey + 兄 older brother + 弟 younger brother
Remember how 兄弟 means “siblings?” Well when they’re siblings you have to obey they’re not your brother or sister, they’re your cousin.
Reading: いとこ
The entire reading for this is an exception. Sorry about that. Here’s a mnemonic to help you:
What are the two defining traits your cousin has? They’re good and a child. いいと子, or いとこ for short. Just remember your good, kid cousin. Your いとこ cousin.
創造的
Creative
Kanji: 創 create + 造 create + 的 target
If 創造 is creation, then you add 的 to it, which means you have a creational thing, which is quite creative wouldn’t you say?
Reading: そうぞうてき
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
創造力
Creative power
Kanji: 創 create + 造 create + 力 power
If 創造 is creation and you add power to it, you have creative power.
Reading: そうぞうりょく
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well!
規準
Criterion
Kanji: 規 standard + 準 standard
The standard of standards is the main criterion we work off of. That’s the standard we follow.
Compared to 基準 that’s often a quantitative “standard” for assessment, 規準 is more of a quality-focused “criterion” that can be a basis for goals. You’ll often see this word used in academic or professional contexts.
Reading: きじゅん
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
Although they’re not official readings, people sometimes distinguish 基準 and 規準 by calling them もとじゅん and のりじゅん respectively when speaking.
処理
Deal with
Kanji: 処 deal with + 理 reason
I can deal with it, no matter what the reason. I can take care of this problem, process it, and deal with it on my own.
Reading: しょり
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
程度
Degree
Kanji: 程 extent + 度 degree
The extent degrees show to what degree or extent you’re willing to take something.
Reading: ていど
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
直接的
Directly
Kanji: 直 fix + 接 adjoin + 的 target
直接 means “direct”. Add 的 to the mix and you have directly.
This is a relatively formal word, so you’ll encounter other words like ダイレクト in more casual contexts.
Reading: ちょくせつてき
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well. Will help if you know 直接 already.
処分
Disposal
Kanji: 処 deal with + 分 part
When you deal with trash, you have to divide it into different types before you can get to its disposal. Whenever you deal with and divide something, you’re preparing to dispose of it.
処分 means getting rid of things you don’t want, like trash or old furniture. Sometimes, it can also mean punishment, like suspension from school for breaking the rules. This connection makes sense because both disposal and punishment involve handling something unwanted—whether it’s an item or a behavior.
Reading: しょぶん
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
入隊
Enlist in the army
Kanji: 入 enter + 隊 squad
Enter into a squad… an army squad. When you do this, you enlist in the army.
Reading: にゅうたい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
程
Extent
Kanji: 程 extent
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Note that 程 is a word that works in conjunction with other words or phrases to express the extent, degree, or amount of a particular action or event. In less formal settings, you’ll also encounter this written in kana.
Reading: ほど
You’ll remember this kanji to the extent that you study it. If you study it like Hodor (ほど) would study it, you won’t learn it at all. You would only be able to say “hodor, hodor,” over and over again, which isn’t helpful at all.
不潔
Filthy
Kanji: 不 not + 潔 pure
Not clean things are filthy and dirty. Ewughh.
Reading: ふけつ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
前景
Foreground
Kanji: 前 front + 景 scene
The front scene is the foreground.
This word primarily refers to the visual foreground in art, photography, or theater. Unlike “foreground” in English, it’s not commonly used in a figurative sense to describe the most prominent aspect of situations.
Reading: ぜんけい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
冷凍庫
Freezer
Kanji: 冷 cool + 凍 frozen + 庫 storage
A cool frozen storage is one which is really cold on the inside, so cold it can freeze things. This is called a freezer, not to be confused with 冷蔵庫, which is refrigerator, and doesn’t have the kanji for “freeze” in it.
Reading: れいとうこ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
凍死
Freeze to death
Kanji: 凍 frozen + 死 death
A frozen death isn’t a bad way to go, I hear. Still, you don’t want to freeze to death if you can help it.
Reading: とうし
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
凍結
Freezing
Kanji: 凍 frozen + 結 bind
Things that are frozen have been tied up in freezing ice. They get frozen that way.
凍結 is a relatively formal word that is used for the physical freezing of infrastructure, such as roads and water pipes. It can also refer to the freezing of systems or accounts, like the suspension of social media or bank accounts.
Reading: とうけつ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
振り仮名
Furigana
Kanji: 振 shake + り + 仮 temporary + 名 name
振る is “to shake.” 仮名 is kana. This word refers to furigana, which is the little kana that’s put next to kanji for the people who don’t use WaniKani and can’t read anything. As to why it’s called “shake kana”? I have no clue. Just imagine putting little kana next to kanji and watching them shake around, though, and you should be good to go.
Reading: ふりがな
The readings are 振る and 仮名 put together into one. If you know those words, you won’t need no furigana to help you with this word.
博打
Gambling
Kanji: 博 exhibition + 打 hit
A gambling hit can be multiple things. One type of gambling in Japan that was popular in the day involved betting these awesome wooden block things. You’d gamble by hitting them down on the ground, making a nice thunk sound. Another way to think about it is like blackjack. You want a card? You hit! Either way, it’s gambling.
Reading: ばくち
The reading is weird on this one, but gambling is weird, I guess. はく goes to ばく, maybe because you’re playing some gambling backgammon. The ち can be cheating, where you cheat at this gambling backgammon. So, you’re backgammon cheating (ばくち), you big cheater.
車庫
Garage
Kanji: 車 car + 庫 storage
Car storage is where you store your car. It’s your garage.
Reading: しゃこ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
大衆
General public
Kanji: 大 big + 衆 populace
A big populous place sounds like a place with a lot of people but it’s more like a big part of the populace. It’s most of the populace, sure, making it the general public.
Reading: たいしゅう
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
潔い
Honorable
Kanji: 潔 pure + い
This is a single kanji with an い on the end, meaning you know it’s probably an adjective. The kanji means pure, but this is an adjective that often describes behavior or character, so it means honorable, dignified, or gracious.
How does that work? I guess if you can stay pure despite a tough situation, you must be pretty honorable and dignified. You’re the type who can make a gracious apology (潔い謝り), have a dignified manner (潔い態度), or even die honorably (潔く死ぬ).
潔い is about being strong and doing the right thing without hesitation, especially when it’s hard. For example, when someone admits their mistake honestly or handles a tough situation with courage, you can say they’re 潔い. It’s a way to praise someone for being straightforward and admirable in difficult times.
Reading: いさぎよい
Oh man, the reading for this is… like… crazy. First part can be something like it’s soggy (いさぎ)… then the second part is like the word 良い (good). So, you can think of a honorable person eating soggy cereal. They’re so gracious that it doesn’t matter to them how soggy it is. In fact, they accept it with dignity! They keep saying “it’s soggy… 良い!” over and over again while eating the terribly soggy food.
家政婦
Housekeeper
Kanji: 家 house + 政 politics + 婦 wife
The person who governs your house like a wife is your housekeeper.
Reading: かせいふ
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
衆議院
House of representatives
Kanji: 衆 populace + 議 deliberation + 院 institution
It’s the institution that does deliberation on behalf of the populace. They represent the people. They are the house of representatives.
Reading: しゅうぎいん
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you’ll know how to read this as well.
