Kanji - Level 6 - Kanji

Question 1

全

Answer 1

All
Radicals: 𠆢 hat + 王 king
Kings with hats. Did you know that all kings wear hats?
Reading: ぜん
But, as you’re going through all the kings, it turns out not all of them have hats after all. The last one you come to does not have a hat. He is the king of Zen (ぜん) Buddhism. He has simple clothes and a shaved head, unlike all the other fancy kings standing around nearby.

Question 2

後

Answer 2

Behind
Radicals:彳loiter + 幺 poop + 夂 winter
If you loiter around to poop in winter you never know what could be happening behind you. After you’re done you could turn back to see something really crazy that you missed because you took so long to poop in the cold.
Readings: ご, こう
You finally look behind you and see Godzilla (ご) and a giant こういち having a violent battle back there!

Question 3

血

Answer 3

Blood
Radicals: 血 blood
The blood radical and blood are the same in looks as well as in meaning.
Reading: けつ
To remember the reading けつ, we use the word “ketsup.” The perfect mix of ketchup and catsup!
The radical is technically blood, but you know that radical is just a drop (of blood) on a plate. So, you ask yourself… Is that really blood on the plate? Could it be? You decide to take a gamble and lick it off. When you taste it, it’s definitely not blood. No, it’s ketsup (けつ).

Question 4

両

Answer 4

Both
Radicals: 一 ground + 冂 head + 山 mountain
Under the ground, which you dug into, you found two great finds. You found both a mountain and a head, two strange things to find underground.
Reading: りょう
But, you dig too deep and water flows into where you are. Your only hope is a row (りょう) boat floating off in the distance.

Question 5

明

Answer 5

Bright
Radicals: 日 sun + 月 moon
The sun AND the moon are out? With both their light-powers combined, it’s incredibly bright outside.
Readings: めい, みょう
When do things start to get bright outside? I’d say when things start getting sunny, and that is the month of May (めい). If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s bright in May because of all the snow, or because that’s when all the streetlights come on.

Question 6

京

Answer 6

Capital
Radicals: 亠 lid + 口 mouth + 小 small
There is a lid covering all the mouths that are too small to feed themselves, forming the capital. All of the small mouths come together and create a place where everyone can support each other.
Reading: きょう
To remember the reading きょう we use the Japanese city, Kyoto, which is spelled きょうと. It was once the capital of Japan! It was soooo full of mouths that came together that it was the capital for a long, long time.

Question 7

化

Answer 7

Change
Radicals: ｲ leader + 匕 spoon
A leader with a spoon is a powerful thing. Even something like a spoon when given to the right man or woman can make great change in the world.
Reading: か
Then, this hero of yours takes their spoon and says some magic words into it, changing it into a car (か).

Question 8

国

Answer 8

Country
Radicals: 口 mouth + 王 king + 丶drop
The mouth of the king extends all the way around him (like in this kanji). Where his mouth reaches, that is his country, give or take a few drops.
Reading: こく
Turns out the king of this country loves drinking Coke (こく). Every morning that big mouth of his swallows a whole 2-liter bottle of Coke for breakfast.

Question 9

死

Answer 9

Death
Radicals: 歹 yakuza + 匕 spoon
If the yakuza hands you a spoon, death is coming for you. It’s the death spoon, a sign that the yakuza is coming to cause your death.
Reading: し
Death comes in the form of a sheep (し). The death sheep works for the yakuza, and kills anyone who has their spoon.

Question 10

亡

Answer 10

Death
Radicals: 亡 death
The radical death and the kanji death are the same.
Reading: ぼう
Your death will be because of a bowling (ぼう) accident. Oh, you didn’t know? You’re going to be hit by a giant bowling ball and crushed flat.

Question 11

画

Answer 11

Drawing
Radicals: 丆 leaf + 田 rice paddy + 凵 box
There’s a close-up of a leaf in a rice paddy inside of a box. Wait, it’s not a box, this whole thing is just a drawing.
Readings: が, かく
The drawing seems to have something else in the rice paddy, behind the leaf. You realize the drawing is actually of a gargoyle (が) and a cock (かく). You see the cock sitting on top of the gargoyle, crowing into the sky.

Question 12

地

Answer 12

Earth
Radicals: 土 dirt + 也 alligator
A dirt alligator lives in the earth, not the water. They can swim through the earth itself! Which is pretty scary.
You can think of this word as ground too, because that’s kind of what earth is made of.
Readings: ち, じ
The only way to keep this dirt alligator from dragging you under the earth and eating you is to feed it cheese (ち). That way it won’t lead you to a horrific death under the earth by dragging you under and spinning you around until you eat dirt (literally).

Question 13

東

Answer 13

East
Radicals: 木 tree + 日 sun
Behind that tree the sun is rising in the east. The sun always rises in the east, so if you head that way, past the tree, you’ll be going east too.
Reading: とう
You walk east for a few hours until you finally come to a city. It’s とうきょう. Oh! とうきょう is in the east. I get it now!

Question 14

食

Answer 14

Eat
Radicals: 食 eat
The radical for eat and the kanji for eat are the same! Lucky you.
Reading: しょく
Thank goodness, you finally get to eat your meal. You’re so hungry. Someone has been starving you and now they’ve finally given you food. Unfortunately, though, every time you take a bite, you get a shock (しょく) from somewhere.

Question 15

直

Answer 15

Fix
Radicals: L lion [not visible here] + 十 cross + 目 eye
You accidentally stab your cross into the eye of a lion. This is a terrible thing you did and you need to fix it right now. I’ll be direct with you, this is something you have to fix on your own.
Readings: ちょく, じき
As you try to fix the lion’s eye, it starts to choke (ちょく) and make what can only be described as a jikijikijiki sound (じき). Through its choking jikijiki sounds, it coughs up a gear. Wait. Is this a machine lion?

Question 16

前

Answer 16

Front
Radicals: 丷 horns + 一 ground + 月 moon + 刂 knife
There are some horns on the ground and a moon knife in front of you. When you try to move, they always rotate around with you, staying right in front. You can’t escape these objects, for some reason.
This kanji means before too. Something that’s in front of you is before you, after all.
Reading: ぜん
You’re going crazy with these things in front of you all the time. You finally seek the help of a Zen (ぜん) master, who tells you that meditation will save you from this curse. You try it out, and sure enough, the objects are gone! It worked!

Question 17

有

Answer 17

Have
Radicals: ナ narwhal + 月 moon
A narwhal and a moon is all you have. Imagine one of each under your arms.
Readings: ゆう, う
Everything you have (except the narwhal and the moon) were taken from you by a roving gang of youths (ゆう).

Question 18

私

Answer 18

I
Radicals: 禾 grain + ム private
Your private grains are meant to stay private! You shouldn’t be sharing them with the whole town, they’re just for you.
This kanji also means I. Why? Because what’s more private than you? I mean, I! Basically, some things are only the business of you (I) and those things should be private.
Reading: し
You’re getting into the zone, thinking about yourself (I) and how much you love having things that are private and just yours, when you realize there is a sheep (し) in this grain bag. And it’s eating all of your (I’s) private grains. No!

Question 19

知

Answer 19

Know
Radicals: 矢 arrow + 口 mouth
Just before saying something important, you take an arrow to the mouth which seals your lips together, making it so you can’t talk. Someone doesn’t want you to share what you know with someone else.
Reading: ち
To remember the reading ち we use the word “cheese.”
One of the things you know is actually very strange but very important. The president’s cheese (ち) has been poisoned and only you know. If you could just say something then maybe you could save her… but… you have an arrow in your mouth.

Question 20

活

Answer 20

Lively
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 舌 tongue
A tsunami of tongues is coming at you. As it washes over you, you feel each individual tongue moving around on your body, licking you. They make you feel so… lively!
Reading: かつ
This lively feeling isn’t just happening to you, the tongue tsunami is licking it into all of the cats (かつ) in your neighborhood too!

Question 21

長

Answer 21

Long
Radicals: 長 long
The long radical and the long kanji are the same!
This kanji also means leader, because the longer a person is, the better a leader they’ll be. Or maybe it was… the longer they’ve been somewhere? Whatever, longness = leaderness, you know?
Reading: ちょう
You see a very long person. It’s Mrs. Chou (ちょう), who has made herself long, like her street. “I made myself long so I can watch more of the street, my domain. I’m the leader of these streets. Watch yourself not-long person,” says Mrs. Chou.

Question 22

曲

Answer 22

Music
Radicals: 口 mouth + 廾 twenty
Twenty mouths are together. That’s a lot of mouths. What do they do? They sing beautiful music together.
Reading: きょく
The twenty mouths make so much music that they literally cloak you (きょく) with it. They cloak you with the music.

Question 23

首

Answer 23

Neck
Radicals: 首 neck
The radical neck and the kanji nect are exactly the same!
Reading: くび
The only thing you do with your neck is use it to swallow lots of cool beans (くび). Mm mm. Feel those cool, cool beans sliding down your neck. You don’t really taste them, but you know they’re there.

Question 24

次

Answer 24

Next
Radicals: 冫ice + 欠 lack
You lack ice. So you go to the store and see if they have any. Nope, no ice. So, now you go to the next store. Is there ice here? Nope. Next!
Readings: じ, し
To remember the reading じ, we used the word “Jesus” - Finally, when you’re at the last store in existence, you decide it’s time to pray to Jesus (じ), asking for a miracle. He comes down from the heavens with ice in his hands.

Question 25

夜

Answer 25

Night
Radicals: 亠 lid + ｲ leader + 夂 winter + 丶drop
A leader is wearing a lid and is standing outside in winter. Plus it’s raining and she’s covered in drops of water. On top of all this, it’s night.
Reading: や
Question is, what is she protecting them from during the night? Turns out, it’s the Yankees (や) baseball team. They’re out for blood, and only the leader can protect us.

Question 26

姉

Answer 26

Older sister
Kanji: 女 woman + 市 city
The only woman in this city is your older sister. She’s the only woman surrounded by a bunch of men, but she’s following her dreams in the big city.
Reading: し
Your older sister may have moved to the city, but she kept her pet sheep (し) with her. Now the only woman in the city is your older sister, and the only sheep is her pet.

Question 27

点

Answer 27

Point
Radicals: 占 fortune + 灬 boil
Your fortune boils down to a single point in time. One point in time determines how the rest of your future will go.
Reading: てん
As you stare at the point, you watch in awe as it moves to the ten (てん) spot in a long series of numbers.

Question 28

安

Answer 28

Relax
Radicals: 宀 roof + 女 woman
With a roof over her head, a woman can relax. She doesn’t have to worry about rain or snow or finding a safe place to sleep. The roof also happened to be super cheap, so she can even relax about her finances.
Reading: あん
As she relaxes, she pulls out the cheapest, most relaxing food in the world: anchovies (あん).

Question 29

室

Answer 29

Room
Radicals: 宀 roof + 一 ground + ム private + 土 dirt
On the dirt you’ve made a roof over the ground where you can be in private. This is your room! That’s really all a room is, you know? A covered, private place where you can have some time to yourself.
Reading: しつ
The only problem with your room is that you can’t always be alone. Because of your dad’s shih tzu (しつ). The shih tzu likes to come into your room and pee everywhere. Ruining your privacy completely.

Question 30

科

Answer 30

Science
Radicals: 禾 grain + 斗 ladle
You scoop some grains into a ladle to do science. You’re doing experiments on these grains in your science course.
Reading: か
Using your science skills, the right temperatures and measurements, you manage to get these grains to grow into a car (か). This is the science department’s special car now!

Question 31

海

Answer 31

Sea
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 𠂉 gun + 毋 window
A tsunami is coming, so you point your gun out the window at it. “You better turn back, sea, or I’ll shoot!”
Reading: かい
The sea decides it doesn’t want to die today, so it turns its tsunami around and goes the other way. You hop in your kayak (かい) and chase after it with your gun, to make sure it actually returns to the sea and doesn’t just drown someone else.

Question 32

羊

Answer 32

Sheep
Radicals: 羊 sheep
The sheep radical and the sheep kanji are the same in looks as well in meaning.
Reading: よう
To remember よう, we use the word “Yogurt.” The sheep are after you. There are too many of them, and they’re chasing you down, stalking you… because you stole their sheep’s milk yogurt (よう). Now you’re running and crying and trying to eat the yogurt before the sheep catch up and stomp you down with their hooves.

Question 33

店

Answer 33

Shop
Radicals: 广 canopy + 占 fortune
A long time ago, someone put up a canopy over their fortune telling booth and created the first shop. This store was fortune-based, but since then lots of different stores have popped up!
Reading: てん
This shop quickly turned into ten (てん) shops! It was a good idea, after all, so all of the other people selling goods and services decided to copy it and create their own shops. The next day there were ten more.

Question 34

南

Answer 34

South
Radicals: 十 cross + 冂 head + 丷 horns + 干
dry
The cross you’re holding above your head to keep your horns dry keeps pulling you south. Probably because it’s warmer in the south of Japan, so it’s easier to keep things dry.
Reading: なん
You finally make it down south, and it is dry, but you’re really hungry. When you try to find southern food you realize every single store is only selling naan (なん).

Question 35

星

Answer 35

Star
Radicals: 日 sun + 生 life
The sun that gives life is our very own star (which we happen to call the sun). Of course, all the other stars are probably giving life to other planets as well.
Reading: せい
This star (the sun) and all of the others are yours to protect with your trusty saber (せい). If you could protect your land from the West, then you can certainly defend the stars too!

Question 36

州

Answer 36

State
Radicals: 丶drop + 川 river
Think about Japan. Japan is a country made up of islands. They’re basically three drop drop drops in the large river that is the Pacific Ocean. These are Japan’s states or provinces.
Reading: しゅう
Each state has its own shoe (しゅう) to represent it. The bottom of each shoe is the shape of the state, so when you step it leaves a state-shaped imprint in the ground.

Question 37

取

Answer 37

Take
Radicals: 耳 ear + 又 stool
There’s an ear just sitting on a stool. Nobody’s watching, so, you take it.
Reading: と
You’re the kind of person who likes to take things. “What things?” you ask. Little toes (と). Because that isn’t creepy.

Question 38

茶

Answer 38

Tea
Radicals: 艹 flowers + 𠆢 hat + ホ angel
You come across an angel wearing a hat that’s covered in flowers. So, you do the only natural thing. You take this angel, chop him up into tiny pieces, and dry him out. Then, you make tea out of all the dried up angel bits. You wear the hat, though.
Readings: ちゃ, さ
In your tea you find a little metal button. I guess you missed it while you turned the angel into tea. You look at the button - on the back it says “To Chad, you’ll make an awesome angel.” Looks like you’re drinking Chad the Angel.

Question 39

思

Answer 39

Think
Radicals: 田 rice paddy + 心 heart
In a rice paddy you find a heart and it makes you think. You think a lot of thoughts like, “Whose heart is this? Why is it in a rice paddy? Why am I thinking out loud?”
Reading: おも
As you are thinking these thoughts, you spot someone on the edge of the rice field. He really reminds you of someone. But who? That’s it! He reminds you of that bartender on The Simpsons. What’s his name? You think some more. What is it? Oh! Moe (おも) is his name!

Question 40

歩

Answer 40

Walk
Radicals: 止 stop + 小 small + 丿 slide
You stop at a small slide. What were you doing before you stopped here? You were walking.
Reading: ほ
So, you’re walking around, minding your own business, when suddenly something flips up and whacks you in the face. You stepped on the head of a hoe (ほ) and it caused it to swing up from the ground and hit you.

Question 41

向

Answer 41

Yonder
Radicals: 丶drop + 冋 mustache
A drop hits your mustache. Where did it come from? “Ah, it came from yonder,” you say, facing that way.
Reading: こう
Who shot this drop at you from yonder? You look over yonder, and see a figure. It is こういち.

Question 42

妹

Answer 42

Younger sister
Radicals: 女 woman + 未 jet
Who’s that woman pretending to be a jet? That’s my younger sister. Sigh
Reading: まい
Your younger sister is giving some mice (まい) a ride on her back like a jet.