Kanji - Level 8 - Vocab Flashcards
地上
Above ground
Kanji: 地 earth + 上 above
Remember 地下, which is “below ground.” Well, this is ground and above combined together, so I bet you can guess that this means above ground. But usually things above ground don’t float (unless you’re in space), so it’s really on the ground.
Reading: ちじょう
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
住所
Address
Kanji: 住 dwell + 所 place
If you dwell in a place, that place is your address.
Reading: じゅうしょ
This word is made up of the on’yomi readings that you’ve already learned with the kanji. Have at it!
助言
Advice
Kanji: 助 help + 言 say
When you help with what you say, you’re giving advice.
This word is commonly found in formal or professional contexts. In more casual settings, you can just use アドバイス (advise) instead.
Reading: じょげん
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.
全米
All America
Kanji: 全 all + 米 rice
Do you remember how 米国 can mean “America?” That 米 means America sometimes. So, when you see all rice (I mean, America), you can think of this word as meaning All America (sort of like how 全日本 means “All Japan.”).
Reading: ぜんべい
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.
思い出
A memory
Kanji: 思 think + い + 出 exit
Do you remember the word 思う? It means “to think.” What you are thinking is exiting—it’s coming out of your head! You’re recalling a memory and/or memories.
Reading: おもいで
The readings are both kun’yomi, but based off of previous experience with the two separate words that make up this word, you should be able to read it. Just remember that it’s kun’yomi. One hint is the hiragana sticking out of the 思.
〜間
Amount of time
Kanji: 間 interval
When you stick this onto the end of another word that talks about an interval of time in some way, you’re indicating the amount of time that has gone past. For example, 二年間 is “two years.” 一時間 is “one hour.” Any amount of time + 〜間 will make it an “amount of time” instead of just a specific time.
Note that 〜間 can be omitted, especially in conversations, when it’s clear that you’re talking about a duration of time from the context. However, the exception is 時. You always say 〜時間 to refer to the amount of hours, to differentiate from 〜時 (〜o’clock).
Reading: かん
The reading is the same as what you learned with the kanji. This should save you at least 二分間.
他所
Another place
Kanji: 他 other + 所 place
When you’re talking about some other place you’re talking about another place.
Reading: よそ
This is a jukugo word, which you would normally expect to use the on’yomi readings from the kanji. With this word, however, the on’yomi readings are rarely used now, so they sound rather out of date. Here’s a mnemonic to help you remember the more common reading in contemporary Japanese:
Another place you saw (よそ) always seems better. In other words, the grass is greener somewhere else you saw!
答え
Answer
Kanji: 答 answer + え
You can guess this is a noun version of the kanji because the hiragana sticking out of it isn’t an う-related sound or an い-related sound. So, what is the noun version of answer? It’s also answer.
Reading: こたえ
The reading is kun’yomi, but this is also the reading you learned with the kanji so you should be able to read this and then give your 答え correctly.
作者
Author
Kanji: 作 make + 者 someone
Someone who makes is someone who creates things. Back in the day, a creator like this may have been known as many things, but the big one that stands out is an author.
Wondering about the difference between 作者 and 作家? Basically, 作者 just refers to the creator of a particular creative work, such as a book, article, artwork, piece of music, etc., while 作家 refers to someone who creates those things as an occupation.
Reading: さくしゃ
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. Since 作 has two on’yomi readings, here’s a mnemonic to help you remember which one to use:
Your favorite author is also a sack shaman (さくしゃ). They do all sorts of weird magic involving sacks, and you just love reading about it. Maybe one day, you can become a sack shaman and writer yourself.
電池
Battery
Kanji: 電 electricity + 池 pond
A pond for electricity? May seem weird at first, but if you think of something that’s gathering all the electricity into one pond… that thing is like a battery (and is a battery).
Reading: でんち
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
身
Body
Kanji: 身 somebody
The kanji is somebody, but the word is body. I guess somebody is somebody’s body, so they are similar at least. It also refers to animal flesh sometimes, meaning the non-bone edible parts of animals, including seafood. It’s the “mi” in sashimi!
Wonder about the difference between 体 and 身? 体 refers to physical human and animal bodies, often describing their condition, appearance, etc. While 身 can also mean “physical human body,” it can also refer to the self as an individual and be used to indicate one’s social standing or position. That’s why you might see 身 used in idiomatic phrases like 身につく, which refers to acquiring or mastering something, like a skill.
Reading: み
Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it probably uses the kun’yomi reading. You did not learn this reading, so here’s a mnemonic to help you to remember: Who is that somebody? Who is that body? Why, of course it is me (み).
心身
Body and mind
Kanji: 心 heart + 身 somebody
Technically this kanji is heart and somebody, but think about it this way. Where does everything come from inside somebody? The heart! It keeps things going by pumping blood, providing the foundation for both a good mind and body.
Reading: しんしん
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.
両者
Both people
Kanji: 両 both + 者 someone
When you have both someones, you have both people. You’ll notice over time that 者 is often used to indicate a person or type of person, so keep that in mind for future words as well!
Reading: りょうしゃ
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.
〜君
Boy name ender
Kanji: 君 buddy
Add this to the end of someone’s name, it’s like saying ______buddy. It’s generally used as a name ender (like さん) for boys and young men. Don’t use this on people who are higher ranked than you (socially or literally). As in, you wouldn’t use it on your boss. Use it on your younger male subordinates as well as boys who aren’t adults yet.
Reading: くん
The reading is the same as the one you learned with the kanji (on’yomi), probably because it usually is attached to other words (aka names, like こういち君) making it act more like jukugo words do.
支店
Branch office
Kanji: 支 support + 店 shop
The support shop is the branch office. Presumably this is because the regular “shop” is the “shop” and anything that supports it is the local (branch) office.
If it helps, this word has the same meaning as 支局 which you will also be learning in this level.
Reading: してん
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.
支局
Branch office
Kanji: 支 support + 局 bureau
The support bureau is the group that supports a business. It is the branch office.
If it helps, this word has the same meaning as 支店 which you will also be learning in this level.
Reading: しきょく
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.
朝ごはん
Breakfast
Kanji: 朝 morning + ご + は + ん
ごはん is a food or meal (maybe you’ll learn the kanji for it later, but it’s not usually used, so you’re learning it this way now). What is your morning meal? That is breakfast (not to be confused with second breakfast, you hobbit).
Reading: あさごはん
The reading for 朝 is the same as the one you learned with the kanji, meaning you should be able to read everything here.
局
Bureau
Kanji: 局 bureau
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Reading: きょく
The kanji and the vocab are exactly the same, even the reading. This one uses the on’yomi probably because it’s often attached to other words (specifying a bureau, for example), so that’s why it follows jukugo conventions despite being all alone.
でも
But
Kanji: No kanji (cool!)
I want to show you my demo (でも), but you don’t want to see it. However, I’m going to show it to you anyway. So there.
Something to watch out for with でも is that it always goes at the beginning of a sentence, not in the middle, like “but” usually does in English. It’s also a fairly casual word, so it’s not normally used in formal situations.
Reading: でも
雲
Cloud
Kanji: 雲 cloud
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Reading: くも
This word uses the kun’yomi reading because it’s a single kanji on its own. Luckily, that’s the reading you learned with the kanji already, so you should be able to read this.
楽
Comfort
Kanji: 楽 comfort
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Reading: らく
The reading is the same as the kanji you learned, too, making this one an ease to learn!
全く
Completely
Kanji: 全 all + く
This is the adverb version of the kanji all. So, it’s like you add an ‘ly’ to it. But, that doesn’t work too well (allly? c’mon). So, instead think of this word as completely, entirely or truly.
Reading: まったく
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:
The person who completely doesn’t understand this vocab word is Matt (まった). Be sure to take note of the small っ, too.
対立
Confrontation
Kanji: 対 versus + 立 stand
When you stand up versus someone, you’re looking to get into a confrontation. Just imagine yourself doing this to someone bigger than you. You stand up to versus them and then realize this confrontation is a bad idea.
Reading: たいりつ
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.
会話
Conversation
Kanji: 会 meet + 話 talk
When you meet and talk with someone else, you’re having a conversation.
Reading: かいわ
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.
決
Decision
Kanji: 決 decide
Noun version of decide? It’s a decision.
Reading: けつ
The reading for this word is the same as the kanji!
決心
Determination
Kanji: 決 decide + 心 heart
When you decide with your heart you have true determination, unlike when you decide with your mind.
Reading: けっしん
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. Just make sure you take note of the shortened つ. So, けつ goes to けっ.
医者
Doctor
Kanji: 医 medicine + 者 someone
Someone who works in medicine is a doctor.
Reading: いしゃ
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.
役目
Duty
Kanji: 役 service + 目 eye
If you have an eye for service, then you always think helping people is your duty! If you see it, then you offer your service. It’s the right thing to do!
Reading: やくめ
This word consists of the on’yomi reading for 役 and the kun’yomi reading for 目. You’ve learned them both so you should be able to read this word too!
東口
East exit
Kanji: 東 east + 口 mouth
Remember how 入り口 means entrance and 出口 means exit? This is just the 口 part with a direction on it. That means it can be both entrance or exit. So when you have East up there this word can mean both East exit and East entrance. This is a great word to know if you need to know which side of a train station you need to leave on to go somewhere or meet someone!
Reading: ひがしぐち
This word uses kun’yomi readings, possibly because of 口, which is a body part (body parts do that quite a bit in words and kanji). You should hopefully have seen both the kun’yomi readings from previous levels meaning you can read this word as well. Just watch out for the rendaku that changes くち to ぐち.
電気
Electricity
Kanji: 電 electricity + 気 energy
Electricity energy is just a fancy way to say electricity.
Reading: でんき
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.
電力
Electric power
Kanji: 電 electricity + 力 power
The electricity power of something is its electric power.
Reading: でんりょく
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. Since 力 has two on’yomi readings, here’s a mnemonic to help you remember which one to use:
All the world’s electric power is stored behind this lock (りょく). Go ahead. Open it up. What could possibly go wrong?
電子
Electron
Kanji: 電 electricity + 子 child
An electricity child. What is a really small part of electricity? What makes up electricity? That would be the electron. This word can also refer to things that are electronic as well.
Reading: でんし
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.
絵文字
Emoji
Kanji: 絵 drawing + 文 writing + 字 letter
When you use a drawing to replace your letters to type, you’re using emoji! Those are the faces you send when you text or email.
Reading: えもじ
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
工学者
Engineer
Kanji: 工 construction + 学 study + 者 someone
Do you remember 工学 from a couple levels ago? This is someone who is in 工学. If 工学 is “engineering” then 工学者 is an engineer.
Reading: こうがくしゃ
The readings are just the on’yomi readings of the kanji. All things you should know now.
入場
Entrance
Kanji: 入 enter + 場 location
When you enter a location, that’s your entrance.
This is a common word for admission into public events or venues, like a concert hall, a sports stadium, or a theme park.
Reading: にゅうじょう
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
毎朝
Every morning
Kanji: 毎 every + 朝 morning
Every morning is every morning!
Reading: まいあさ
The reading is a combination of on’yomi and kun’yomi. That being said, both readings for both kanji are the readings you learned with the kanji so you should be able to read this.
工場
Factory
Kanji: 工 construction + 場 location
A construction location is a factory. A factory is a place where you or machines do a bunch of construction!
Readings: こうじょう, こうば
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
名所
Famous place
Kanji: 名 name + 所 place
A famous place is a famous place. When traveling around Japan, you should ask about the 名所 if you can.
Reading: めいしょ
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.
楽しい
Fun
Kanji: 楽 comfort + し + い
Ending with an い tells you that this word is an い-adjective. What’s the adjective form of pleasure? Well, you could say it’s “pleasurable,” but I’m afraid that’s not what we’re going for here. In this case, this word is a little more innocent. It just means fun.
Reading: たのしい
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 a mnemonic to help you:
How much fun did you have? You just had a ton o’ (たの) fun!
もしもし
Hello
Kanji: No kanji (cool!)
Woah, this place is mossy, mossy (もしもし)! This moss needs clearing up, so you call up the person in charge. Hello, says the person on the phone.
もしもし is a telephone hello, the standard way to answer the phone in Japan!
Reading: もしもし
ここ
Here
Kanji: No kanji (cool!)
Remember how words beginning with こ are close to you? It ends with こ too, which is a clue that we’re talking about a place. So ここ means here.
Reading: ここ
北海道
Hokkaido
Kanji: 北 north + 海 sea + 道 road
The north sea road is the road you take to get to the northern sea. That is an area of Japan, actually. That area is known as Hokkaido. It’s a very nice place, be sure to visit it if you can for some of the freshest seafood around.
Reading: ほっかいどう
This is a jukugo word that uses the on’yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own. The ほく does get shortened though, so be careful!
馬
Horse
Kanji: 馬 horse
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Reading: うま
Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it should use the kun’yomi reading. When learning the kanji, you didn’t learn that reading, so here’s a mnemonic to help you with this word:
Imagine someone riding a horse. Who is that person? It’s Uma (うま) Thurman, the famous actress.
馬力
Horsepower
Kanji: 馬 horse + 力 power
This word was probably made pretty recently. A horse’s power? That is horsepower.
Reading: ばりき
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. Since 力 has two common on’yomi readings, here’s a mnemonic to help you remember which one to use:
Cars with high horsepower are usually driven by Ricky (りき). Ricky is well-known for loving all cars with a lot of horsepower, so he’s often seen driving around in fancy sports cars. Vroom vroom Ricky!
人間
Human
Kanji: 人 person + 間 interval
The person interval. Just think of different intervals each with a different type of species. The raccoon interval… the dog interval… the person interval… they are the humans.
Reading: にんげん
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. Since 人 has two on’yomi readings, and the reading of 間 is a bit of an oddball, here’s a mnemonic to help you:
Did you know that the humans who work for Nintendo are all called Genji (にんげん)? Yep, that’s right, every single human ever hired by Nintendo is called Genji, without exception.
大役
Important task
Kanji: 大 big + 役 service
A big duty is a great duty. It can also be an important task. Think about some kind of big duty you have. Then, think about what an important task it is too. Feel proud of your important task.
Reading: たいやく
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. Since 大 has two on’yomi readings, here’s a mnemonic to help you remember which one to use:
You’ve been assigned the important task of taking care of the local tie yaks (たいやく). Where you’re from, tie-wearing yaks are incredibly important, so don’t take this great duty lightly!
間
Interval
Kanji: 間 interval
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Don’t confuse this with 〜間 which is similar in meaning but different in reading. The 〜間 means it’s attached to something. This is a standalone word.
Reading: あいだ, ま
Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it uses the kun’yomi reading. 間 has two common kun’yomi readings, あいだ and ま. You haven’t learned these readings yet, so here’s an explanation of each reading and mnemonics to help you remember them:
When 間 refers to a longer interval of time, it’s generally read as あいだ. For a short burst of time, it’s read as ま. When it means an interval of space, it’s usually read as あいだ.
You can remember this because time feels longer in Idaho (あいだ). Any interval of time you spend there feels so long, because Idaho life moves so slowly. As soon as you cross the border and enter a new state, you call your ma (ま) to tell her you’re finally out of that slooooow state, and the intervals of time feel shorter.
究明
Investigation
Kanji: 究 research + 明 bright
Research is the process of brightening a subject area, akin to conducting an investigation that illuminates the unknown.
This is a word often found in academic and scientific contexts, encompassing the act of conducting a thorough investigation or ascertaining facts.
Reading: きゅうめい
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.
研究
Research
Kanji: 研 sharpen + 究 research
When you sharpen research you’re just doing a study or investigation. Or in other words, you’re doing research!
Reading: けんきゅう
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.
前回
Last time
Kanji: 前 front + 回 times
The before time was last time or the previous time
Reading: ぜんかい
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.
長さ
Length
Kanji: 長 long + さ
You know the word 長い from a couple levels ago. This is like the word 大きい versus 大きさ, where 大きさ is “size” and 大きい is “big.” So, 長い is “long” and 長さ is length.
Reading: ながさ
If you know the reading of the word 長い from level 6 you’ll know the reading for this word too. Only difference is the さ at the end, which is hiragana so it should be easy to read.
生地
Material
Kanji: 生 life + 地 earth
Life that comes out of the earth is made up of different kinds of materials. Sometimes it’s cloth, sometimes it’s dough, but everything has to be made out of something.
Reading: きじ
This word uses a new kun’yomi reading for 生 and a new on’yomi reading for 地. You haven’t learned either of these readings yet, sorry! Here’s some mnemonics to help you:
If you want the best material to make clothes or pies out of, the key (き)is asking Jesus (じ)! He knows everything, including where to find the materials for whatever weird thing you’re making. Just remember: Who’s the key? Jesus!
数学
Mathematics
Kanji: 数 count + 学 study
The study of numbers is mathematics (or math).
Reading: すうがく
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.
医学
Medical science
Kanji: 医 medicine + 学 study
The study of medicine is medical science. It can also be called medicine, but make sure to think of it as the “medicine” where it has to do with “medical science.”
Reading: いがく
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.
医大
Medical university
Kanji: 医 medicine + 大 big
You’ve seen 大学 to mean “college.” So take the 大 and put it with medicine to create “medicine college”, or medical university.
Reading: いだい
This is a jukugo word, which usually means on’yomi readings from the kanji. Since 大 has two on’yomi readings, here’s a mnemonic to help you remember which one to use:
Your local medical university really prides itself on its eagle dye (いだい). It’s the only dye in the world made straight out of eagles. A bit strange for a medical university, but impressive nonetheless!