Kanji look hard, but many of the first ones are pictures, and later ones are built from these.
Pictures
| Kanji | Was a picture of | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 山 | three peaks | mountain |
| 川 | flowing water | river |
| 口 | an open mouth | mouth |
| 目 | an eye (turned upright) | eye |
| 人 | a person walking | person |
| 木 | a tree | tree |
Combining pictures
- 木 tree → 林 grove (two trees) → 森 forest (three trees)
- 田 field + 力 strength = 男 man
- 日 sun + 本 origin = 日本 Japan, “origin of the sun”
Pointing
Some kanji point at an idea: 上 (up) and 下 (down) put a short stroke above or below a line. 中 (middle) is a line through the middle of a box.
Readings
Most kanji have a native Japanese reading (often used alone: 山 yama) and a reading from Chinese (often used in compounds: 富士山 Fujisan). For now, learn each kanji with one example word, and the readings will come.
Try reading
山田 (Yamada) and 田中 (Tanaka) are common surnames. 大学生 (daigakusei) is a university student: big + study + life.