In this lesson you will learn the On (Chinese) and Kun (Japanese) readings of 5 common Kanji characters. I have provided an example sentence for each one. I am assuming that you can read Hiragana and have some basic Japanese under your belt. If you are unable to read hiragana please subscribe to our youtube videos – http://www.youtube.com/user/sodapencil
Learning Japanese characters is a great way to build vocabulary quickly. Also, I find Japanese writing to be quite beautiful. It is actually a pleasure to be able to write in Japanese. Learning to read and write Japanese characters is very worthwhile and something you should consider doing it immediately if you are serious about learning Japanese. Don’t bother wasting your time with romaji. Get straight into learning Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.
Common Japanese Characters
| Kanji | On-Yomi | Kun-Yomiu | Meaning |
| 水 | すい | みず | Water |
なつ のとき よく 水 を のみます。
I drink a lot of water in summer.
| Kanji | On-Yomi | Kun-Yomi | Meaning |
| 本 | ほん | もと | Book, basics |
本 を よむ のは 好きです。
I like to read books.
| Kanji | On-Yomi | Kun-Yomi | Meaning |
| 人 | じん、にん | ひと | People, person |
あの 人 あなた の ともだち ですか
Is that person your friend?
| Kanji | On-Yomi | Kun-Yomi | Meaning |
| 気 | き | - | Spirit |
気 に しないで ください
Please, don’t worry about it.
| Kanji | On-Yomi | Kun-Yomi | Meaning |
| 元 | げん | - | Origin |
元気 ですか
How are you?
If you want to learn how to start reading Kanji with in 30 days please check out Read Japanese Fast
Here is a sample from our learning package Read JapaneseFast. When learning to read Japanese students often make the mistake of focusing too much on memorizing kanji symbols. Students focus on learning the readings of several hundred kanji without really practicing reading. The best way to learn how to read Japanese is to read kanji in context. Also, more often than not learning compound kanji words is more effective than single kanji characters.
The Read Japanese FastMethod
1. Go to the vocabulary section and read the words.
2. Play the audio and follow the text (email) as Kaoru Sensei reads. Do this several times.
3. Try reading the email by yourself
4. Refer back to the vocabulary to check words you don’t understand
5. Read the text yourself aloud.
Reading Practice Vocabulary -読み練習の単語を覚えましょう
No. Kanji Reading Meaning
1 - 元気 - げんき - Well
2 - 私 - わたし - I
3 - 今 - いま - Now
4 - 人 - ひと - People
5 - 日本 - にほん - Japan
6 - 今日 - きょう - Today
7 - 十二時 - じゅうにじ - 12 o’clock
8 - 四十三 - よんじゅうさん - Fourty three
9 - 来月 - らいげつ - Next month
10 - 七日 - なのか – 7th
11 土曜日 - どようび - Saturday
Reading Practice – emails From New York 1
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おにいちゃんへ
元気ですか。 私は今インターネットカフェにいます。おいしいコーヒーをのんでいます。
ニュウヨークはすごいまちですよ。人がおおくて、とてもにぎやかです。日本とぜんぜんちがいます。
今日は、まちのバスツアーをします。 たのしみですけど、ちょっとたかいです。
四十三ドルもする。そのあとは、ともだちのアパートにいきます。来月の七日までとまります。
土曜日にうちにでんわをしますね。 みんなによろしくね。
Note: にぎやか -Lively, bustling
The Kanji learning Package comes with video tutorials that coach you how to kanji in context.
Grammar explainantions are also provided for each lesson. To learn more visit Read Japanese Fast
When I first started studying Japanese, learning and reading Kanji seemed like an unobtainable goal. I struggled with Hiragana and Katakana, and the complexity of Japanese grammar almost had me give up learning the language altogether on numerous occasions. I started studying Japanese well before we had the Internet and spent most of my study time learning from text books. This was a very slow and ineffective way to study.
For me to learn how to read Kanji was indeed a challenge. I had to use a big fat kanji dictionary to find out the readings and meanings of kanji. It would take me up to 5 minutes to look up and work out the readings and meanings of one individual Kanji character. First, I would have to work out the radical of the kanji, correctly determine the stroke number and the go hunting in the dictionary. Eventually, I purchase an electronic Kanji Tank dictionary, but this didn’t make learning Kanji any easier.
An Effective Way To Reading Kanji
In the end, the only way I could effectively learn kanji was have a Japanese native read with me. I would have someone read a very basic article to me, teaching the kanji readings along the way. Then, I would try to read the article back. Every now and then I would get caught with a Kanji, but I would be correctly immediately and I could continue reading. This method turn the standard learning process on its head. Instead of learning kanji in order to read Japanese, I was reading Japanese in order to learn Kanji.
This method was so effective for me that years later I decided to create a product that would teach students how to read Kanji in context using what I call a kanji coaching method. The product is Read Japanese Fast. I created this product with the help of my wife. Check out the video below.
Want more lessons? Visit http://readjapanesefast.com/
