250 Essential Japanese Kanji Characters Volume 1 Read online

  Japanese sentences are usually written with a combination of kanji, hiragana, and katakana. Katakana is mainly used for foreign words that are adapted to fit Japanese pronunciation. Kanji appears in nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Hiragana is primarily used to show the inflectional endings of kanji (okurigana). Particles, conjunctions, and interjections are mostly written in hiragana. Although hiragana can substitute for kanji, a combination of kanji and hiragana is much faster to read. For example, compare these four ways of writing the same information:

  Kanji and hiragana: 私は毎朝早く起きます。 出かける前にテレビを見ます。

  Hiragana only: わたしはまいあさはやくおきます。 でかけるまえにテレビをみます。

  Romaji: Watashi-wa maiasa hayaku okimasu. Dekakeru mae-ni terebi-o mimasu.

  English: I get up early every morning. I watch TV before I leave home.

  Japanese Syllabary Chart

  Each square in the chart below represents one pronounced syllable.

  Additional Katakana

  Created with small ァ ィ ゥ ェ ォ ュ

  Derivation of Kana

  Hiragana and katakana are Japanese phonetic syllabaries developed from kanji in the eighth century. Hiragana, which are cursive letters, derive from the shapes of entire kanji characters. Katakana, which are combinations of straight lines, derive from various parts of kanji characters. In some cases both hiragana and katakana are derived from the same kanji, such as to, fu, he, ho, me, and wa, shown below. Kana derived from some of the kanji introduced in this textbook are also shown.

  A SAMPLE KANJI CHART

  A sample from the kanji charts is explained below.

  1 The kanji and its serial number in this textbook.

  2 Meanings.

  3 Readings: kun -readings in hiragana, and on -readings in katakana.

  Hiragana following a dot [•るい in the sample above] are okurigana.

  Readings in parentheses ( ) express euphonic change, i.e., modified readings. [For example, ヒヤク、（ビヤク）、（ピヤク） seen in kanji 11, 百.]

  4 Stroke order.

  5 Etymology or memory-aid. (The authors have created new derivations for some kanji when the etymology is unclear or confusing.)

  6 Important compound words, and their readings and meanings.

  7 Additional compound words, and their readings and meanings.

  Note that:

  • Kanji marked × are not included in the 250 kanji taught in this volume of Essential Japanese Kanji Characters.

  • Kana in parentheses ( ) in kanji compounds is optional when writing. [For example, 終（わ）る can be written 終わる or 終る]. Two sets of ( ) appear for most nouns derived from compound verbs. The kana in both ( ) or in the former ( ) only may be omitted, but the kana in the latter ( ) alone cannot be omitted. [For example, 取（リ）消, （し） can be written 取消、 or り消し、取消し、 but not 取 リ消.]

  • * indicates exceptional readings.

  • Small numbers placed above certain kanji in the Vocabulary sections refer to Lesson numbers in this book.

  LESSON 1

  Let’s Eat!

  なにか たべましょう

  In Japan, as in many other countries, eating out is a popular alternative to cooking at home. There are a variety of restaurants, with the most popular ones being soba-ya (soba shops), shokudō (inexpensiv eateries), and famirī resutoran (family restaurants). In most shokudō one can order simple Japanese, Western, or Chinese meals. Plastic models of some of the dishes are usually displayed with prices in an outside showcase, as shown in the picture on the next page.

  In this lesson you will learn how to write numerals in kanji, since that’s how they are written in restaurant menus, newspapers, books written vertically, and various other documents.

  1 Introductory Quiz

  Look at the illustration below and refer to the words in Vocabulary. Then try the following quiz.

  In a shokudō, you will often find the names and prices of dishes written on paper and hung on the wall. Write the correct answers in the spaces provided below.

  Example: わたしは そばを たべました。 450 円でした。

  1. プレムさんは うどんを たべました。______________円でした。

  2. リーさんは カレーライスを たべて、コーヒーを のみました。

  ______________円でした。

  3. ラーメンは______________ 円です。

  4. しょくどうの でんわばんごうは ______________ です。

  5. あなたは この しょくどうで なにを たべますか。 ______________ を たべます。

  6. いくらですか。 ______________ 円です。

  2 Vocabulary

  Study the readings and meanings of these words to help you understand the Introductory Quiz.

  1. そば soba buckwheat noodles

  2. 四百五十円 よんひやく ごじゅうえん vonhyaku gojū en 450 yen

  3. うどん udon Japanese noodles

  4. 四百六十円 よんひやくろく じゅう えん vonhyaku rokujū en 460 yen

  5. カレ一ライス karēraisu curry and rice

  6. 六百三十円 ろつぴやく さんじゅうえん roppyaku sanjū en 630 yen

  7. コーヒー kōhī coffee

  8. 三百円 さんびやくえん sambyaku en 300 yen

  9. ラーメン rā men ramen

  10. 五百円 ごひやくえん gohyaku en 500 yen

  11. でんわばんごう denwa bangō phone number

  12. 五四三七-○一七一 ごよんさんなな-れいいちなないち go yon san nana -rei ichi nana ichi 5437-0171

  3 New Characters

  Twelve characters are introduced in this lesson. Use the explanations to help you understand and remember the characters. Study the compound words to increase your vocabulary.

  一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 百 円

  1 一

  hito-tsu, ichi, (i’)

  ひと・つ、イチ、(イッ）

  one

  一 derives from a pictograph of one finger.

  一つ ひどつ hitotsu one

  一 いち ichi one

  ________

  一人 ひどり hitori one person

  一円 いちえん ichi en one yen

  一日 いちにち ichi nichi a day; all day

  一本 いっぽん ippon one slender object

  一日 *ついたち tsuitachi the first (date)

  2 二

  futa-tsu, ni

  ふた・つ、ニ

  two

  二 derives from a pictograph of two fingers.

  二つ ふたつ futatsu two

  ニ に ni two

  二人 ふたり futari two people

  二月 にがつ ni gatsu February

  二日 *ふつか futsuka the second (date); (for) two days

  3 三

  mit-tsu, san

  みっ・つ、サン

  three

  三 derives from a pictograph of three fingers.

  三つ みっつ mittsu three

  ニ さん san three

  ________

  三日 みっか mikka the third (date); (for) three days

  三月 さんがつ san gatsu March

  三人 さんにん sannin three people

  4 四

  yot-tsu, yon, yo, shi

  よっ・つ、よん、よ、シ

  four

  四 derives from a pictograph of four fingers.

  四つ よっつ yottsu four

  四 よん yon four

  四 し shi four

  ________

  四日 よっか yokka the fourth (date); (for) four days

  四百 よんひやく yonhyaku four hundred

  四円 よえん yo en four yen

  四時 よじ yo ji four o'clock

  四月 しがつ shi gatsu April

  5 �
�

  itsu-tsu, go

  いつ・つ、ゴ

  five

  五 is 二 plus 三, meaning five.

  五つ いつつ itsutsu five

  五 —、 ご go five

  ________

  五日 いつか itsuka the fifth (date); (for) five days

  五月 ごがつ go gatsu May

  五十 ごじゅう gojū fifty

  6 六

  mut-tsu, roku, (ro’)

  むっ・つ、ロク、(ロッ）

  six

  六 derives from a pictograph of a hand showing the number six in the Chinese way of counting on one’s fingers.

  六つ むっつ muttsu six

  六 ろく roku six

  ________

  六月 ろくがつ roku gatsu June

  六十 ろくじゅう rokujū sixty

  六分 ろっぷ、ん roppun six minutes

  六日 *むいか muika the sixth (date); (for) six days

  7 七

  nana-tsu, nana, shichi

  なな・つ、なな、シチ

  seven

  七 depicts two fingers on five fingers, meaning seven.

  七つ ななつ nanatsu seven

  七 なな nana seven

  七 しち shichi seven

  ________

  七百 ななひやく nanahyaku seven hundred

  七月 しちがつ shichi gatsu July

  七時 しちじ shichi ji seven o'clock

  七日 *なのか nanoka the seventh (date) (for) seven days

  8 八

  yat-tsu, hachi, (ha’)

  やっ・つ、ハチ、(ハッ）

  eight

  八 derives from a pictograph of two hands, each showing four fingers, meaning eight. When 八 is used as part of other kanji, it often means “divide” because of its shape.

  八つ やっつ yattsu eight

  八 はち hachi eight

  ________

  八月 はちがつ hachi gatsu August

  八百 はっぴやく happvaku eight hundred

  八日 *ようか yōka the eighth (date); (for) eight days

  9 九

  kokono-tsu, kyū, ku

  ここの・つ、キュウ、ク

  nine

  九 depicts an arm with tightened muscles and is used to mean nine, the number that tightens up and completes the series of single digits.

  九つ ここのつ kokonotsu nine

  九 きゅう kyū nine

  九 く ku nine

  ________

  九日 ここのか kokonoka the ninth (date); (for) nine days

  九十 きゅうじゅう kyūjū ninety

  九州 きゅうしゅう Kyūshū Kyushu (island, district)

  九月 くがっ ku gatsu September

  九時 くじ ku ji nine o' clock

  10 十

  tō, jū, (ji’/ju’)

  とお、ジュウ、(ジッ／ジュッ）

  ten

  十 derives from a pictograph of two crossing hands with ten fingers. When used as part of other kanji, 十 often means “add” (e.g., 184 協, 204 博, 219 計, 239 汁).

  十 どお tō ten

  十 じゅう jū ten

  十一 じゆういち jūichi eleven

  三十 さんじゅう sanjū thirty

  ________

  十日 どおか tōka the tenth (date); (for) ten days

  十一円 じゅういちえん jūichi en eleven yen

  十分 しつめん/しゆつふ、ん jippun/juppun ten minutes

  二十日 *はつか hatsuka the twentieth (date); (for) twenty days

  11 百

  hyaku, (byaku), (pyaku)

  ヒャク、(ビャク) 、(ピャク）

  hundred

  百 combines 一 one and 白 rice grain, and represents one bag of rice. This suggests a large number, at least one hundred. 白 by itself means white, the color of rice.

  百 ひゃく hyaku one hundred

  四百 よんひやく yonhyaku four hundred

  三百 さんびゃく sambyaku three hundred

  六百 ろっぴやく roppyaku six hundred

  八百 はっぴやく happyaku eight hundred

  ________

  九百円 きゆうひやくえん kyūhyaku en nine hundred yen

  何百 なんびゃく nanbyaku how many hundreds; hundreds of ~

  12 円

  en

  エン

  circle, yen

  円 derives from 圓, which combines 囗 encircle, 口 mouth or man (cf. 107), and 貝 money (cf. 200 費). Originally indicating encircled things, 円 then came to mean circle, round, and, as

  an associated meaning, yen, because yen coins are round.

  円 えん en yen; circle

  十円 じゅうえん jū en ten yen

  五十円 ごじゅうえん gojū en fifty yen

  百円 ひやくえん hyaku en one hundred yen

  七百円 ななひゃくえん nanahyaku en seven hundred yen

  ________

  円高 えんだか endaka high value of the yen

  円安 えんやす en'yasu low value of the yen

  4 Practice

  I. Write the readings of the following kanji in hiragana.

  1. 一

  2. 二

  3. 三

  4. 四

  5. 五

  6. 六

  7. 七

  8. 八

  9. 九

  10. 十

  11. 四 十

  12. 九 十

  13. 二 十 九 円

  14. 七 十 四 円

  15. 九 十 七 円

  16. 百

  17. 二 百

  18. 三 百

  19. 四 百

  20. 五 百

  21. 六 百

  22. 七 百

  23. 八 百

  24. 九 百

  25. 五 つ

  26. 三 つ

  27. 六 つ

  28. 二 つ

  29. 八 つ

  30. 四 つ

  31. 九 つ

  32. 一 つ

  33. 七 つ

  34. 三 百 十 一 円

  II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate kanji.

  5 Advanced Placement Exam Practice Question

  Three girls, Emi, Yuki, and Mari, try out a new sushi restaurant on its opening day.

  えみ： きょう、ここオープンなんだよ。

  ゆき： ここは、おすしがぜんぶ百円なの？

  まり： 二百円や三百円のもあるけど、ほとんど百円みたい。

  ゆき： みて。きょうはオープンだから、五十円や七十円のもある。

  えみ： 1 トロが百円、 2 イカが八十円、 3 タコが六十円！やすい！

  まり：五十円のはある？

  えみ： えっと、たまごと 4 エビが五十円。

  ゆき： じゃあエビを五つたべようかな。

  えみ： 五つたべても二百五十円だよ。

  まり： わたしはトロとイカとタコをたべるわ。

  えみ： 三つたべても三百円もしない。やすいね。

  1 トロ: fatty tuna,

  2 イカ: squid,

  3 タコ: octopus,

  4 エビ: shrimp

  1. How much is the sushi at this restaurant today?

  A. The sushi is all 100 yen.

  B. There is sushi for 200 yen or 300 yen, too.

  C. Today only, the sushi is between 50 yen and 90 yen.

  D. It is always cheaper than 100 yen.

  2. How much is the sushi that Mari wants to eat?

  A. ￥ 240 B. ￥ 250 C. ￥ 300 D. ￥ 310

  3. What does Yuki want to eat?

  A. 3 shrimp B. 4 shrimp C. 5 shrimp D. 6 shrimp

  4. If you eat one egg and octopus sushi at this restaurant, how much is it?

  A. ￥ 180 B. ￥ 150 C. ￥ 130 D. ￥ 110

  LESSON 2
>
  Going Skiing

  スキーに いきます

  Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter sports in Japan. Many skiers or snowboarders take advantage of ski buses, which travel between large cities and ski areas during the winter. The fares are reasonable and the buses usually leave the city late in the evening and arrive at the slopes early the next morning.

  In this lesson, you will learn kanji for dates, time, and some travel-related words.

  1 Introductory Quiz

  Look at the illustration below and refer to the words in Vocabulary. Then try the following quiz.

  Below left is a memo belonging to a student who plans to go skiing during the winter vacation. Below right is part of a ski bus brochure. At any travel agency, information is available about ski buses bound for famous ski areas, some of which are located in hot-spring resorts, such as Zao Onsen.

  I. Choose the correct answers.

  1. スキーは いつからですか。

  a. 12 日 29 月 b. 12 日 29 日 c. 12 月 29 日

  2. スキーは なんにちまでですか。

  a. ついたち b. ふつか c. みっか

  3. なんにちかん、スキーに いきますか。

  a. よっかかん b. いつかかん c. むいかかん

  4. スキー・バスは なんじに 東京を *でますか。 (*start)

  a. 11:00 P.M. b. 11:30 P.M. c. 11:30 A.M.

  5. スキー・バスは なんじに 蔵王に *つきますか。 (*arrive)

  a. 6:10 P.M. b. 6:10 A.M. c. 6:00 A.M.