Things in Nature
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かぜ | Wind; Breeze | |
| 木 | き | Tree; Wood; Timber |
| 雨 | あめ | Rain |
| ふゆ | Winter | |
| 花 | はな | Flower; Blossom; Bloom; Petal |
| 水 | みず | Water (cold, fresh) |
| はれ | Clear Weather | |
| ゆき | Snow | |
| なつ | Summer | |
| 天気 | てんき | Weather; The elements; Fair weather; Fine weather 天 ( Sky) 気 (Atmosphere) |
| でんき | Electricity; Electric Light | |
| はる | Spring; Spring time; Prime (of one’s life, period); Adolescence | |
| 川, 河 | かわ がわ | (1) River (2) … River (as in, the suffix used for river names) There are two possible kanji: 川 (River) 河 (River) |
Animals
| Kanji | Hiragana どうぶつ | Meaning Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 犬 | いぬ | Dog |
| さかな | Fish | |
| 猫 | ねこ | Cat |
| とり | Bird; Bird meat (esp. Chicken meat); Fowl; Poultry |
Body Parts
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おなか | Stomach | |
| 耳 | みみ | Ear; Hearing; Edge; Crust |
| 口 | くち | Mouth; Opening; Gap; Hole; Orifice |
| て | Hand; Arm; Forepaw; Foreleg; Handle | |
| 目 | め | Eye; Eyeball; Eyesight; Sight; Vision |
| は | Tooth | |
| はな | Nose |
Artificial Things
Clothing and Apparel
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| うわぎ | Jacket; Coat; Tunic; Outer Garment | |
| かさ | Umbrella; Parasol | |
| 鞄 | かばん | Bag; Satchel; Briefcase; Basket Does not pertain to paper or plastic bags |
| くつ | Shoes | |
| ジインズ | Jeans | |
| ぼおし | Hat / Cap | |
| ペット | Pet | |
| T シャツ | T-Shirt | |
| ズボン | Trousers; Pants From French “Jupon” | |
| めがね | Glasses; Spectacles | |
| スリッパ | Slippers | |
| シャツ | Shirt; Singlet | |
| ネクタイ | Necktie | |
| くつした | Socks; Stockings |
Vehicles
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| タクシー | Taxi | |
| じてんしゃ | Bicycle | |
| バス | Bus | |
| 車 | くるま | Car; Automobile; Vehicle; Wheel |
| ひこうき | Airplane; Aircraft |
Media
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かみ | Paper | |
| カレンダー | Calendar | |
| 雑誌 | ざっし | Magazine |
| じしょ | Dictionary | |
| しんぶん | Newspaper | |
| 写真 | しゃしん | Picture; Photograph 写 (Copy) 真 (Reality) |
| テープレコーダー | Tape Recorder | |
| 手紙 | てがみ | Letter; Note 手 (Hand) 紙 (Paper) |
| テレビ | TV | |
| でんわ | Telephone | |
| はがき | Postcard; Memo; Note; Card | |
| ページ | Page | |
| ペン | Pen | |
| 本 | ほん | (1) Book; Volume (2) Main; Head; This; Our Present; Real (3) Counter for long cylindrical things |
| メール | Email ; Mail | |
| ラジオ | Radio | |
| レコード | Record | |
| ノオト | Notebook | |
| カメラ | Camera | |
| 音楽 | おんがく | Music; Musical Movement 音 (sound) 楽 (music; ease) |
| うた | Song; Tanka / Japanese Poetry; Modern Poetry | |
| え | Picture; Drawing; Sketch | |
| 映画 | えいが | Movie; Film 映 (projection) 画 (picture) |
| えんぴつ | Pencil | |
| ボールペン | Ball point pen | |
| ぶんしょう | Sentence; Article; Composition |
Other Things
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| いす | Chair; Stool; Post; Office; Position | |
| お金 | おかね | Money 金 (gold) |
| かお | Countenance; A person’s face | |
| カップ | Cup | |
| かびん | Flower vase | |
| きって | Postage Stamp; Merchandise Certificate | |
| きっぷ | Ticket | |
| 金 | かね | Gold; Metal; Money |
| さいふ | Wallet | |
| たばこ | Tobacco; Cigarettes | |
| 机 | つくえ | Desk |
| テニス | Tennis | |
| と | Japanese style door | |
| とけえ | Watch / Clock | |
| ナイフ | Knife | |
| はいざら | Ash tray | |
| ポケット | ||
| ポスト | Post; Position; Postbox; Mail box; Pillar box | |
| ボタン | Button | |
| お土産 | おみやげ | Souvenir 土 (Ground) 産 (Products) |
| 買い物 | かいもの | Shopping; Purchased Goods 買 (buy) 物 (something) |
| コンピューター | Computer | |
| ふうとう | Envelope | |
| かぎ | (1) Key (2) Lock | |
| おじぎ | Bowing (in the respectful sense) | |
| じゅぎょう | Lesson; Class work | |
| にもつ | Luggage; Baggage |
Food
Pertaining to Food Itself
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おさら | Plate; Dish | |
| メニュー | Menu | |
| りょうり | Cuisine; Cooking; Cookery |
Meals
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 朝ご飯 | あさごはん | Breakfast 朝 (Morning) 飯 (Meal) |
| 昼ご飯 | ひるごはん | Lunch 飯 (Noon) 飯 (Meal) |
| 晩ご飯 夕飯 | ばんごはん ゆうはん | Dinner 夕 (Evening) 飯 (Meal) 晩 (Night) 飯 (Meal) Strictly speaking, 夕飯 would be placed at around 5 - 6 PM (early evening). 晩ご飯 for later times. In practice, there is virtually no difference and both are “dinner”. |
Food Items
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| アイスクリーム | Ice Cream | |
| あめ | Hard Candy / Toffee | |
| おかし | Sweets ; Confections; Candy | |
| お酒 | おさけ | Alcohol; Sake 酒 (Alcohol; Sake) |
| 茶 | おちゃ | Tea (usually green); Tea break; Tea Ceremony. 茶 (Tea) |
| おべんとう | Bento box / Japanese box lunch | |
| カレー | Curry | |
| ぎゅうにく | Beef | |
| ぎゅうにゅう | Cows’ Milk | |
| ご飯 | ごはん | Rice; Meal |
| コーヒー | Coffee | |
| しょうゆ | Soy sauce | |
| にく | Meat; Flesh | |
| パン | Bread | |
| ハンバーガー | Hamburger | |
| ぶたにく | Pork | |
| やさい | Vegetable | |
| とんかつ | Pork Cutlet | |
| さとう | Sugar | |
| こうちゃ | Black tea | |
Abstract Things
In general
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かぜ | Cold (Illness); Common Cold | |
| おふろ | Bath | |
| かた | Direction; Way; Person; Lady; Gentleman | |
| からだ | Body; Health | |
| かんじ | Kanji | |
| クラス | Class | |
| じかん | Time (noun) | |
| さい | Age (noun) | |
| なまえ | Name; Full name; Given name; First name | |
| 日 | にち | Sun; Day (in the calendar sense) |
| ほんとう | Truth; Reality | |
| あいさつ | Greeting | |
| うち | My Place / House / Home | |
| いみ | Meaning ; Significance | |
| 休み | やすみ | Rest; Recess; Respite; Vacation; Holiday; Absence; Suspension; To rest; To have a break; To be absent; To take a day off 休 (rest) |
| げんき | Health; Robust; Vigor; Energy; Vitality; Vim; Stamina; Spirit; Courage | |
| すき | Liking; Fondness; Love | |
| びょうき | Illness; Disease; Sickness | |
| せっけん | Economy; Thrift | |
| せ | Height; Stature |
Topics and Fields of Study
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かがく | Science | |
| けえざい | Economics | |
| じんるいがく | Anthropology | |
| スポーツ | Sports | |
| せいじ | Politics | |
| せんこう | Major (as in a subject in school) | |
| ビジネス | Business | |
| ぶんがく | Literature | |
| れきし | History | |
| ニュース | News | |
| こくさいかんけい | International Relations |