People and Nature Kanji
Twenty nouns for places, institutions, body parts, and abstract concepts you run into daily. Many compounds match Mandarin directly: 学校 (gakkō) = 学校, 電話 (denwa) = 电话, 社会 (shakai) = 社会.
Continue from Essential Kanji Collection (part 1). After this page, move on to Action and Abstract Kanji for verbs and adjectives.
3. Essential nouns 基本名詞
Section titled “3. Essential nouns 基本名詞”Twenty nouns for places, institutions, and abstract concepts you encounter daily.
| Kanji | Meaning | On’yomi | Kun’yomi | Mandarin | Sound Bridge | Common words | Memory note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 駅 | station (train) | エキ (eki) | — | yì | y- → e-, -ì → -ki | 駅 (station), 駅前 (in front of station), 駅員 (station staff) | 馬 (horse) + 尺: horse stopping post; now trains, not horses |
| 店 | shop, store | テン (ten) | みせ (mise) | diàn | d- → t-, -ian → -en | 店 (shop), 店員 (shop clerk), 書店 (bookstore) | 广 (building) + 占 (occupy): occupying a building to sell |
| 道 | road, way, path | ドウ (dō) | みち (michi) | dào | d- preserved, -ao → -ō | 道 (road), 北海道 (Hokkaido), 書道 (calligraphy) | 辶 (walk) + 首 (head): walking ahead on the head path |
| 電 | electricity | デン (den) | — | diàn | d- preserved, -ian → -en | 電車 (train), 電話 (telephone), 電気 (electricity) | 雨 (rain) + 申: lightning from the clouds; Japan uses traditional 電 |
| 車 | vehicle, car | シャ (sha) | くるま (kuruma) | chē | ch- → sh-, -ē → -a | 車 (car), 電車 (train), 自動車 (automobile) | Cart with wheels seen from above: traditional form 車 vs 车 |
| 国 | country, nation | コク (koku) | くに (kuni) | guó | g- → k-, -uo → -oku | 中国 (China), 外国 (foreign country), 国家 (nation-state) | 囗 (border) + 玉 (treasure): treasure within borders; same as 国 (guó) |
| 語 | language, word | ゴ (go) | かた(る) / ことば kata(ru)/kotoba | yǔ | y- → g-, -ǔ → -o | 日本語 (Japanese), 英語 (English), 単語 (vocabulary word) | 言 (speech) + 吾 (I): my speech = language |
| 名 | name, fame | メイ / ミョウ (mei/myō) | な (na) | míng | m- preserved, -ing → -ei/-yō | 名前 (name), 有名 (famous), 名言 (famous saying) | 夕 (evening) + 口 (mouth): calling a name at dusk |
| 学 | study, learning | ガク (gaku) | まな(ぶ) mana(bu) | xué | x- → g-, -ue → -aku | 学校 (school), 大学 (university), 学生 (student) | Same as 学 (xué) — child 子 under a roof 宀 with hands learning |
| 校 | school (institution) | コウ (kō) | — | xiào | x- → k-, -iao → -ō | 学校 (school), 校長 (principal), 本校 (this school) | 木 (tree) + 交 (cross): wooden crossbars of a school building |
| 会 | meeting, association | カイ / エ (kai/e) | あ(う) a(u) | huì | h- → k-/e-, -ui → -ai/-e | 会社 (company), 会う (to meet), 社会 (society) | People under a roof 云: gathering to speak |
| 社 | company, shrine | シャ (sha) | やしろ (yashiro) | shè | sh- preserved, -è → -a | 会社 (company), 社長 (president), 神社 (shrine) | 示 (altar) + 土: earth altar = shrine → company by extension |
| 仕 | serve, do work | シ (shi) | つか(える) tsuka(eru) | shì | sh- preserved, -ì → -i | 仕事 (work/job), 仕方 (way/method), 仕える (to serve) | 亻 (person) + 士 (scholar): a person serving in official duty |
| 事 | matter, thing, affair | ジ (ji) | こと (koto) | shì | sh- → j-, -ì → -i | 仕事 (work), 事件 (incident), 事実 (fact) | Hand 彐 holding a flag: managing affairs on the battlefield |
| 物 | thing, object | ブツ / モツ (butsu/motsu) | もの (mono) | wù | w- → b-/m-, -ù → -utsu/-otsu | 物 (thing), 動物 (animal), 買い物 (shopping) | 牛 (cow) + 勿 (not): creatures that are not nothing = things |
| 所 | place, location | ショ (sho) | ところ (tokoro) | suǒ | s- → sh-, -uo → -o | 場所 (place), 研究所 (research institute), 台所 (kitchen) | 戸 (door) + 斤 (axe): the place where the door and tools are |
| 方 | direction, way, person | ホウ (hō) | かた (kata) | fāng | f- → h-, -ang → -ō | 方法 (method), 方 (person/polite), 方向 (direction) | Compass point on a square: direction and method |
| 気 | spirit, energy, mood | キ / ケ (ki/ke) | — | qì | q- → k-, -ì → -i/-e | 元気 (healthy/genki), 天気 (weather), 気持ち (feeling) | 气 (vapor) + 米 (rice): steam rising from cooking rice = energy |
| 力 | power, strength | リョク / リキ (ryoku/riki) | ちから (chikara) | lì | l- → r-, -ì → -iki/-yoku | 力 (power), 努力 (effort), 能力 (ability) | Flexing arm pictograph — identical to 力 (lì) |
| 体 | body, form | タイ / テイ (tai/tei) | からだ (karada) | tǐ | t- preserved, -ǐ → -ai/-ei | 体 (body), 体育 (physical education), 体重 (body weight) | 亻 (person) + 本 (root): the root/substance of a person = body |
Which compound means 'school' using 学 and 校?
What does 体 (tǐ) mean in Japanese?
Which kanji appears in 天気 (tenki, weather) and 元気 (genki, healthy)?
駅Click to reveal
エキstationFrom 驿 (yì) — 駅前 = in front of station
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