Kanji Memory Stories
62 creative mnemonics to help you remember kanji meanings and readings through vivid stories.
JLPT N5
62 kanjiA child (子) under a roof (宀) surrounded by knowledge (X) — the classic image of …
A person (亻) leaning against a tree (木). Imagine a tired traveler who finally re…
A person (亻) carrying something on their back — they can carry (可) anything. The…
A cow (牛) walking on legs (儿) — going ahead of the herd. The cow takes the lead,…
Two mountains (山) stacked on top of each other. When one mountain rises out of a…
Evening (夕) and mouth (口) — at dusk, you call someone's name with your mouth to …
A person (人) standing with arms stretched wide. The bigger something is, the mor…
One (一) above big (大). Heaven is what lies one step above everything great. The …
A woman kneeling with folded hands — a pictograph of a person in a traditional p…
A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes with a large head — the classic shape of an …
Three small drops or dots — tiny particles. When you see small things, they look…
A pictograph of three mountain peaks. The center peak rises highest, flanked by …
Three strokes representing the flow of a river. The left and right strokes are t…
A circle with a dot in the center — the ancient pictograph of the sun. The outer…
A crescent moon shape. Unlike the round sun (日), the moon appears in phases, and…
A pictograph of a tree with branches (top), trunk (middle), and roots (bottom). …
A tree (木) with a mark (一) at its root. The mark indicates the 'origin' or 'base…
A person standing with legs apart — a simple pictograph of a human figure. The t…
A roof (人) covering dirt (土) with two dots (..) — gold nuggets hidden in the ear…
A flowing stream with splashes on both sides — a pictograph of water in motion. …
A person with arms raised, surrounded by flames on both sides. The shape evokes …
Ground level (一) with a plant sprouting (十) from it. The cross shape represents …
A person carrying a harvest of grain on their back. The passing of a year is mar…
The sun (日) moving across the earth (土) while a person measures with a hand (寸).…
A gate (門) with sunlight (日) shining through the opening. The space 'between' th…
Sheep (䒑) standing on legs (月) with a knife (刂) cutting in front. The sheep are …
A road (彳) with a thread (糸) and a reaching hand (夂) — what follows behind, like…
A short line above a longer line — something positioned 'above' a baseline. A si…
A short line below a longer line — the opposite of 上. Something positioned 'belo…
A rectangle with a line passing through its center — an arrow piercing the middl…
Evening (夕) and divination (卜) — in ancient times, people performed divination r…
A hand (又) over a mouth (口) — most people use their right hand to bring food to …
A hand (𠂇) helping at a workbench (工) — your left hand assists your dominant ri…
The sun (日) rising behind a tree (木). The sun comes up from the east, appearing …
A bird returning to its nest on a tree. The sun sets in the west, and birds fly …
A tree (木) inside a boundary (冂) facing the sun. In the northern hemisphere, the…
Two people (匕) sitting back to back. When you face south (the sun), your back is…
One (一) and a white (白) sun marking the number. A hundred is a 'white' or clear …
A person (亻) with a line (十) through them — ten hundreds make a thousand. The cr…
Originally a swastika-like symbol representing infinity or the number 10,000. It…
A round shape with a line through it — a pictograph of a coin. The circle repres…
A roof (一) with water droplets (丶) falling from the sky. The outer line is the c…
Rain (雨) hitting a field (田) with a lightning bolt (乚) striking. Electricity arc…
Steam (气) rising from rice (米) — the life energy or spirit that animates all liv…
Words (言) spoken in a group of a thousand (千) tongues plus the tongue radical (舌…
Words (言) spoken by five (五) mouths (口) — language involves many people speaking…
Words (言) for sale (売) — when you read a book, you consume words that someone ha…
A hand holding a brush (聿) writing on a surface (曰). The ancient art of calligra…
An eye (目) on legs (儿) — a walking eye that goes places to see things. To see is…
An ear (耳) at the gate (門) — you put your ear to the gate to listen for news fro…
A roof (人) over good (良) rice — good food under a roof, prepared for eating. The…
A person bending over a container (欠) to drink from a food vessel (食). Thirst ma…
An intersection (彳) with steps (亍) — moving forward step by step along a path. T…
Wheat (来) growing toward you — the grain 'comes' from the field to your table. W…
A wedge or arrowhead pointing inward. Unlike 人 (person), which has legs apart, 入…
A person (大) standing on the ground (一) — standing firmly on the earth. The hori…
A sprout (𠂉) emerging from the earth (土). Life pushes up from the soil as a see…
Two hands (又) joining together in friendship. A handshake or clasping hands — th…
A tree (木) where learning is exchanged (交) — in ancient times, students gathered…
A woman with two breasts, depicted from the front. The two dots represent nurtur…
A hand holding an axe or tool — the father as the worker and provider. In ancien…
A field (田) with power (力) — in traditional society, men worked the fields with …