The Kanshudo 2025 Holiday Sale is live!

It's the time of year to celebrate, and here's something worth celebrating: get 50% off a year of Kanshudo Pro in our holiday sale! Let Kanshudo help you improve your Japanese by leaps and bounds in 2026.

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

Kanshudo is the most comprehensive and effective online platform for learning Japanese. Kanshudo will take you from absolute beginner all the way to seasoned expert, with tools and material that support every learning style. Join over 260,000 Japanese learners and take advantage of:

JLPT Resource Center: take timed JLPT tests, practice individual question types, and study curated lists of content
Personalized study sessions, utilizing over 20 different learning exercises, from your learning dashboard
Unlimited flashcards
Lessons for all levels of learner: Beginner Lessons, Intermediate Lessons, and our growing library of Topic Lessons
Visual progress indicators tracking your knowledge of kanji and kana, vocabulary and grammar, as well as illustrating your progress with a journey through Japan's geography and history
A comprehensive Japanese grammar reference library
A conversational AI grammar tutor
An AI sentence correction tool
The most comprehensive Japanese dictionaries online
Optional access to nearly 600 in-depth kanji essays from our partner Joy o' Kanji

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

Take advantage of our newest feature, the JLPT Resource Center. One of the largest additions to Kanshudo, the JLPT Center enables you to take timed JLPT tests, practice all of the various question types individually, and study curated lists of content for the JLPT. Supercharge your ability to study for the JLPT with Kanshudo!

2025 has been a huge year for Kanshudo with many additions to the system:

The new JLPT Resource Center
A fun new game, Kanji Pop
Our new AI-based grammar tutor, TeachMe
Over 40 new Joy o'Kanji essays and 20 new Thematic Bundles
Over 300 new comprehension quizzes, a new learning tool
280 new and updated grammar points
Several new topic lessons

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

Kanshudo will help you master kanji, hiragana, and katakana, along with Japanese grammar and vocabulary, as fast, effectively, and enjoyably as possible! Kanshudo is used by over 260,000 Japanese learners, with proven results. Act now and get Pro access for less than 25 cents per day! Valid for any annual plan (Kanshudo, Kanshudo + Joy o' Kanji, Kanshudo + AI) for users without a current Pro plan.

We are delighted to announce that after almost two years of work, the Kanshudo JLPT Resource Center is now live!

The JLPT Resource Center will supercharge your preparation for the JLPT - the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. It brings the following key features:

Timed tests: take actual past JLPT tests, under test conditions, and see what you got wrong and what you got right
Question practice: practice individual question types using the exact style of question used in the actual tests administered twice annually
Curated content lists: view lists of kanji, words and grammar used in the JLPT, and view a summary of your current knowledge
Flashcards: automatically generate flashcards for all JLPT material, and study them using Kanshudo's powerful and flexible flashcards system
View progress: see visual feedback of your knowledge of JLPT material, and get an overall assessment of your progress towards the next exam!

The JLPT Resource Center can be accessed in several ways - you'll see a new icon, , in the main menu bar. Additionally, you can find a link in the STUDY menu. As with all Kanshudo features, you can also just search - just type 'jlpt' into Quick Search.

This has been a huge project for Kanshudo - the N5 question practice system alone involves thousands of pieces of content, and fourteen new exercise types matching the style of JLPT questions. We believe this will make studying for the JLPT dramatically easier and more effective. To the best of our knowledge, there is no better way to study for the JLPT exam.

Currently all features for N5 study are live, and timed tests are available for N5 through N2. We're going to be introducing more N5 content, as well as remaining content and tests for additional N levels, steadily in coming weeks and months.

Let us know how you get on with the feedback form at the bottom of the JLPT Resource Center!

Twenty-four essays collectively bring the Heian era (794–1185) to life, throwing the spotlight on shifting political power and on inequity so blatant that it recalls the French Revolution. The bundles also examine significant changes in the religious realm (for better and for worse), as well as advances in clothing, architecture, and literature.

72

Heian-Era Clans in Control

摂帝滅藤

As these essays show, political power shifted dramatically during the Heian period (794–1185). Emperors became figureheads while aristocrats grabbed true power. Starting in the mid-9th century, the Fujiwara clan became regents and advisers, excluding other clans from that scene. In the tussle for power, entire families could be eliminated; in one massive sea battle, the Minamoto clan exterminated the Taira family. By the late 10th century, Fujiwara power reached its zenith. For instance, Japanese artists developed a national style from 894 to 1185, and art historians call that the Fujiwara period, simply because of who was in charge.

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73

Heian-Era Nobles Living Their Best Lives

塾罷鎌蔑

In the Heian era (794–1185), aristocrats flourished in Japan and relished their newfound power. Only they could afford private lessons (in poetry). Being terrible snobs, they scornfully demanded that the samurai compose poems impromptu; viewing the samurai as savages, the nobles were setting the samurai up to fail. During those times of gross power imbalances, this term mattered: 罷る (to go somewhere by order of a superior). Of course, the nobles were the masters. But nothing lasts forever; by the mid-12th century, control of Japan shifted away from aristocrats into the hands of the samurai. Oops!

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74

Strangling Sartorial Rules in the Heian Era

靴更束袖

Your clothes may feel binding, but as these essays show, nothing compares to the strangling sartorial restrictions of the Heian era (794–1185). The elites changed clothes whenever they pooped! They also wore at least six types of clothing simultaneously, putting them on in a fixed order. For instance, aristocrats had to wear short-sleeved kimonos under other layers. Fortunately, Heian shoe innovations made life better for everyone. The Japanese devised three types of sandals. The nobility began wearing shoes more often, and common people made their own footwear.

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75

Heian Piety and Problems

箇岳稚崖

Religion greatly influenced the Heian era (794–1185), as this bundle shows. Pious types took pilgrimages and carved massive Buddha figures onto rock faces. In one Kyushu city alone, 59 such statues have been deemed national treasures. Those years also gave rise to Shugendo, a mixture of mountain worship, esoteric Buddhism, and Taoism. But not all developments were positive. At remote temples, some monks sodomized boys who were training to be priests, causing countless Japanese to pull away from temples. Many also felt turned off by monks' arrogance and by temples' tax-exempt status. Consequently, several new sects of Buddhism emerged.

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76

Heian Architecture, Both Grand and Practical

栽塔廊蔽

The Heian era (794–1185) left its mark on architecture. Temple halls and towers are the representative structures of the period, which is when the Japanese likely invented pagodas (塔) of two and five stories. Traditional Heian-era palatial-style architecture includes a roofed corridor (廊) connecting two buildings. As the 栽 essay shows, one style of palace combined residential buildings, gardens, and connecting corridors. After all this grandeur, the 蔽 essay brings us down to earth by mentioning features of a regular Japanese house, including partitioning screens, immovable walls, fusuma (sliding doors), and shoji (sliding windows).

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77

Heian-Era Literary Firsts

桜漆昔呂

The Heian period (794–1185) produced literary firsts, as this bundle shows. Major publications included "The Tale of Genji," (54 volumes!), "The Tales of Ise" (collected poems and prose), "The Tale of the Heike" (an epic), and "Konjaku Monogatarishu" (more than a thousand tales from India, China, and Japan, including Japanese folklore). The famous いろは poem emerged, using all basic archaic syllables only once. And whereas people used to wax poetic about ume (Japanese apricots), Heian poetry instead reflected a sudden appreciation of cherry blossoms, with 花 (flower) newly meaning "cherry blossom" in verse.

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Four essays collectively show how Japanese culture began to flourish in the Asuka and Nara eras, and another bundle demonstrates the unthinkable power that governments wielded over citizens at that time.

70

Asuka-Nara Flourishing of Culture

琴墨隆奈

As these essays show, Japanese culture flourished in the Asuka and Nara periods (550–794). Asuka-era architectural styles impress even today. In that period, the Japanese brought stringed instruments back from China. Around the same time, the Japanese began producing copious inksticks, leading to calligraphy, ink drawing, and ink painting (and soon to dyeing clothes). Simultaneously, the literary world made great gains; the first nonfiction (two history chronicles) and a poetry anthology came out—all still significant works. The earliest Japanese gardens also emerged in the late Nara period.

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71

Ruling with an Iron Fist in the 8th Century

墾宰紫庸

Eighth-century Japanese governments exercised astounding power. The authorities established colors that each rank of bureaucrats could wear and permitted only the highest-ranking ones to dress in dark purple (紫). The imperial court cultivated (墾) certain fields using public labor, permitting regular people to hold private land permanently only in 743. A rigorous legal and political framework known as the ritsuryo system forced people to do 10 days of unpaid labor if they couldn't pay taxes. And the Dazaifu, an agency governing all of Kyushu, wielded such might that it had its own diplomatic relations with China.

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Though the long-ago Jomon and Yayoi eras (c. 14,000 BCE–300 CE) could be shrouded in mystery, scholars have deduced an astonishing amount about how people lived and which needs drove them. Two new bundles show what archaeological digs have revealed and what experts know and still debate about the rival ethnic groups (the Jomon and Yayoi) who are the ancestors of the modern Japanese people.

68

Jomon-Yayoi Treasures from Trash

偶塚茂椎

Thank archaeologists for demystifying the Jomon and Yayoi eras (c. 14,000 BCE–300 CE). By examining shell mounds—glorified trash heaps—these scholars have determined what ancient people ate, owned, and valued. Bones from a Tokyo shell mound revealed that Jomon cannibalism existed. Moreover, archaeologists have found a crucial Jomon food source (Castanopsis nuts), unearthed bronze Yayoi-era vessels and Yayoi-era defensive structures, and uncovered about 15,000 goggle-eyed figurines (c. 3000 BCE–400 CE). Many look pregnant, so people likely associated them with fertility, also possibly believing that one could transfer illnesses into them and out of humans.

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69

What Drove the Jomon-Yayoi People

稲緻冶弥

Researchers studying ancient Japan have little material—mainly ruins of buildings, earthenware, and iron tools. Nevertheless, as these essays show, scholars understand much about what drove the Jomon and Yayoi (ethnic groups who fought and killed each other). For instance, people hungered for metal to craft weapons, vessels, coins, and needles (to make clothes), and this quest sparked battles. Still, many aspects of the Jomon and Yayoi eras (c. 14,000 BCE–300 CE) remain contested; experts disagree about the origins of the Yayoi people and of wet rice cultivation in Japan, as well as the existence of Stonehenge-like Jomon-era monuments.

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Superstition governs far more in Japan than outsiders might realize. Three new bundles show how the Japanese try to usher in luck and avoid problems. The collection also explains the beliefs driving this behavior.

65

Lots of Luck

寿占亀餅

The collection reveals copious ways in which the Japanese try to usher in luck, wealth, and good harvests. They offer sacred mochi to the gods. Flattening it brings longevity, eating it on a kid's first birthday helps the child grow, and coloring mochi red repels evil. People rely on fortune telling, using everything from palms, blood types, and facial features to birth dates, dreams, and even the shape of lingering snow. Folks treat certain birthdays as auspicious, thanks to visual wordplay with kanji. Finally, because turtles symbolize luck and longevity, people use 亀 (turtle) in shop names.

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66

Staving Off Doom

宴肩祥桑

These essays show how the Japanese spot omens in small details. If a sandal thong breaks, that portends doom, such as death or an accident. When a product logo slopes to the right, the item alarmingly symbolizes economic decline. To stave off misfortune, people take measures: After lightning strikes, they chant to ward off bad luck. When a party must end, a host announces this euphemistically, avoiding words that suggest separation or divorce. People associate the 水 of 水曜日 (Wednesday) with a term for "to be canceled," so realtors typically take Wednesdays off to avoid having contracts canceled.

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67

Of Gods and Monsters

沖夢雷箸

As this bundle shows, ingrained religious and spiritual beliefs drive Japanese superstitions. Prohibitions around chopstick usage govern table manners (e.g., believing that crossing chopsticks symbolizes death). Gods and people are thought to eat together, and the ends of chopsticks are associated with the divine. Thunder might be a divine scolding, and lightning prompts people to use protective amulets. After nightmares, repeating an incantation supposedly makes a supernatural being eat the dream so it won't come true. Women refrain from visiting a certain Japanese island; not only is the land sacred but the ground itself is a Shinto god.

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Check out our two newest kanji essay Thematic Bundles! One bundle focuses on hospitality when it comes to formal, elegant feasts and swanky lodging. The other bundle spotlights the tools used in everyday dining: dishes, trays, chopsticks, and tables.

63

Host with the Most

宴亭賓膳

These essays show how Japan excels in hospitality. From swanky accommodations for VIPs to banquets and wedding receptions, Japanese hosts make everyone feel like guests of honor. You'll learn about traditional restaurants that resemble large, understated houses and that are so expensive that some Japanese people may never dine in one. You'll find out about banquets, where each course comes on its own tray and where the contents, layout, sequence, and placement of each tray on the table are predetermined. And you'll discover the formality and elegance of dining on trays, which is unthinkable in the West.

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64

Tools for Daily Dining

皿卓盆箸

When it comes to equipment for everyday dining in Japan, there are abundant choices. From saucers to soup bowls to share plates, dish designs vary. Dining tables can be so low that people must sit on cushions or tatami mats. Trays for presenting goodies vary depending on whether they're for cakes, other sweets, or tea. And chopstick styles differ according to whether they're for cooking or for a man, woman, or child. Chopstick etiquette is paramount, and the staggering number of chopstick no-nos drives home the concept of copious possibilities, so many of them wrong!

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One bundle helps you play house, spotlighting kanji related to household furnishings. The other bundle introduces four characters with which you can pour yourself into a pursuit, for better and for worse!

61

Home Furnishings

床卓棚椅

These essays teach vocabulary for home furnishings (futons, beds, tables, desks, chairs, and shelves) and flooring. Two essays explore the alcove known as a tokonoma. You'll also learn the figurative meanings of "putting away bedding" and "flipping over a table." Beyond that, you'll discover terms for "clinical," "power struggle," "barbershop," "putting plans on ice," "position of authority in a government or company," and "hotbed of crimes," even delving into matters of floor area, dentures, air circulation, windfalls, faultfinding, Bon offerings to ancestors, trellises, hospital size, theater stages, a Guinness world record, round-table conferences, and dining platforms across rivers.

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62

Hopelessly Devoted

凝傾酔陶

With these four kanji, you can lose yourself: You can put your heart and soul into pursuing a goal. You can become so passionate that you're obsessed. You can become intoxicated by an onsen or fascinated by music—even drunk on your own charms. You can admire a teacher so much that you're hopelessly devoted. Is all of this positive or negative? On the plus side, a fanatical mindset enables you to create elaborate things, feel deeply, commit fully, and master skills. On the minus side, you will likely annoy others as you slide into monomania and perfectionism!

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Two new bundles show how the Japanese speak of clothing parts (collars, sleeves, and hems) and accessories (hats, umbrellas, fans, and shoes) in both literal and figurative ways.

59

Accessories as Metaphors

靴傘扇履

The Japanese accessorize in ways that no one else does. Find out about shoes made of rice straw or wood, umbrellas made of paper and oil, and handheld fans in the military. Then there's the figurative take on these items, including expressions about sheltering children, inciting people, padding numbers, and wearing two hats (but in Japan they're shoes!). The shapes of umbrellas, folding fans, and straw sandals have also sparked people's creativity; see what the Japanese perceive as having similar silhouettes!

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60

Fashion Can Be Figurative

襟帽袖裾

Collars, hats, and sleeves can help you make bold fashion statements. These essays show how the Japanese have accomplished that with both traditional clothing and Western styles. Figurative takes on these four kanji astonish even more. Collars are associated with heart-to-heart talks. Hats help you say that you admire someone. The foot of a mountain is figuratively its hem. As such, 裾 can represent "extent of something" and "outskirts," even symbolizing the edge of a coral reef. And sleeves are connected with leaders, passivity, coldness to people, and destiny, plus the wings of buildings, stages, and desks.

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Two new bundles spotlight the places where land meets sea in Japan, creating distinctive shapes, sometimes causing shipwrecks, and inspiring place names and designs.

57

The Shape of Water

潟江礁湾

Land encircles water in various ways, and each essay in this collection spotlights a different shape of that sort: (1) an elongated body of water that's parallel to the coast and set off by islands or reefs, (2) a narrow place where the sea comes a long way into the land, (3) a circular atoll that is the rim of an extinct underwater volcano, and (4) a portion of ocean partly enclosed by land. These essays focus on famous places (e.g., Niigata, Edo, and Taiwan), explaining how those names connect to certain bodies of water.

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58

A Complex Coastline

崎浜浦岬

Japan boasts a complex coastline, and as these essays show, that's for better and for worse. The numerous capes jutting out into the sea have caused disastrous shipwrecks, one of which exposed inequity that sparked outrage in Japan. But this island nation also abounds in winding beaches, and those gentle curves have influenced the designs of everything from pottery and furniture to family crests. The endpoints of the main islands beckon to tourists who want to visit the southernmost point, for instance. The outline of one cape as seen from space even gave rise to a popular song.

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Pop kanji that fit the descriptions! Build your kanji knowledge with our latest fun kanji game.

We're very excited to announce that we've now launched our first standalone game in quite some time: Kanji Pop. In each round, you're presented with a grid of 16 kanji. You'll be given a series of descriptions, each of which will match one or more of the remaining kanji. Select the correct kanji to 'pop' it and clear it from the grid. Try to complete as many rounds as you can!

All your answers are recorded below the game board for each round, so you can easily Favorite any you want to come back to later.

In the settings area, you can choose the kanji you want to focus on - by default, the game will focus on kanji with your current usefulness / JLPT level.

You can access Kanji Pop from the PLAY menu at the top of every page, or from the links at the bottom of every page. As with all Kanshudo features, you can also just use Quick Search.

When you've played a few games, please let us know what you think!

For more Japanese kanji, word and grammar games to help make your Japanese studies fun, see all our games in the Play Index.

Two new Thematic Bundles focus on the itty-bitty - but in opposite ways. With the kanji in Bundle 55, the Japanese grouse about having too little, whereas an affection for all that is small and cute streams through Bundle 56.

55

Size of a Postage Stamp

蚊狭猫涙

These four essays enable you to grouse about having too little. Perhaps you receive a pittance of a salary; both 蚊 and 涙 will help you express disappointment and anger about that, but you'll be talking about an animal's tears, not your own. Or maybe you live in a dime-sized space; if so, 狭 will let you complain that your abode feels crowded and cramped. Alternatively, you might gripe that your garden is tiny; calling it as small as a cat's (猫) forehead will get that point across.

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56

Adorably Petite

掌豆姫零

Donald Richie said the Japanese perceive their nation as small (though it's not) because they feel it's gross to be large. Indeed, an affection for itty-bitty things runs through these essays. The prefix 豆- characterizes tiny books, small dolls, and trivia as "miniature." With 掌 the Japanese describe books as "palm-sized" and stories as "very short." The prefix 姫- indicates that a Chinese crabapple is adorably petite or that an animal is diminutive. And with 零 as "small" one can lament the loss of mom-and-pop bakeries and offer advice to small business owners engaged in David-versus-Goliath battles.

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These two bundles belong together, the eight essays collectively constituting a celebration of the fabulous fabrics of Japan. We all know about brightly colored kimonos for formal occasions, but these bundles shine the spotlight on less-famous casual kimonos and show how craftspeople create stunning effects, colors, and patterns with these fabrics.

53

Casual Kimonos

紺丈雰桁

You may picture kimonos as formal outfits worn on special occasions. With tight sashes and many layers, they take considerable effort to put on and look uncomfortable. But there are also much more casual kimonos for daily wear by working people, such as farmers. These are often made with blurred "kasuri" fabrics featuring a repeating grid or lattice shape. Whereas three essays in this bundle showcase such fabrics in gorgeous blues, the 丈 essay introduces a distinctive yellow silk cloth with striped or checkered patterns. These woven and dyed fabrics became so famous that Hachijo Island was named after them!

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54

Fabulous Fabrics

絞麻巾藍

These essays illuminate how people produce fabulous fabrics using Japanese methods and materials. Two essays delve into techniques such as shibori (Japanese tie-dye), including the unexpected reason commoners came to wear cotton clothes dyed with indigo. Another essay touches on fabric types, such as hemp cloth, as well as the hemp leaf pattern that often adorns clothes for babies. (People associate hemp with healthy and quick growth.) Rich illustrations in all four essays show what people make with these fab fabrics, including tenugui (fancy towels), traditional pouches, and stunning wall pieces. Crafts aficionados are in for a visual treat!

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It feels auspicious when a new year dawns. At such times, symbolism matters greatly, particularly to the Japanese. Appropriately, Bundle 51 presents kanji associated with longevity, milestone birthdays, and New Year's Day itself. January also brings resolutions to whip ourselves into shape, whether physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, so Bundle 52 on training and discipline is quite relevant, as well.

51

Long-Lived

寿松亀鶴

Though the Japanese live longer than anyone, they pray for even more longevity—for humans and deities alike. These four auspicious kanji are associated with longevity, which is a natural fit for 亀 and 鶴; as one proverb has it, turtles and cranes live thousands of years. Meanwhile, 寿 means "lifespan" and "longevity" in words for those concepts and appears in many terms for milestone birthdays. Finally, because the pine represents long life, thanks to its evergreen needles, images of that tree abound at weddings and on New Year's cards. Similarly, twin pines symbolize a long, happy marriage.

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52

Relentless Improvement

鍛鋳錬冶

Metalworking may not seem relevant to daily life, but these kanji are. Two combine in 鍛錬, enabling people to express desires for toned bodies, sharper minds, and self-discipline. After all, the Japanese relentlessly push to improve themselves and others—hence the exactitude of sushi chefs who rigorously train employees. The bundled characters also shed light on history, from the ancient need for metal (including in mirrors for sacred Shinto rites) to the 1941 mandate to melt down metals, even temple bells. These kanji have even inspired figurative language, as with a term for "forcing into a mold."

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As these bundles show, we cannot always be strong and dominant. One collection spotlights the inevitable process of weakening and dying, showing how to discuss this in terms of individuals, vegetation, and whole countries. The other collection features the ultra-important topic of using humble language in Japanese and how doing so completely alters one's speech.

47

Vicissitudes

朽枯衰萎

This collection may seem bleak. The essays spotlight withering plants, rotting trees, and entire nations in decline. The bundle focuses on losing physical abilities and dying of old age. And the 萎 essay touches on dampened hopes and sagging spirits. But the most-common 朽 word characterizes artworks as enduring. And 枯 can mean "to mature," applying to both people and technology. As that essay shows, the Japanese have an odd affection for dead trees, also using 枯 in fun proverbs. Finally, the study of 衰 reflects that yes, decline occurs, but so does prosperity; vicissitudes are inevitable parts of life.

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48

Humble Pie

謙拙弊遜

Here one finds all aspects of humble language: a detailed exploration of that linguistic concept (in the 謙 essay), self-deprecating pronouns, humble prefixes, and ways of putting down one's work or one's company. Two of the four kanji join forces in a noun for "modesty; humility" and constitute alternate renderings of へりくだる (to deprecate oneself and praise the listener). Although 遜 means "humble, inferior," aligning with the other three kanji, the Japanese typically negate that humility with 不, ending up with arrogance, which takes this bundle in an unexpected direction.

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It's our favorite time of the year here at Kanshudo, and we're delighted to help you celebrate with a fantastic bargain: 50% off one year of Kanshudo Pro* access!

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

2024 has been another busy year for Kanshudo. Our biggest ever new feature, a comprehensive JLPT Practice Center, complete with timed sample tests, detailed result breakdowns, and the ability to practice question types independently, is now in beta, and we're working hard on adding the remaining features and more content. (For more information or to apply, see the blog post.) The JLPT includes about 15 different exercise types per N level, and around 50 across all N levels, so we've added many new exercises and variations which we will gradually roll out into other parts of Kanshudo.

In addition, we've added lots of new content, including 20 brand-new Topic Lessons, 42 Joy o' Kanji essays, 32 additional articles in the Grammar Library, 6 Points of Interest, not to mention nearly 2000 new example sentences. We've also added 38 Joy o' Kanji Thematic Bundles, collections of four related kanji that will really help you cement your understanding and deepen your knowledge of each set.

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

Set yourself up for Japanese success in 2025. Kanshudo is the leader in personalized Japanese learning, and the most effective way to learn Japanese:

Kanshudo's AI tutor - custom learning programs for everyone, from beginners to experts
Detailed study guides including our very popular Definitive guide to Japanese pitch accents
Automatic spaced repetition flashcards - quickly and easily create flashcards for kanji, words, grammar, and example sentences
Graded lessons (Beginner Lessons and Intermediate Lessons) as well as Topic Lessons (each focused on a specific topic)
Comprehensive kanji, word, name, and Japanese grammar dictionaries (accessible all together in Quick Search)
Optional access to over 500 in-depth kanji essays from our partner Joy o' Kanji

Kanshudo will help you master kanji, hiragana, and katakana, along with Japanese grammar and vocabulary, as fast, effectively, and enjoyably as possible! Kanshudo is used by over 210,000 Japanese learners, with proven results. Act now and get Pro access for less than 25 cents per day!

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

Valid for any annual plan (Kanshudo, Kanshudo + Joy o' Kanji, Kanshudo + AI) for users without a current Pro plan

To view a video introduction to Kanshudo and our holiday sale, click here!

Trees soar to great heights in two new bundles. One focuses on what the cherry, pine, cedar, and willow symbolize to the Japanese. The other collection shows how Japanese craftspeople make the best use of cedar, mulberry, willow, and persimmon.

45

Emblematic Trees

桜松杉柳

These essays showcase four types of trees that afford great pleasure. The Japanese love seeing rows of them along rivers, the seashore, and avenues (especially on the world's longest tree-lined road), and people famously picnic under cherry blossoms. To the Japanese, the pine, cedar, willow, and cherry also symbolize key qualities: transience and mortality (the cherry); longevity, vitality, and sincerity (the cedar); emotional flexibility, weakness, sadness, and thinness (the willow); and superior rankings (the pine). Moreover, these trees play key roles in the arts, such as haiku, woodblock prints, ink paintings, lyrics, Noh theater, and ghost stories.

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46

Working with Wood

杉桑柳柿

Japanese craftsmanship is legendary, and the artisans know well how types of wood will behave, whether in chopsticks, barrels for soy sauce and saké, or traditional paper. One kind of tree grows so fast that it greatly aided postwar reconstruction. Another type is suitable for alcove posts and chests of drawers, being hard and shiny with a distinctive woodgrain pattern. A third sort is hard but easily cracks, making it ideal for paneling in traditional furniture and Japanese umbrellas. The last type is pliable and can become everything from wicker to toothpicks, also having medicinal properties. See which is which!

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Two new bundles put the spotlight on animals. One focuses on what the dragon, tiger, crane, and turtle symbolize in both positive and negative ways. The other collection shows how Japanese view the cats, monkeys, deer, and bears that surround them, whether at home, in city parks, or on trails through the wilderness.

43

Strongly Symbolic Animals

竜亀虎鶴

English speakers see cats and dogs as enemies, but the Japanese and Chinese perceive the dragon and tiger as well-matched rivals. The dragon symbolizes everything from imperial power and water to China itself, whereas the tiger represents earthly matter and India, also inspiring scads of expressions about risks. Meanwhile, both cranes and turtles are emblems of longevity and good fortune. Moreover, the crane appears in proverbs, paintings, origami, ceramics, fabrics, poems, Noh dramas, songs, folktales, and even math problems, as well as figurative expressions, whereas the turtle symbolizes slowness, wisdom, experience, divisiveness, ugliness, and sexual attractiveness.

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44

Omnipresent Animals

猿猫熊鹿

Being in Japan means being aware of certain omnipresent animals: the deer who bow to visitors in Nara; the monkeys who bathe in onsens and who fill Monkey Park on Shodoshima; the household cats who have inspired countless sayings, including one meaning "every Tom, Dick, and Harry" because cats are everywhere in Japan; and the fearsome bears who have necessitated bear bells on trails. This bundle shows how the Japanese relate to these species in visual art, in literature from folktales to famous novels, in maneki-neko figurines, in carvings of the three wise monkeys, and more.

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From pride to shame, two bundles illuminate powerful emotions. The insect bundle (which includes essays about the mosquito and bee) dovetails naturally with the collection on skin. And all four bundles differentiate kanji or words with similar meanings.

39

Bugging Out

蚊蛍昆蜂

As these essays show, people's relationships to insects run the gamut. Mosquitoes annoy, bite, or even kill us, so we repel them. The beloved firefly has inspired poems, songs, paintings, tourism, and firefly parks. Bugs play key roles in "The Tale of Genji," famous manga, one film, and photographs. Insects also serve as food; the Japanese eat locusts and bee larvae, as well as honey (which can become wine and medicine). But bee stings hurt badly, so there's that! Finally, insects have given rise to fun Japanese figurative language about ephemerality, hard work, and much more, as many quizzes reveal!

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40

Skin Deep

潤燥肌膚

A Facebook friend posted pictures of once-gorgeous actors with wrinkled, dried-up faces. His caption: "Moisturize, people!" These essays convey the same message. The ones on 肌　and 膚 provide a primer on skin, including terms for dermatological problems, ads for onsen water that exfoliates skin, a photo of skin-friendly soap, and phrases likening skin to mochi, snow, and eggs. Essay 1757 also cites Confucian ideals about not damaging skin, and an essay 1704 quiz asks what color Japanese people think they are. Essay 1528 focuses on dehydration, including that of skin. And essay 1379 showcases marketing copy about moisturizers.

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41

Pride: Positive or Poisonous

誇慢玩傲

These essays are practically meant to be read together. Sizable passages in essays 1233, 1837, and 2009 differentiate 誇, 慢, and 傲. The bundle presents positive types of pride, including healthy self-regard, restaurant signs about proudly serving noodles, and pride in one's college, hometown, historical buildings, or advances such as the Shinkansen. The collection also shows how the Japanese condemn arrogance, boasting, hyperbole, and ostentation, an aversion originating with a Buddhist view of pride as a "poison." Because 玩 has to do with toying with others, essay 1982 also touches on arrogance multiple times.

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42

Dying of Embarrassment

肩恥羞膝

The longer you live, the more shame you suffer, says an old Japanese proverb. Shame can involve feeling exposed. The Japanese experience deep embarrassment about misusing words (and kanji!). The exposure might be literal; essays 1572 and 2031 mention how evacuees feel when fleeing a disaster naked. Indeed, the body provokes much shame; essay 1572 features a shocking quiz with恥 (shame) in five genital-related words. Shame has its own body language. Essay 1212 on 肩 presents a common term related to shoulder position and shame, and essay 2100 discusses shame-filled, head-on-the-floor prostration when apologizing for a grave error.

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We're very excited to announce the beta of a major new section of Kanshudo: the JLPT Practice Center. The new center will enable you to take full length timed practice tests using the same question types and scoring as the live JLPT. It will help you to identify any weaknesses, and address them.

The JLPT, or Japanese Language Proficiency Test, now about 40 years old, is the most widely adopted certification of Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers, and is taken by about a million students every year. Our new system covers all parts of the JLPT, including kanji / vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening.

We're launching the beta with the first N5 practice test in place - over the next few weeks, we'll be adding more N levels, more practice tests for each level, and features to enable you to practice specific question types.

To sign up for the JLPT beta, please click here.

As a side note, thank you to all of you who have expressed interest in joining the betas for several other features we have in development. All of those features are still coming, but we wanted to get this JLPT feature (along with another key new AI-related feature we're working on) launched first.

The four newest bundles provide a crash course in the Japanese arts. One focuses on manga, another on calligraphy, and a third on the artistic mindset, as well as genres from painting to woodworking to tattoos. As for the fourth bundle, it's all about fear. That might seem unrelated, but being an artist means overcoming fear of failure and forging into a mental space where creativity brings on fearlessness.

35

Fear Factor

虞恐怖惧

Do these kanji frighten you? After all, they overlap considerably. You could render おそれる (to fear) with all four characters, and people often use 恐 and 怖 interchangeably to convey myriad fears (e.g., of business risks). But this bundle makes important distinctions. You'll see that 恐 connects to respect (e.g., for Nature's power), politeness, financial crises, and uncertainty about the future. The essay on 怖 explores uniquely Japanese phobias. Meanwhile, 虞 expresses concern and caution in the face of threats. And 惧 mainly relates to endangered entities (species, occupations, or railways) and the fear of extinction.

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36

The Meanings of Manga

娯撤漫勃

This bundle provides a solid introduction to manga, especially essay 1838, with its definitions of "manga" and related vocabulary, a manga history, a list of manga genres, and explanations of the symbols used in these cartoons. Essay 1238 supplies essential context about the history of amusement in Japan, including a manga magazine. Essay 2113 discusses the sudden rise of the manga and anime subcultures in the 1970s, which led to classic works inspired by Osamu Tezuka, who started the so-called manga revolution. And essay 1630 showcases Shigeru Mizuki's epic manga about World War II, with translations of four panels.

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37

Inkblots

朱跡墨痕

Japanese calligraphy reflects the state of an artist's mind, spirit, and body. In one novel, a character studies her father's brushstrokes to assess his health. Applying ink to paper is soulful; one leaves behind traces of oneself that way. As essay 1821 shows, Zen has influenced sumi-e (ink paintings). That essay examines calligraphy and sumi-e from all angles, as do the other essays to some degree, including the way to liquefy inksticks (a meditative practice), the red marks with which teachers correct calligraphy, the vermilion stamps that serve as calligraphers' signatures, and the significance of bold strokes versus diluted ones.

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38

The Artistic Mindset

彩匠彫緻

This bundle is a masterclass in the artistic mindset. Essay 1290 celebrates vibrant colors, whether for painting with watercolors or oil or for designing spaces. Essay 1388 explores traditional craftsmanship, particularly highlighting the beauty of Japanese carpentry and the rigors of apprenticing for ages to master a skill. Essay 1590 covers several fields, from carving wood, making sculptures, and engraving metal to creating traditional tattoos that form a complete picture over much of the body. Essay 2065 extols the virtues of extreme detail, especially in doing elaborate drawings that bring dreamworlds to life with extraordinary realism.

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One of the best things about learning kanji is seeing how the Japanese take symbols for objects (from eyebrows to bubbles in this selection) and spin off rich idioms. We find plenty of that in these four bundles, as well as fanciful beliefs about how weather works. A fourth bundle presents intriguing connections between smells and behavior, as well as fascinating relationships among the kanji in that bundle.

31

Scents and Sensibility

香臭嗅匂

These four kanji are practically symbiotic. The verb 嗅ぐ takes 香り, 臭い, and 匂い as direct objects. Although people usually reserve 臭い for stenches and 匂い for fragrances, these words (both におい) can be interchangeable. Each could convey that something "smacks of" a quality. Whereas 臭い can mean that a man looks suspicious, as if he "smells of" a crime, 嗅 enables people to sniff out crimes! Three of the kanji have ties to religion, and with 香 as "incense," that connection is strong.

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32

Reading the Face

唇顎眉頰

From the eyebrows to the lips, we express emotions nonverbally by twitching parts of the face, blushing, or smiling. Learn how the Japanese use 眉 (eyebrow) in terms related to worry, melancholy, relief, and disapproval. Read about charming perceptions of facial structure; an eyebrow is an "eave" for the eye, and other parts are metaphorical girders, vehicles, and gates. Discover rich idioms, such as "scorched eyebrows" and "fox pups have white cheeks," and see how the Japanese associate certain facial parts with exhaustion, delicious food, ordering others around, travel expenses, and long-term financial considerations.

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33

The Inevitable Storm

嵐稲梅雷

Storms produce down-to-earth concerns about when the rain will begin, the damage to crops and buildings, and more. Such grounded thinking permeates these essays. But they also include wildly fanciful beliefs: lightning impregnates rice, thunder is a scolding from a god who might wield a hammer, and a chant or a charm affords protection from lightning. Weather inspires copious metaphors, such as "political storm," "tempest in a teapot," and "thunderous applause." There's also 花に嵐 (inevitable storm that blossoms have to face); literally, it knocks off blossoms, and figuratively it means that one is bound to encounter difficulties.

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34

A Taste of Transience

浮泡夢露

Buddhist views of impermanence once influenced words for "fragile life," words that include 浮. Later, a fear of death inspired living hedonistically in the "floating world"; related terms again feature 浮 (as "transient"). Because bubbles vanish without a trace, 泡 figures into words for "short-lived company" and "fringe candidate" (one who quickly disappears). Dreams (夢) slip away every day, and several words for "fleeting" combine 泡 and 夢. Similarly, dew evaporates, and one famous poem likens the poet's vanishing life to dew (露) and compares his world to a dream (夢).

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We are delighted to announce that we are increasing the number of AI credits included in all 2024 pricing plans! Prices are staying the same - you just get more value from Kanshudo!

Kanshudo monthly and annual subscriptions (with or without Joy o' Kanji essays) will now include 50 credits per month. AI monthly and annual subscriptions will now include 500 credits per month. The additional credits will be applied to your subscription automatically at the beginning of the month (if you are on an annual plan) or when your next payment is made (if you're on a monthly plan).

AI credits can be used for AI Sentence Correct - type or speak a Japanese sentence, and Kanshudo will correct any mistakes, supply alternatives with a similar meaning, and provide other commentary. Sentence Correct is a fantastic way to develop confidence in your Japanese, as well as to ensure important communications are error free. For more information read the blog post.

Additionally, AI credits can be applied to a series of new AI features we are working on. One of the first is a fantastic new way to learn Japanese grammar - we'll be saying more about this exciting new idea very soon.

If you run out of AI credits in a month, you can purchase more - we've now added the ability to purchase a block of 500 credits. Just go to the AI credits section in your account page - here's a direct link.

When multiple kanji represent a concept, how do you know which one to use at any given time? Two of these bundles showcase characters with similar meanings, illuminating not only the overlaps but also the key differences. A third bundle presents kanji with the "rain" radical (雨); the eye easily confuses them, though the meanings are distinct. The last bundle consists of body part kanji, again with a shared radical (月) but also with comparable cultural significance.

27

Central Parts

軸髄枢芯

All four kanji represent centers—with slight differences. An axis (軸) lies inside something (a planet, feather, or scroll), as does marrow (髄) and a core (髄 or 芯). Other objects (e.g., doors) revolve around pivots (枢). The body contains specialized brain centers, as well as an axis, marrow, and a core. More abstractly, an axis occupies the center of one's existence. Also, one feels things to the core, the essence of an activity (e.g., aikido) is vitally important, and 枢 helps symbolize the center of the economy, of power, and more.

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28

Pleasure and Leisure

悦暇娯愉

These four essays provide the key to happiness. With 暇 one has free time, whether a vacation, a leave of absence, or simply time to kill. Then 娯 provides destinations for having structured fun, including amusement parks, theaters, or venues for karaoke, pachinko, or horse races. With 愉 people relax into a carefree sense of fun and pleasure. And with 悦 one can experience joy and delight in a variety of things, including hospitality, a sense of progress, food, artistic masterpieces, a college acceptance, religious rapture, and sexual ecstasy.

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29

Droplets of Moisture

霜曇霧露

A book title mentioned in the 霧 essay collectively refers to clouds, rain, and fog by citing their common "rain" radical. That unites the kanji in this bundle, as well. All four essays explore the realities of damp weather, as when fog grounds planes, frost damages crops, and people seek shelter from the elements. Because of such challenges, these characters make great metaphors. The Japanese associate 霜 with hardship; 曇 with life's ups and downs, as well as gloomy feelings; 霧 with mental fog; and 露 with transience. Because 露 symbolizes vanishing realities, that kanji in particular has inspired poetry.

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30

Limbs and Joints

肩肢膝肘

Characters for body parts often feature 月 radicals. That's true here, but these four kanji have much more in common. First, limbs and joints are prone to soreness, injury, and disability, requiring various healing modalities. Second, the shoulders, elbows, and knees can show how we're relating to other people; the Japanese associate these body parts with lending support, sitting close for an intimate talk, and reining in someone's behavior. Those body parts also play roles in martial arts and sumo. Finally, one's stance can express seriousness, tension, pride, shame, discouragement, respect, remorse, or a lack of reservedness.

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We hope you are all enjoying our latest AI feature, AI Sentence Correct! We have some enhancements for Sentence Correct coming soon, as well as another exciting new AI feature.

In the meantime, we've been steadily adding Topic Lessons, with 14 new lessons covering a range of ability levels, and including new games, quizzes, reading and listening material:

Numbers 1 to 100

BEGINNER

Question Words - 1

BEGINNER

Time and Schedules

BEGINNER

Musical Instruments -

がっき

楽器

UPPER BEGINNER

The Weather - Small Talk 1

UPPER BEGINNER

Transportation

UPPER BEGINNER

‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ – Differentiating between the Different Words

INTERMEDIATE

End-of-Year Customs -

ねんまつ

年末

ねんし

年始

の

しゅうかん

習慣

INTERMEDIATE

How to Use Local Buses in Japan

INTERMEDIATE

Small Talk

INTERMEDIATE

あし - (A Fable)

INTERMEDIATE

New Year's Eve Soba -

としこ

年越

しそば

UPPER INTERMEDIATE

New Year's Eve -

おおみそか

大晦日

UPPER INTERMEDIATE

The Glow of Fireflies -

ほたる

蛍

の

ひかり

光

UPPER INTERMEDIATE

Thematic Bundles help you see differently! See the world from mountaintops! See time sliced up in unexpected ways! See through the soft haze of alcohol! See pottery in a whole new way! And see how to hang in there when life requires great tenacity. Learn the joy of wandering on a whim and the satisfaction of crossing rivers when you come to them. Find out how to move at different speeds. Most of all, see how characters connect in ways that you might otherwise miss.

19

Lofty Views

岳峠峰麓

Sometimes a mountain isn't just a mountain. See how the Japanese associate certain parts with the peak of a crisis or with a risky situation that leaves no room for error. Find out how most of the population reveres mountains as sacred and how they act on these beliefs. Discover a legendary rivalry between two great mountains, one that proved transformative for both. Learn how particular perceptions of mountains have inspired famous artwork. And see how, to the Japanese, the foot of a mountain appears to be the hem of its "skirt"!

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20

Concepts of Time

旬昔暦頃

The sun, moon, and seasons are natural clocks, but time is also a construct. As this bundle shows, the Japanese divide time into units of 10 (days, months, or years), also perceiving 72 microseasons. Japan has observed lunar, solar, and other calendars, plus 60-year cycles and multiple era systems. For all this precision, people approximate time with "the good old days," "once upon a time," or "around the time." They also have a particular take on time when saying that a food is in season, "at your age," and "It's a great time" for a certain activity.

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21

Do or Die

執遂徹粘

Tenacity binds these essays together, sometimes as the secondary sense of characters. The literal stickiness of 粘 (e.g., natto, clay, and snail mucus!) inspired the figurative meaning "tenacity," as in "stick-to-it-ness." Mainly, 執 involves performing tasks (often by wielding long, thin objects such as pens or batons), but as "tenacity" this kanji drives words about persistence, obsession, and grudges. The whole bundle showcases adherence to beliefs and goals, doing things thoroughly, and seeing things through (e.g., athletes who accomplish greatness). These essays also depict the dark side of such devotion—namely, obstinacy, self-centeredness, discord, monomania, ill health, and more.

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22

Booze 101

酵醸酔酎

The 酔 essay examines intoxication from every angle, including great Osaka bars, studies of drunkards, tipsy cats and wasted elephants, and hangover prevention. The other three essays detail the processes of making saké, shochu, and beer, exploring all of the following (and much more): the ingredients in alcohol, the intricacies of fermentation, modes of distilling and brewing, malt, an old method of making saké by chewing rice and spitting it out, saké as a living entity, the image problem saké once had in Japan, alcoholic offerings to gods, the health benefits of shochu, and using alcohol to make food.

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23

Rate of Change

徐漸頓勃

This bundle presents life at a range of speeds. Two essays focus on gradual change—for better and for worse—in everything from health to the economy. By contrast, three essays touch on sudden developments, including the outbreak of war, a surge of energy, the rapid rise of subcultures, getting an erection, standing up abruptly, bursts of wit, quick enlightenment, and sudden death. Tying these extremes together, 頓 runs the gamut; when it means "to stay in place" or "stop," this kanji involves setbacks and stalemates, but as "sudden" it pops up in words for wild, crazy behavior.

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24

Pottery Is Paramount

皿陶鉢丼

In Japanese cuisine, beautiful presentations are paramount, beginning with the pottery. Essay 1650 explains the philosophy of such aesthetics, including the Zen idea that the transformation of clay into teacups is a religion itself. The other three essays provide vocabulary that distinguishes between vessels (dishes, bowls, and cups) of different sizes and depths. Those essays explore the terms donburi, hibachi (not what you might think!), suribachi, and hachimaki. Moreover, those sources show how, from a kanji perspective, the crowns of our heads are upside-down pots or flat dishes, also explaining how one might eat a "big serving of the head"!

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25

Following Whims

随漂浮浪

All who wander are not lost, at least not with this collection of kanji. They largely represent the happiest forms of aimless wandering, hedonism, freedom from worldly concerns, and wanderlust. Yes, this can veer off into extramarital affairs, restlessness, vagrancy, and unemployment. One kanji figures into a term for "failed college applicant." But another relates to essay writing as "following the pen" wherever it wishes. And two essays in this bundle touch on the Sanka, Japan's homegrown nomads and original hippies. Let freedom ring!

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26

Crossing Waterways

越沖渡遡

A waterway poses challenges to travelers, but such obstacles are surmountable, as all these kanji demonstrate. Both 越 and 渡involve crossing rivers via bridges or boats, and 越 is in a town name that actually means "crossing the river." As 沖 often pertains to fishing some distance from the shore, crossing that water reaps benefits. With 遡 one goes upstream, either along the shore on foot or in the river itself if one is a salmon looking to spawn. The carp, which famously swims upstream, symbolizes courage, spirit, and achievement for conquering the challenges of a waterway.

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Thematic Bundles are available for purchase at the discounted price of $8. (Four essays would normally cost $12.) You can also access bundles with essay credits, which are allocated as part of joint Kanshudo + Joy o' Kanji subscriptions.

Joy o' Kanji essays are a great way to deepen your insight into specific kanji, and bundles will introduce you to new connections and more profound meanings. Try a Thematic Bundle today!

We are very excited to announce the latest complement to Kanshudo's AI features: AI Sentence Correct! AI Sentence Correct is your personal Japanese language coach.

Type a Japanese sentence (in kana or kanji form), or click the Speak button and speak the sentence out loud. Kanshudo will analyze your sentence and determine whether it is natural Japanese, and will identify and correct any grammar, kanji or vocabulary mistakes. Additionally, Kanshudo will supply one or two alternative natural Japanese ways to phrase the sentence with equivalent meaning, and provide links to useful grammar points and dictionary entries for the words used.

The ability to get direct feedback on sentences you create yourself, learn from your mistakes (or gain confidence through knowing that there are none!), is a hugely important part of the language learning journey.

With Kanshudo's AI Sentence Correct you can:

Feel confident in your Japanese emails and social media posts
Prepare for job interviews with confidence
Keep a Japanese journal
Practice thinking in Japanese whenever you have a spare moment

Accessing Sentence Correct

AI Sentence Correct can be accessed from the STUDY menu, or from the GRAMMAR section of the site index at the foot of every page. As with most features on Kanshudo, you can also find it using search - just click the search icon at the top right of any page and search for 'correct' (or something similar). As with all Kanshudo features, if you forget where it is, just use Quick Search.

AI Credits and pricing

Along with AI Sentence Correct, we are also introducing a new system of credits for AI functions. AI credits can be used for any of the new AI functions we have planned, starting with Sentence Correct. All existing Pro subscriptions as of today now include 20 AI credits each month, enabling you to use Sentence Correct several times as part of your existing subscription.

Later in April, we will be introducing new pricing for all Pro subscriptions, and you will be able to subscribe to a new Pro + AI subscription plan, which will give you 60 credits per month. And, if you find yourself wanting to use Sentence Correct even more extensively, you will also be able to buy additional credits directly.

Lock in current Kanshudo pricing and 20 AI Credits per month: Go Pro!

Kanshudo's policy is to grandfather existing subscription pricing - in other words, if you subscribe today, you will lock in both current pricing for Pro access and current AI subscription credits. This means that you can lock in 20 AI credits per month today as part of existing prices. Once we switch to new pricing, a basic Pro plan will be more expensive, and AI credits will be additional - so this is an amazing opportunity. If you are not yet a Kanshudo Pro, why not go Pro today?

Here's a summary of AI credits under current and new pricing:

AI Credits	Current	New Pricing
Registered	2	2
Pro	20	4
Pro + AI	-	60

If you are not yet a Pro, now is the time to take advantage of this pricing!

Lock in current Kanshudo pricing and 20 AI Credits per month: Go Pro!

We've bundled 16 more Joy o' Kanji essays to show you the connections between kanji. Bundles 15 and 16 largely focus on water. The first collection presents the pleasures of bathing outdoors, the history of bathhouses, and the nuts and bolts of bathtub terms. Bundle 16 looks at the relationship between mounded-up earth (e.g., embankments and ridges in fields) and the water below (e.g., moats and flooded rice fields). Bundles 17 and 18 focus on intricate systems. The former introduces the way people have conceptually divided the hours in a day. The latter bundle examines hard-working animals that produce items that have boosted the Japanese economy.

15

In Hot Water

栓槽岡呂

Bathing in Japan could mean communing with nature, following rigid procedures in a bathhouse, or soaking in water that other relatives have used. These essays cover all situations. They introduce practical terms for "bathtub," "turning on a faucet," and "overflowing." You'll learn where people bathed before owning bathtubs. You'll see how, in bathhouses, smaller, raised pools and larger pools below floor level respectively represent land and sea. You'll learn which "bathtub" term the Japanese associate with empty basins versus full pools at hot springs. And you'll discover how bathing has connected to religion, family bonds, prostitution, and a famous thief.

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16

Corduroy Landforms

畝堤畔堀

The Japanese have long corrugated the earth, mounding and trenching it with grand plans. Embankments (堤) rise above rivers to prevent floods. Dug-out moats (堀), whether empty or full, contrast with higher bordering land for castle defense. An agricultural field features ridges (畝) and furrows, with plants in raised areas, irrigation in "valleys." A footpath is just high enough above a flooded rice field (畔) that 畔 also represents "causeway, a raised road across low or wet ground." See how the Japanese have gone to great lengths to create "corduroy" landforms.

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17

Windows of Time

午更宵旦

Rock around the clock with these four kanji. They might seem to represent mere points in a 24-hour stretch. But as 午 appears in terms for "morning" and "afternoon," it applies to a large chunk of the day. Then 宵 takes over, generally meaning "early evening" but also sometimes "evening." We find 更 in terms for the ancient Chinese system of night watches that ran from about 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Night ends with dawn (旦). These multipurpose kanji also symbolize parts of the year, from New Year's (旦) to late autumn (更).

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18

Intricate Systems

繭桑巣蜂

These essays detail complex, interdependent systems, both natural and economic. Sericulture was once so essential to Japan's economy that mulberry (桑) fields are marked on maps, as silkworms eat only mulberry leaves. These animals laboriously spin cocoons (繭), producing filaments that become silk kimonos after many financial transactions. Similarly, Japanese apiarists oversee busy bees (蜂) that make not only hives and honeycomb but also honey to be sold and consumed in multiple ways. Animals build intricate nests and webs (both 巣) that inspire terrific Japanese figurative language. People even eat some nests!

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Thematic Bundles are available for purchase at the discounted price of $8. (Four essays would normally cost $12.) You can also access bundles with essay credits, which are allocated as part of joint Kanshudo + Joy o' Kanji subscriptions.

Joy o' Kanji essays are a great way to deepen your insight into specific kanji, and bundles will introduce you to new connections and more profound meanings. Try a Thematic Bundle today!

We recently introduced Thematic Bundles, which enable you to make connections that you might otherwise miss among groups of Joy o' Kanji essays. We're back with a new bundle o' bundles! By reading Bundles 11 through 14, you can engage deeply with the natural world, from fruit trees and flowers to the hills of Japan, as well as with delicious foods from the fields and seas.

11

Flower Power

菊丹梗藤

In this bouquet of essays, flowers represent far more than beauty. Those showcased here (including the Chinese bellflower of the 梗 essay and the tree peony of the 丹 essay) symbolize everything from the emperor, nobility, and wealth to honor, love, and feminine beauty. The Japanese also associate some of these flowers with hardiness or with grief. People celebrate them in family crests, at festivals, with dolls, and in a range of artistic creations. Supposedly, the flowers even confer health benefits—curing headaches, cooling and invigorating the blood, and removing phlegm.

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12

Favorite Foods

芋寿麺拉

Sushi comes in infinite varieties (as the 寿 essay shows). Noodles can take many forms and be made from a multitude of flours (as the 麺 and 拉 essays demonstrate). Sweet potatoes differ by region (as the 芋 essay makes clear). In Japan these favorite foods inspire not only cravings but also deep passion, nostalgia, arguments over origin stories, and hairsplitting about the preparation methods particular to certain locales. People also have strong beliefs about these dishes, eating certain noodles for longevity, treating sweet potatoes as guilty pleasures, and regarding uncut sushi as lucky.

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13

Fruit Basket

桑桃梅柿

This "fruit basket" has caused creative juices to flow in Japan. The trees and fruits connect to colors, haiku, proverbs, myths, folktales, and wordplay. People associate peaches with Shangri-la and instability, Japanese apricots with happiness, and persimmons with Mount Fuji and writing brushes. The Japanese fully use certain trees—the wood in furniture, the leaves in tea (and even in sushi!), and fruit, roots, and bark in dye, paper, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The juice goes into drinks, alcoholic or tame. And the Japanese and ancient Chinese have viewed these fruits and their trees as warding off misfortune!

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14

Ups and Downs

凹丘凸岡

This essay collection about hilly topography focuses in part on the physical world: bumpy surfaces, volcanic cones, lens curvature, embossed paper, and especially flat abs! But such topics are also rich in figurative possibilities. One essay first examines objects that stand apart from the rest, then demonstrates how being separated from the main action affords a clear vantage point. That essay also touches on unrequited love. Another illuminates how it feels to be overwhelmed and slightly depressed. A third addresses the ups and downs of life. Uneven ground proves to be fertile!

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Thematic Bundles are available for purchase at the discounted price of $8. (Four essays would normally cost $12.) You can also access bundles with essay credits, which are allocated as part of joint Kanshudo + Joy o' Kanji subscriptions.

Joy o' Kanji essays are a great way to deepen your insight into specific kanji, and bundles will introduce you to new connections and more profound meanings. Try a Thematic Bundle today!

It's holiday season, and time to celebrate with a fantastic bargain: 50% off one year of Kanshudo Pro access!

2023 has been an exciting year for Kanshudo: we've added lots of new content to some of our core programs, including 20 Topic Lessons, 38 Joy o' Kanji Essays, 24 articles in the Grammar Library, and nearly 1000 example sentences. We've also added two very exciting new features - AI Sentence Correct which provides specific feedback and improvement suggestions for Japanese sentences you enter, and Thematic Bundles, which are linked sets of four in-depth kanji essays.

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

Set yourself up for Japanese success in 2024. Kanshudo is the most effective way to learn Japanese:

Kanshudo's AI tutor - custom learning programs for everyone, from beginners to experts
Automatic spaced repetition flashcards - quickly and easily create flashcards for kanji, words, grammar, and example sentences
Graded lessons (Beginner Lessons and Intermediate Lessons) as well as Topic Lessons (each focused on a specific topic). Check out our updated Christmas lesson to put you in a festive mood and learn how Christmas is celebrated in Japan.
Comprehensive kanji, word, name, and Japanese grammar dictionaries (accessible all together in Quick Search)
Optional access to over 500 in-depth kanji essays from our partner Joy o' Kanji

Kanshudo will help you master kanji, hiragana, and katakana, along with Japanese grammar and vocabulary, as fast, effectively, and enjoyably as possible! Kanshudo is used by over 170,000 Japanese learners, with proven results. Act now and get Pro access for less than 10 cents per day!

Take advantage of this very special holiday offer now: Give me 50% off!

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