Kanshudo Component Builder
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Draw a component:
Type a component or its name:
 
Choose from a list:
Change component list
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By default the Component Builder shows the most common Joyo kanji components (ie, components which are themselves Joyo kanji, or which are used in at least 3 other Joyo kanji). Select an alternative set of components below.



For details of all components and their English names, see the Component collections.
Kanshudo Component Builder Help
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For detailed instructions, see the Component builder how to guide.
To find any kanji, first try to identify the components it is made up of. Once you have identified any component, search for it in any of three ways:
  1. Draw it in the drawing area
  2. Type the name in the text area
  3. Look for it in the list
Example: look up 漢
  • Notice that 漢 is made of several components: 氵 艹 口 夫
  • Draw any of these components (one at a time) in the drawing area, and select it when you see it
  • Alternatively, look for a component in the list. 氵 艹 口 each have three strokes; 夫 has four strokes
  • If you know the meanings of the components, type any of them in the text area: water (氵), grass (艹), mouth (口) or husband (夫)
  • Keep adding components until you can see your kanji in the list of matches that appears near the top.
Kanshudo Component Builder Drawing Help
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The Kanshudo Component Builder can recognize any of the 416 components listed in the chart below the drawing area. Tips:
  • Draw a component in the center of the area, as large as you can
  • Try to draw the component as it appears in the kanji you're looking up
  • Don't worry about stroke order or number of strokes
  • Don't draw more than one component at a time
Not finding your component?
If you believe you've drawn your component correctly but the system is not recognizing it, please:
Let us know!

The Joy o' Kanji Essays

Welcome to Joy o’ Kanji, which will enable you to discover the joy of kanji! Below you’ll find introductions to detailed essays covering every aspect of each Jōyō kanji. With a wealth of sample sentences and images containing the character in question, the essays give you the real-world experience you need so you can master kanji. You can download the essays in PDF form. After reading them, you can play games and use flashcards to work with the vocabulary and sentences from the essay.
Essays are available as an optional addition to a Kanshudo Pro subscription. You can also purchase them individually by clicking the download link, or purchase essay credits that can be used for any essay.
If a Joy o' Kanji essay is available for a kanji, you will see this badge next to it in search results.
You can also find all kanji with essays available using the special search keyword jokessay:true, and if you know the Joy o' Kanji ID (the number under the kanji in the display below), you can use the special keyword jok:1009.
These essays come from our partner,
Joy o' Kanji
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憶
memory
JOK: 1039
Our unreliable memories play fascinating tricks on us. See how the Japanese talk about such matters, from having mistaken memories to keeping things in mind. Learn a surprising way to improve your memory. And see how to say all of this: "A flood of memories is coursing through my head," "The older we get, the weaker our memory becomes," and "I wish I had a better memory."
虞
concern
JOK: 1040
With 虞 one can convey anxiety about everything from storms to infections to failure. That may make this kanji sound forbidding, but it often involves preventive measures. See how 虞 differs from sound-alikes. Learn about a gorgeous tourist destination with 虞 in its name. Also find out how 虞 relates to crimes not yet committed, a beautiful woman, and quite indirectly to blowfish!
乙
second
JOK: 1041
A kanji with a dizzying array of meanings, 乙 enables you to sequence items or rank them by quality. It also has definitions related to music, inventive tastes, young women, wit, astrology, and proofreading! This kanji cuts a fine form with its distinctive one-stroke swoosh, which is apt, as it can mean 'stylish.' On top of that, the 'fishhook' radical 乙 appears in several Joyo kanji.
菓
candy
JOK: 1047
Japan produces desserts from the world over, but its traditional confections offer the most surprises. Find out how a Japanese "sweet" may not be sweet at all and how even a fried vegetable could qualify! Also learn about the connection between 菓 and the tea ceremony, a recurring confection fair in Japan, gift cakes and gift horses, and what gods in Japan like to eat and drink.
靴
shoes
JOK: 1052
How did Japan come to make shoes from straw and wood? Why is the "leather" radical all but useless in 靴? How can you say "break in shoes," "tie shoelaces," and "wear two hats (actually shoes!)" in Japanese? How can "red shoes" not be shoes, and who in Japan famously wore red shoes? How have Japanese shoes indicated status? Find out all of these answers and much more!
箇
item
JOK: 1054
Have you been confused about -箇 versus -個 as a counter? If so, you're not alone. This problem has existed for millennia! To complicate matters further, the Japanese generally replace -箇 with -か, -カ, -ヵ, -ケ, or -ヶ. And one doesn't even pronounce -ケ as け! This essay sorts out all such muddles and puts 箇 "in its place," showing how to use it to mean "place" and how to count places.
皆
everyone
JOK: 1064
Find out about a kanji that invites you to make sweeping statements. Rich in sample sentences, this essay teaches you to say, "They were all confused," "Our professor paid for us all," "I don't like any of them," "How's everyone at the Hong Kong office?" and "May I please have your attention." See how 皆 connects to Buddhist thought, fabric dyeing, health insurance, and eclipses.
塊
clod
JOK: 1065
If you're a 'lump' of something in Japanese, you have too much of one quality, as if you were actually made of that thing. When lobbing such criticism, people combine 塊 with abstract nouns. For instance, "利己心の塊 (りこしんのかたまり: lump of selfishness)" means that someone is the very incarnation of selfishness. Learn about lumps, from the literal to the metaphorical. Also find out how to talk about clusters in space and time.
涯
shore
JOK: 1069
Do you consider the horizon to be far away or close to you? It seems that English and Japanese have opposite takes on this issue. Find out about that in this investigation of 涯, which means "horizon." It also means 'outer limits,' so this character gives a sense of the lines that circumscribe one's world. For instance, if it's your lot in life to be stuck living near dreadful relatives, you can convey that with 涯 (well, actually, with 境涯).
概
approximate
JOK: 1072
People caution against generalizing, but to hell with that! The kanji 概 invites us to speak in generalities. Learn to say "in general," "on the whole," and "as a rule." Find out how to make approximations and rough estimates. And get the big picture with terms for all types of overviews, including summaries of film plots, introductory courses, and concluding remarks at lectures.
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