Most useful words for each reading of every Jōyō kanji

Kanji Usefulness Level 1 all Level-Appropriate Vocab

This collection contains 123 words.
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1
noun
(human) life (i.e. conception to death)
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2
noun
1. one person  (esp. 一人)
2. alone; unmarried; solitary  (esp. 独り; this meaning is restricted to reading ひとり)
(click the word to view an additional 1 reading and 4 forms, useful expressions, examples and links)
0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun, 'no' adjective
1. together  (see also: 御一緒)
2. at the same time
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2
numeric, prefix
1. one  (see also: ワン; 1 can also be read ワン. 壱, 弌 and 壹 are used in legal documents)
2. best
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1
noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
1. today; this day
2. these days; recently; nowadays  (this meaning is restricted to reading こんにち)
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0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
1. day; days  (this meaning is restricted to form 日)
2. sun; sunshine; sunlight
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1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
every day
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0
noun
diary; journal
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2
noun
Japan
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0
noun
1. post-secondary education institution, incl. university, college, etc.  (see also: 総合大学)
2. former central university of Kyoto (established under the ritsuryo system for the training of government administrators)  (see also: 大学寮, 国学; abbreviation)
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1
convention; tournament; mass meeting; rally
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0
noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
every year; yearly; annually
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0
years (period of)
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1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
this year
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1
'su' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to take out; to get out
2. to put out; to reveal; to show
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0
person's origin (e.g. city, country, parentage, school)
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1
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
1. to leave; to exit; to go out; to come out; to get out  (opposite: 入る)
2. to leave (on a journey); to depart; to start out; to set out
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1
noun
middle school; junior high school  (see also: 中学校; abbreviation)
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3
expression, noun
boy; male child; baby boy
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1
noun
youth; young man
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0
noun
1. son
2. penis  (vulgar expression or word; this meaning is restricted to reading むすこ)
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1
opinion; view; comment
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1
ichidan verb, transitive verb
1. to see; to look; to watch; to view; to observe
2. to look over; to look on; to assess; to examine; to judge  (see also: 診る)
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1
noun
state; country; nation
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0
foreign country
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0
noun
1. country; state
2. region
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1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
1. not less than; ... and more; ... and upwards  (see also: )
2. beyond ... (e.g. one's means); further (e.g. nothing further to say); more than ... (e.g. cannot pay more than that)
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0
'ru' godan verb, intransitive verb
1. to rise; to go up; to come up; to ascend; to be raised  (opposite: 下がる)
2. to enter (esp. from outdoors); to come in; to go in
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0 3
Most common form: だいぶ
considerably; greatly; a lot  (often written with kana only)
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3 0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun
half
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2
Most common form: わかる
'ru' godan verb, intransitive verb
1. to understand; to comprehend; to grasp; to see; to get; to follow  (often written with kana only)
2. to become clear; to be known; to be discovered; to be realized; to be realised; to be found out  (often written with kana only)
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2
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
1. to live; to exist
2. to make a living; to subsist
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0
travel; trip
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0
irregular godan verb 'iku/yuku', intransitive verb
1. to go; to move (in a direction or towards a specific location); to head (towards); to be transported (towards); to reach  (see also: 来る)
2. to proceed; to take place  (see also: 旨く行く; い sometimes omitted in auxiliary use)
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3 0
noun
two persons; two people; pair; couple
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1
numeric
two  (ふ and ふう used mainly when counting aloud. 弐, 貳 and 貮 are used in legal documents.)
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3
numeric
two
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3
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
daytime; during the day; time from sunrise until sunset; diurnal period
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0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun
1. time
2. hours (period of)
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0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun
1. space (between); gap; interval; distance
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
2. time (between); pause; break
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2
noun
1. time; hour; moment  (刻 signifies a time of day, 秋 signifies an important time)
noun, adverb
2. occasion; case  (this meaning is restricted to form 時)
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0
noun
watch; clock; timepiece
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1
noun
1. electricity
2. (electric) light
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1
numeric
ten  (拾 is used in legal documents)
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1
pronoun
1. she; her
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3
expression, noun
1. girl; daughter
2. young woman
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0
Most common form: さん
numeric
1. three  (参 is used in legal documents)
prefix
2. tri-
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3
numeric
three
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1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
morning; a.m.
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0
noun
1. name; full name  (see also: 名字, )
2. given name; first name
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0
entry to school or university; matriculation; enrolment (in university, etc.)
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0
novel; (short) story
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1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
afternoon; p.m.
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1
Most common form: あと
1. behind; rear  (see also: 後ずさり)
2. after; later  (see also: その後)
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1 3
noun
eldest son (may be the only son); first-born son
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2
1. long (distance)  (this meaning is restricted to form 長い)
2. long (time); lengthy
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1
noun
1. not exceeding; and downward; ... and below
2. below (e.g. standard); under (e.g. a level)
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0
noun, noun (suffix)
1. down-train (going away from Tokyo)
2. down-slope; downward going
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0 2
to study (in depth); to learn; to take lessons in
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0
noun
school
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0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun
every month; each month; monthly
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0
Most common form: こんげつ
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
this month
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1
1. what
prefix
2. how many  (see also: 何か月; followed by a counter; this meaning is restricted to reading なん)
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0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
next year
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1
Most common form: くる
irregular verb くる, intransitive verb
1. to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to arrive
irregular verb くる, intransitive verb, auxiliary verb
2. to come back; to do ... and come back  (see also: 行って来る)
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0
1. telephone call; phone call
2. telephone (device); phone  (see also: 電話機; abbreviation)
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3
Most common form: 話し
noun
1. talk; speech; chat; story; conversation
2. discussions; negotiation; argument
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2
'su' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to talk; to speak; to converse; to chat
2. to tell; to explain; to narrate; to mention; to describe; to discuss
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2
noun, counter
1. mountain; hill
2. mine (e.g. coal mine)
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0
noun
senior high school; high school  (see also: 高等学校; abbreviation)
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2
1. high; tall  (opposite: 低い; this meaning is restricted to form 高い)
2. expensive
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0 1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
from now on; hereafter
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1
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun
now; the present time; just now; soon; immediately; (one) more
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1
reading
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1
'ku' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to write; to compose; to pen
2. to draw; to paint  (see also: 描く)
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2
numeric
five
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1
Most common form:
numeric
five  (伍 is used in legal documents)
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0
noun
2. fame
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0
noun
money  (see also: ; polite (teineigo) language)
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1
noun
fee; charge; fare
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0
'su' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to unfasten; to undo
2. to remove; to take off; to deinstall
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3
numeric
four
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1
numeric
four  (肆 is used in legal documents)
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3
noun
1. teacher; master; doctor  (honorific)
suffix
2. with names of teachers, etc. as an honorific  (honorific)
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2
Most common form: かわ
noun
1. river; stream  (this meaning is restricted to reading かわ)
suffix
2. the .... river; (suffix used with the names of rivers)  (usually read がわ)
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0
noun
east
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0
newspaper
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0
'ku' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to hear
2. to listen (e.g. to music)  (usu. 聴く)
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0
'ru' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to talk about; to speak of; to tell; to narrate
2. to recite; to chant
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0
English (language)
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3
tale; story; legend
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1 0
Most common form:
numeric
nine  (玖 is used in legal documents)
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2
ichidan verb, transitive verb
1. to eat
2. to live on (e.g. a salary); to live off; to subsist on
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0
noun
1. meal
2. to eat
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2
Most common form:
numeric
eight  (捌 is used in legal documents)
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1
noun
1. weather; the elements  (see also: お天気, 気象)
2. fair weather; fine weather
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1
noun
1. tree; shrub; bush
2. wood; timber
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2
numeric
six  (陸 is used in legal documents)
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2
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2
numeric
seven
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2
numeric
1. seven  (漆 is used in legal documents)
prefix
2. hepta-
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0
noun
train; electric train
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0
Most common form: ちちおや
noun
father
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1
1. grandfather
2. old man  (see also: ; this meaning is restricted to reading おおじ)
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0 2
Most common form: きた
noun
1. north
2. the North; northern territories
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0
Most common form: くるま
noun
1. car; automobile; vehicle
2. wheel
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0
Most common form: ははおや
mother
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3 2 0
adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun, noun (suffix)
middle; half; semi; halfway; partly
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2
numeric
100; hundred  (陌 and 佰 are used in legal documents)
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2
noun
1. earth; soil; dirt; clay; mud
2. the earth (historically, esp. as opposed to the heavens); the ground; the land
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1
noun
1. plot of land; lot; soil
2. locality; region; place
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0
noun
west
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1
'mu' godan verb, transitive verb
1. to read
2. to count  (see also: さばを読む; now mostly used in idioms)
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1
Most common form: せん
numeric
1,000; thousand  (阡 and 仟 are used in legal documents)
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1
1. left and right
2. influence; control; domination
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0
noun
1. right; right hand side
2. afore-mentioned (esp. in vertical Japanese writing); foregoing; forgoing; above  (see also: 右に同じ)
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0
noun
south
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0
left; left hand side
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0
noun
friend; companion
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0
noun
friend  (see also: 友達; more formal than 友達)
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1
noun, noun (suffix)
fire; flame; blaze
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1
noun
rain
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3
noun
1. rest; recess; respite
2. vacation; holiday; absence; suspension
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