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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.



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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:
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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.
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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
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Point of interest: ごえん: 五円 and 御縁

POI
ごえん: 五円 and 御縁 - luck, money and love!
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With the advent of electronic money, and the steady impact of inflation, the
ごえんだま
五円玉
 (five yen coin) may have a finite shelf life, but for the last few decades it has been ubiquitous. One of the reasons is that, in addition to representing the smallest useful sum of money, the five yen coin carries additional significance, as a result of the different kanji that can be used to represent the sounds 'go' and 'en'.
When referring to money, we use the word,
ごえん
五円
 (five yen). However, ごえん is also the reading of the word 御縁, which means 'fortune' or 'luck' (it is also common to see this as ご縁). As a result, when visiting a temple to make an お
さいせん
賽銭
 (offering), it is very common to use a five yen coin, accompanied with the words ご縁がありますように(wishing for luck).
The kanji 縁 means 'affinity', and it is often used in the context of relationships. So the word ご縁 also carries a slightly different meaning - the idea of a relationship with someone. As a result, giving someone a five yen coin is a neat way of saying ご縁がありますように to that person - meaning 'wishing for a good relationship'.

Kanji used in this point of interest

五
ゴ   いつ-    いつつ five   
円
エン    circle, yen   まるい round   
玉
ギョク   たま jewel   
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御
ゴ   ギョ   honorific prefix   おん-    
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縁
エン   affinity; edge   ふち edge, hem, brim   
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賽
サイ   dice; temple visit
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銭
セン   ぜに money, coins   
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