nihongo den: September 2008

漢字： Kanji by Shape ELDER BROTHER

Group ELDER BROTHER (2 kinds)

兄悦説鋭税

Story:
My evil-"hearted" ELDER BROTHER is very ECSTATIC about his THEORY that he "told" me while ago. THAT, a "gold" SHARP KNIFE is good for cutting "TAX"-free "cereal crop".

兄祝克況

Story:
My 2nd ELDER BROTHER (the good one) always "shows" up during family CELEBRATION. Not only that, during family's difficult "SITUATION, he is always the one who carry the "cross" and OVERCOMES the problem.

漢字： Kanji by Shape FATHER

Group FATHER

父　交　効　郊

Story:
My politician FATHER (who likes wearing "hat") likes to MINGLE with other people as he sees it BENEFICIAL to get political "power" in the SUBURBAN AREA.

漢字： Kanji by Shape MOTHER

Group MOTHER

母　毎　侮　悔　海

Story:
Beware of my MOTHER! EVERY "person" who INSULTED her has "whole-heartedly" REGRETTED doing it because it's like facing SEA of troubles.

漢字： Kanji by Shape BEGINNING

Group BEGINNING:

元　完　院

Story:
This is the BEGINNING of the END of "B" INSTITUTION.

漢字： Kanji by Shape EVENING

Group EVENING:

夕　多　移

Story:
This EVENING, there are MANY bats MOVING on that 2-branch tree.

漢字： Kanji by Shape MUST

Group MUST:

可　司　同　洞

Story:
What the government MUST DO is to ADMINISTER the preservation of the IDENTICAL CAVES near the open waters.

漢字： Kanji by Shape DOOR

Group DOOR:

戸　戻　涙

Story:
Standing on the big DOOR is the lost child who just RETURNED to his home and bursting into TEARS.

漢字： Kanji by Shape KING

Group KING:

王主住往

Story:
The KING who is the CHIEF of state where I DWELL is BOUND FOR
Thailand (to meet another king).

王
王 [おう] (n,n-suf) [1] king; ruler; sovereign; monarch.
王位 [おうい] (n) the throne; the crown.
王座 [おうざ] (n) throne.
王子 [おうじ] (n) prince.
王妃 [おうひ] (n) queen.
王者 [おうじゃ] (n) king; monarch; ruler.
王女 [おうじょ] (n) princess.
王宮 [おうきゅう] (n) royal palace.
法王 [ほうおう] (n) Pope.

主
主 [おも] (adj-na,n) chief; main; principal; important.
主 [しゅ] (n,adj-no) (one's) master; (our) lord.
家主 [やぬし] (n) landlord.
主婦 [しゅふ] (n) housewife; mistress.
主管 [しゅかん] (n,vs) supervision; management; supervisor; manager.
主催 [しゅさい] (n,vs) organization; organisation; sponsorship.
主人 [しゅじん] (n) master; head (of a household); landlord; one's husband; employer; host.
主題 [しゅだい] (n) subject; theme; motif.
主任 [しゅにん] (n) person in charge; responsible official.
神主 [かんぬし] (n) (sens) Shinto priest.
店主 [てんしゅ] (n) shopkeeper.
盟主 [めいしゅ] (n) leader; leading power.
主食 [しゅしょく] (n) staple food.
主張 [しゅちょう] (n,vs) claim; request; insistence; assertion; advocacy.
民主的 [みんしゅてき] (adj-na) democratic.
民族主義 [みんぞくしゅぎ] (n) nationalism.

住
住む [すむ] (v5m,vi) to abide; to reside; to live in; to inhabit; to dwell.
住い [すまい] (n,vs) dwelling; house; residence; address.
移住 [いじゅう] (n,vs) migration; immigration.
永住 [えいじゅう] (n,vs) permanent residence
仮住 [かりずまい] (n,vs) temporary residence.
住僧 [じゅうそう] (n) chief priest (of a Buddhist temple).
住民 [じゅうみん] (n) citizens; inhabitants; residents; population.
住宅街 [じゅうたくがい] (n) residential area.

往
往き [ゆき] (n) [1] bound for.
往年 [おうねん] (n,adj-no) former; one-time; years ago.
往復 [おうふく] (n,vs) (col) round trip; coming and going; return ticket.
往来 [おうらい] (n,vs) coming and going; road; correspondence; street traffic; highway.
既往症 [きおうしょう] (n) medical history; anamnesis.

漢字： Kanji by Shape BOW

Group BOW:

弓　引　弔　弟

Story:
To shoot a BOW and arrow, you must learn how to PULL the
string. If not, you might end up going to the FUNERAL of
your YOUNGER BROTHER.

弓
弓 [ゆみ] (n) bow (and arrow).
弓矢 [ゆみや] (n) bow and arrow.
弓道 [きゅうどう] (n) (Japanese) archery.

引
引く [ひく] (v5k,vi,vt) [1] to pull. [2] to draw back. [3] to draw (a card). [4] to draw (plan, line, etc.). [5] to catch (cold). [6] to play (string instr.). [7] to look up (e.g., dictionary); to consult.
手引 [てびき] (n,vs) guidance; guide; introduction
値引き [ねびき] (n,vs) price reduction; discount.
引き下げ [ひきさげ] (n) reduction; cut.
引き継ぐ [ひきつぐ] (v5g,vt) to take over; to hand over.
引き出す [ひきだす] (v5s,vt) to pull out; to take out; to draw out; to withdraw.
引っ越す [ひっこす] (v5s,vi) to move (house); to change residence.
割引 [わりびき] (n,suf) discount; reduction; rebate; tenths discounted.
万引 [まんびき] (n,vs) shoplifting; shoplifter.
籤引 [くじびき] (n,vs) (uk) lottery; drawn lot.
手引書 [てびきしょ] (n) handbook; manual; guide.
東京証券取引所 [とうきょうしょうけんとりひきじょ] (n) Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).

弔
弔う [とむらう] (v5u,vt) to mourn for; to hold a memorial service for; to condole.
弔意 [ちょうい] (n,vs) condolence; sympathy; mourning.
弔辞 [ちょうじ] (n) message of condolence; memorial address.
慶弔 [けいちょう] (n) congratulations and condolences.

弟
弟 [おとうと] (n) (hum) younger brother.
子弟 [してい] (n) young(er) people.
師弟 [してい] (n) teacher and student.
従兄弟 [いとこ] (n) (uk) male cousin.
弟妹 [ていまい] (n) younger brother and sister
兄弟 [きょうだい] (n) (hum) siblings; brothers and sisters.

漢字： Kanji by Shape VALLEY, SAY, INSPECTION

Today, I tried to learn kanji by using the "kanji by shape" method.
I looked up in the Kanji List, chose kanji characters with the same shapes or radicals and then grouped them together. Here's the kanji character group I was able to come up with:

Group VALLEY:

谷　俗　浴　　

Story:
When you hike that VALLEY, it's a CUSTOM to take a BATHE on its spring first.

Examples:
谷
谷間 [たにま] (n) [1] valley; ravine;
谷底 [たにそこ] (n) bottom of valley or ravine.

俗
風俗 [ふうぞく] (n) [1] manners; customs. [2] sex service; sex industry.
民俗 [みんぞく] (n) folk customs; folkways; ethnic customs.
通俗的 [つうぞくてき] (adj-na) plain and popular.

浴
浴びる [あびる] (v1,vt) to bathe; to bask in the sun; to shower.
浴衣 [ゆかた] (n) bathrobe; informal summer kimono; yukata.
浴室 [よくしつ] (n) bathroom; bath.
日光浴 [にっこうよく] (n,vs) sunbathing.
海水浴場 [かいすいよくじょう] (n) swimming area (in the ocean); swimming beach; seawater baths.

Group SAY:

言　計　討

Story:
The soldiers SAY a PLAN of ATTACK.

Examples:
言
言う [いう] (v5u) to say.
言語 [げんご] (n) language.
言質 [げんち] (n) commitment; pledge or promise
言葉 [ことば] (n) word(s); language; speech.
無言 [むごん] (n) silence.
助言 [じょげん] (n,vs) advice; suggestion.
宣言 [せんげん] (n,vs) declaration; proclamation; announcement.
提言 [ていげん] (n,vs) proposal; motion.
伝言 [でんごん] (n,vs) verbal message; rumor; rumour; word.
発言 [はつげん] (n,vs) utterance; speech; proposal.
方言 [ほうげん] (n) dialect.
合言葉 [あいことば] (n) password; watchword.
証言 [しょうげん] (n,vs) evidence; testimony.
言い表す [いいあらわす] (v5s,vt) [1] to express (in words). [2] to confess.

計
計 [けい] (n,n-suf) [1] plan. [2] meter; measuring device. (pref) [3] (in) total; total (of).
家計 [かけい] (n) household economy; family finances.
計る [はかる] (v5r,vt) to measure; to weigh; to survey; to time (sound, gauge, estimate).
時計 [とけい] (n) watch; clock.
余計 [よけい] (adj-na,adv,n) too much; unnecessary;
会計 [かいけい] (n) account; finance; accountant; treasurer; paymaster; reckoning; bill.
計画 [けいかく] (n,vs) plan; project; schedule; scheme; program; programme.
計算 [けいさん] (n,vs) [1] calculation; reckoning; count. [2] forecast.
計測 [けいそく] (n,vs) measurement; measure; instrumentation.
合計 [ごうけい] (n,vs) sum total; total amount.
設計 [せっけい] (n,vs) plan; design.
計上 [けいじょう] (n,vs) appropriation; summing up.
計量 [けいりょう] (n,vs) measurement; computation.
寒暖計 [かんだんけい] (n) thermometer.
目覚まし時計 [めざましどけい] (n) alarm clock.
公認会計士 [こうにんかいけいし] (n) certified public accountant.

討
討つ [うつ] (v5t) [1] to shoot (at). [2] to attack; to defeat; to destroy; to avenge.
討議 [とうぎ] (n,vs) debate; discussion.
検討 [けんとう] (n,vs) consideration; examination; investigation; study; scrutiny; discussion.
討論 [とうろん] (n,vs) debate; discussion.

Group INSPECTION:

視　現　規

Story:
The company did the INSPECTION of their EXISTING STANDARD.

Examples:
視
監視 [かんし] (n,vs) observation; guarding; inspection; surveillance.
警視 [けいし] (n) police superintendent; metropolitan police.
検視 [けんし] (n,vs) autopsy; inquest; investigation of death.
視察 [しさつ] (n,vs) inspection; observation.
視点 [してん] (n) opinion; point of view; visual point.
凝視 [ぎょうし] (n,vs) stare; gaze; fixation.
視力 [しりょく] (n) eyesight.
重視 [じゅうし] (n,vs) importance; stress; serious consideration.
警視庁 [けいしちょう] (n) police headquarters.

現
現に [げんに] (adv) actually; really.
現場 [げんば] (n) actual spot; scene; scene of the crime.
現地 [げんち] (n) actual place; local.
現す [あらわす] (v5s,vt) to show; to indicate; to display.
現金 [げんきん] (adj-na,n) cash; ready money; mercenary; self-interested.
現在 [げんざい] (n-adv,n-t) now; current; present; present time.
現代 [げんだい] (adj-no,n-adv,n) nowadays; modern era; modern times; present-day.
実現 [じつげん] (n,vs) implementation (e.g., of a system).
現況 [げんきょう] (n) present condition.
表現 [ひょうげん] (n,vs) [1] expression;

規
規格 [きかく] (n) standard; norm.
規制 [きせい] (n,vs) regulation; (traffic) policing.
規則 [きそく] (n) rules; regulations; conventions.
規範 [きはん] (n) model; standard; pattern; norm; criterion; example.
規約 [きやく] (n) agreement; rules; code; protocol; convention.
新規 [しんき] (adj-na,adj-no) [1] new; fresh. [2] new customer. [3] new rules or regulations.
大規模 [だいきぼ] (adj-na,n) large-scale.
小規模 [しょうきぼ] (adj-na,n) small scale.

漢字： 333 Kanji-in-a-Day: Group HEAVEN

天矢医疾知痴

天
天 [てん] (n) heaven; sky.
雨天 [うてん] (n) rainy weather
天気 [てんき] (n) weather
天皇 [てんのう] (n) Emperor of Japan.
天災 [てんさい] (n) natural calamity; disaster.
天神 [てんじん] (n) heavenly gods; Michizane's spirit.
楽天家 [らくてんか] (n) optimist; easy-going person.

矢
矢 [や] (n) arrow.
矢っ張り [やっぱり] (adv,exp) (uk) also; as I thought; still; in spite of; absolutely; of course.
矢鱈に [やたらに] (adv) (uk) randomly; recklessly; blindly.

医
医 [い] (n,n-suf,vs) medicine.
医科 [いか] (n) medical science; medical department.
医師 [いし] (n) doctor; physician.
医院 [いいん] (n) doctor's office (surgery); clinic; dispensary.
医者 [いしゃ] (n) (sens) medical doctor; physician.
医薬 [いやく] (n) medicine.
歯科医 [しかい] (n) dentist.
歯医者 [はいしゃ] (n) dentist.
獣医 [じゅうい] (n) veterinarian.

疾
疾病 [しっぺい] (n) illness; disease.
疾っくに [とっくに] (adv) (uk) long ago; already; a long time ago.
疾患 [しっかん] (n) disease; ailment.
疾風 [しっぷう] (n) squall; gale; hurricane.

知
知る [しる] (v5r,vt) to know; to understand; to be acquainted with; to feel.
知事 [ちじ] (n) prefectural governor
無知 [むち] (adj-na,n) ignorance.
英知 [えいち] (n) intelligence.
知らせ [しらせ] (n) notice.
知識 [ちしき] (n) knowledge; information.
知名 [ちめい] (adj-na,n) well-known.
通知 [つうち] (n,vs) notice; notification.

痴
愚痴 [ぐち] (adj-na,n) idle complaint; grumble.
方向音痴 [ほうこうおんち] (n) (person with) no sense of direction; poor sense of locality.

漢字： 333 Kanji-in-a-Day: Group PERSON

人大太犬伏夫

人
人 [ひと] (n) man; person;
一人 [ひとり] (n) one person.
個人 [こじん] (n,adj-no) individual; private person; personal; private.
人気 [にんき] (n,adj-na) popular; business conditions; popular feeling.
人事 [じんじ] (n) personnel affairs; human affairs; human resources; HR.
大人 [おとな] (n) adult.
婦人 [ふじん] (n) woman; female.
夫人 [ふじん] (n) wife; Mrs; madam.
死人 [しにん] (n) corpse; dead person.

大
大 [おお] (pref) big; large.
医大 [いだい] (n) medical university; medical school.
過大 [かだい] (adj-na,n) excessive; too much; unreasonable.
私大 [しだい] (n) (abbr) private university or college.
大屋 [おおや] (n) landlord; landlady.
大家 [たいか] (n) expert.
大使 [たいし] (n) ambassador.
大師 [だいし] (n) (Buddh) great teacher; saint.
大事 [だいじ] (adj-na,n) important; valuable; serious matter.
大豆 [だいず] (n) soya bean.

太
太い [ふとい] (adj) fat; thick.
太る [ふとる] (v5r,vi) to grow fat (stout, plump); to become fat.
丸太 [まるた] (n) log.
太もも [ふともも] (n) [1] thigh. [2] (col) buttocks; arse; ass; butt.
太り肉 [ふとりじし] (n) corpulent; fat; chubby.
太平洋 [たいへいよう] (n) Pacific Ocean.
太陽系 [たいようけい] (n) solar system

犬
犬 [いぬ] (n) dog
愛犬 [あいけん] (n) pet dog.
番犬 [ばんけん] (n) watchdog.

伏
伏 [ふく] (n,vs) stoop; bend down;
伏せる [ふせる] (v1,vt) to lay something upside down; to turn something over; to cover; to lay (pipes); to lay (an ambush); to hide.
降伏 [こうふく] (n,vs) capitulation; surrender; submission.

夫
夫 [おっと] (n) (hum) (my) husband.
夫妻 [ふさい] (n) man and wife; married couple.
夫婦 [ふうふ] (n) married couple; spouses; husband and wife; couple; pair.
夫れ夫れ [それぞれ] (n-t) each; every; either; respectively; severally.
大丈夫 [だいじょうぶ] (adj-na,adv,n) safe; all right; OK.

漢字： 333 Kanji-in-a-Day: Group MOUTH

口日目冒唱晶

口
口 [くち] (n) mouth; orifice; opening
口笛 [くちぶえ] (n) whistle.
戸口 [とぐち] (n) door; doorway.
出口 [でぐち] (n) exit; gateway; way out; outlet; leak; vent.
蛇口 [じゃぐち] (n) faucet; tap.
口実 [こうじつ] (n) excuse.v
口座 [こうざ] (n) account (e.g., bank).
悪口 [あっこう] (n,vs) abuse; insult; slander; evil speaking.

日
日 [ひ] (n-adv,n-t) [1] day. [2] sun; sunshine.
月日 [がっぴ] (n) (the) date.
明日 [あす] (n-t) tomorrow.
後日 [ごじつ] (n-adv,n-t) in the future; another day; later.
日記 [にっき] (n) diary; journal.
日課 [にっか] (n) daily lesson; daily work; daily routine.
期日 [きじつ] (n) fixed date; settlement date.

目
目 [め] (n) [1] eye; eyeball
駄目 [だめ] (adj-na,n) useless; no good; hopeless.
見た目 [みため] (n) appearance.
真面目 [まじめ] (adj-na,n) diligent; serious; honest
一目 [ひとめ] (n-adv,n-t) [1] (a) glance; (a) glimpse. (n) [2] bird's-eye view.
目次 [もくじ] (n) table of contents.
科目 [かもく] (n) (school) subject; curriculum; course.

冒
冒す [おかす] (v5s,vt) to brave; to risk; to face; to venture; to desecrate; to profane.
冒険 [ぼうけん] (n,vs) risk; venture; adventure.
冒頭陳述 [ぼうとうちんじゅつ] (n) opening statement.

唱
唱える [となえる] (v1,vt) to recite; to chant; to call upon.
合唱団 [がっしょうだん] (n) chorus group; choir.
歌唱 [かしょう] (n,vs) song; singing.

晶
液晶テレビ [えきしょうテレビ] (n) liquid crystal television.
結晶 [けっしょう] (n,vs) crystal; crystallization; crystallisation.
水晶 [すいしょう] (n) crystal.

文法：　が

Notes:
も -> "but"

Examples:

私の時計は古いが彼のは新しい。
Watashi no tokei wa furui ga kare no wa atarashii.
My watch are old but his are new.

彼女は金持ちだが幸せじゃない。
Kanojo wa kanemochi da ga shiawase ja nai.
She is rich but she is not happy.

あなたは小さいが強いです。
Anata wa chiisai ga tsuyoi desu.
You are small but strong.

文法：　を

Notes:
を -> direct object particle

Examples:

テレビを見ます
terebi wo mimasu
watch a tv

お茶を飲みます
ocha wo nomimasu
drink a tea

手紙を書きます
tegami wo kakimasu
write a letter

文法：　から～まで

Notes:
から～まで -> "from"~"to"

Examples:

私は月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。
Watashi wa getsuyoubi kara kinyoubi made hatarakimasu.
I work from Monday to Friday.

ここから駅までは遠いです。
Koko kara eki made ha tooi desu.
It is far from here to station.

彼女は１時から６時までテレビを見ます。
Kanojo wa ichi ji kara roku ji made terebi wo mimasu.
She watches television from 1 to 6 o'clock.

文法：　で

文法：　で

Notes:
で -> means of transport

Examples:

自転車で駅へ行きます。
Jitensha de eki e ikimasu.
I will go to the station by bicycle.

電車で横浜へ行きます。
Densha de Yokohama e ikimasu.
I will go to Yokohama by train.

文法：　に

Notes:
に -> time marker

Examples:

今朝私は８時におきました。
Kesa watashi wa hachi ji ni okimashita
I got up 8 o'clock this morning.

１１時に寝ます。
Juuichi ji ni nemasu.
I go to bed at eleven.

何時に食事ですか？
Nan-ji ni shokuji desu ka?
What time is the dinner?

文法：　へ

Notes:
へ -> destination marker

Examples:

私は駅へ行きました。
Watashi wa eki e ikimashita.
I went to the station.

どこへ行くの？
Doko e iku no?
Where are you going?

家へ帰りましょう。
Ie e kaerimashou.
Let's go home.

文法：　も

Notes:
も -> "also", "as well as", "too"

Examples:

私も技師です。
Watashi mo gishi desu.
I am also an engineer.

彼も来ない。
Kare mo konai.
He will also not come.

私も行った。
Watashi mo itta.
I also went.

文法：　と

Notes:
と　-> "and'

Examples:

鉛筆とペン
enpitsu to pen
pencil and pen

猫と犬
neko to inu
cat and dog

テレビとラジオ
terebi to rajio
television and radio

文法：　の

Notes:
の -> "of" or "belonging to"

Examples:

木村さんの辞書
Kimura san no jisho
dictionary of Mr. Kimura

私の本
watashi no hon
my book

あなたの部屋
anata no heya
your room

猫の写真
neko no shashin
picture of the cat

テーブルの上
teeburu no ue
top of the table

漢字： JLPT Level 2 Kanji

Listed below are the kanji for JLPT Level 2 exam based on JLPT Test Content Specification (as of 2007). The list contains 739 kanji and sorted by "Grade".

虫　竹　草　石　糸　玉　貝　王　毛　鳴　米　番　麦　馬　内　当　点　直　谷　組　船　線　雪　晴　星　数　寺　算　細　才　公　交　戸　原　形　記　岩　丸　活　角　絵　科　黄　園　雲　羽　和　路　練　列　礼　緑　両　流　落　陽　葉　様　予　遊　由　油　役　面　命　放　返　平　福　部　負　秒　表　氷　筆　鼻　美　皮　悲　板　反　畑　箱　倍　配　波　農　童　等　湯　投　島　登　鉄　庭　定　追　調　柱　談　炭　第　対　打　他　速　息　相　想　全　昔　整　身　神　申　深　植　章　消　商　勝　助　宿　拾　州　受　酒　守　取　実　式　次　歯　指　皿　坂　祭　根　号　港　幸　向　湖　庫　血　決　係　君　具　苦　曲　局　橋　級　球　客　期　岸　感　階　荷　化　温　横　央　泳　育　委　録　老　労　連　歴　冷　例　令　類　輪　量　良　陸　利　浴　要　勇　約　無　未　満　末　望　法　包　辺　変　兵　粉　副　府　夫　付　標　必　飛　費　敗　念　熱　毒　得　灯　努　徒　伝　的　底　停　兆　貯　仲　置　単　達　帯　孫　卒　続　束　側　争　然　選　浅　戦　節　折　積　席　静　清　成　臣　信　賞　象　笑　省　照　焼　初　順　祝　周　種　失　辞　治　児　史　司　残　散　参　殺　札　察　刷　昨　材　最　差　告　航　康　候　固　健　結　欠　芸　景　型　軍　訓　極　協　共　競　漁　給　泣　求　救　議　季　機　希　器　喜　願　関　観　管　官　完　覚　各　害　械　改　貨　課　果　加　億　塩　栄　印　衣　胃　囲　位　案　愛　領　留　略　率　容　預　余　輸　綿　迷　夢　務　防　貿　暴　豊　報　保　編　仏　複　復　武　布　富　婦　貧　評　備　非　比　犯　版　判　破　能　燃　任　独　銅　導　適　程　張　築　断　団　退　損　測　則　造　増　像　総　祖　絶　設　接　責　績　税　製　精　政　性　勢　制　職　状　条　情　常　招　承　準　述　術　修　授　識　示　似　資　枝　支　志　師　賛　雑　財　罪　在　際　採　妻　再　査　混　鉱　講　耕　構　厚　効　故　個　限　現　減　険　検　券　件　経　群　禁　均　境　許　居　旧　久　逆　技　規　寄　基　慣　刊　額　確　格　快　解　過　河　可　価　仮　応　演　液　永　営　因　移　易　圧　論　律　裏　卵　乱　翌　欲　幼　郵　優　枚　棒　忘　亡　訪　宝　暮　補　片　閉　並　腹　批　否　晩　背　拝　脳　認　乳　難　届　党　展　痛　賃　頂　庁　著　宙　値　段　暖　探　担　宅　尊　存　蔵　臓　装　窓　操　層　善　泉　専　針　蒸　城　将　除　諸　署　処　純　収　若　捨　誌　詞　冊　済　座　砂　困　骨　刻　降　紅　誤　呼　権　劇　警　敬　勤　胸　供　吸　疑　机　危　簡　看　干　巻　割　革　拡　灰　延　宇　域　異　腕　湾　恋　齢　零　涙　療　涼　了　粒　絡　頼　踊　溶　与　戻　娘　眠　埋　磨　忙　帽　坊　抱　募　捕　壁　沸　払　幅　封　舞　膚　符　浮　普　怖　匹　被　疲　彼　販　般　抜　髪　肌　爆　薄　泊　杯　濃　悩　猫　軟　鈍　曇　突　逃　到　筒　盗　塔　凍　倒　怒　途　渡　塗　殿　滴　泥　珍　沈　超　駐　畜　遅　恥　濯　袋　替　贈　憎　燥　掃　捜　双　占　姓　吹　震　辛　寝　伸　触　畳　紹　昇　床　召　緒　柔　舟　湿　脂　刺　伺　咲　歳　婚　込　腰　香　郊　荒　肯　硬　更　御　互　雇　枯　軒　賢　肩　迎　恵　傾　靴　掘　隅　偶　狭　況　挟　恐　叫　巨　詰　喫　祈　含　甘　環　汗　換　乾　較　皆　介　菓　欧　押　奥　汚　煙　越　鋭　違　偉　依

More detailed information regarding the JLPT Level 2 Kanji can be found at www.jlpt-kanji.com and www.jlptstudy.com sites.

漢字： JLPT Level 3 Kanji

The following sites were a great help to me in studying JLPT Level 3 Kanji.

JLPT-Kanji (Level 3)

I consider this as the best site in studying JLPT Level 3 Kanji as it provides vocabulary look-up for JLPT Level 3 as well as other levels (Level 1, 2, 4). It has very user-friendly interface.

JLPT Study (Level 3 Kanji List)

This site also gives kanji compounds that have been specially selected and consist only of other kanji within JLPT Level 3 list.

Kanji Site (Level 3 Kanji Index)

This site gives a list of kanji compounds arranged into different sections such as adjectives, verbs and nouns (building, family, people, food, culture and customs, shopping, signs, nature, etc.)

ITESLJ's Online JLPT Level 3 Quiz

This is JLPT Level Online quiz. The quiz is also arranged into different sections such as adjectives, verbs and nouns. Good to test your knowledge of JLPT Level 3 kanji.

Listed below are the kanji for JLPT Level 3 exam based on JLPT Test Content Specification (as of 2007). The list contains 284 kanji and sorted by "Grade".

力　夕　字　文　早　村　林　森　正　犬　田　町　赤　青　音　京　体　作　元　兄　光　冬　切　台　合　同　回　図　地　場　声　売　夏　夜　太　妹　姉　室　家　工　市　帰　広　引　弟　弱　強　心　思　教　方　明　春　昼　曜　朝　楽　歌　止　歩　池　海　牛　理　用　画　知　秋　答　紙　考　肉　自　色　茶　親　計　走　近　通　遠　野　門　頭　顔　風　首　鳥　黒　世　主　乗　事　仕　代　住　使　写　勉　動　区　医　去　味　品　員　問　始　寒　屋　度　待　急　悪　意　所　持　旅　族　暑　暗　有　服　業　死　注　洋　漢　物　界　病　発　県　真　着　短　研　究　終　習　者　薬　起　転　軽　送　進　運　都　重　銀　開　院　集　題　館　不　以　低　便　借　働　別　堂　好　建　料　民　特　産　英　菜　試　説　飯　験　貸　質　映　洗　私

More detailed information regarding the JLPT Level 3 Kanji can be found at www.jlpt-kanji.com and www.jlptstudy.com sites.

漢字： JLPT Level 4 Kanji

The following sites were a great help to me in studying JLPT Level 4 Kanji.

JLPT-Kanji (Level 4)

I consider this as the best site in studying JLPT Level 4 Kanji as it provides vocabulary look-up for JLPT Level 3 as well as other levels (Level 1, 2, 3). It has very user-friendly interface.

JLPT Study (Level 4 Kanji List)

This site also gives kanji compounds that have been specially selected and consist only of other kanji within JLPT Level 4 list.

Kanji Site (Level 4 Kanji Index)

This site gives a list of kanji compounds arranged into different sections such as adjectives, verbs and nouns (building, family, people, food, culture and customs, shopping, signs, nature, etc.)

ITESLJ's Online JLPT Level 4 Quiz

This is JLPT Level Online quiz. The quiz is also arranged into different sections such as adjectives, verbs and nouns. Good to test your knowledge of JLPT Level 4 kanji.

Listed below are the kanji for JLPT Level 4 exam based on JLPT Test Content Specification (as of 2007). The list contains 103 kanji and sorted by "Grade".

一　七　三　上　下　中　九　二　五　人　休　先　入　八　六　円　出　十　千　口　右　名　四　土　大　天　女　子　学　小　山　川　左　年　手　日　月　木　本　校　気　水　火　生　男　白　百　目　空　立　耳　花　見　足　車　金　雨　万　今　会　何　分　前　北　午　半　南　友　古　国　外　多　少　店　後　新　時　書　来　東　母　毎　父　社　聞　行　西　言　話　語　読　買　週　道　長　間　電　食　高　魚　安　飲　駅　

More detailed information regarding the JLPT Level 4 Kanji can be found at www.jlpt-kanji.com and www.jlptstudy.com sites.

文法：　か

Notes:
か -> question marker

Examples:

あなたは技師ですか？
Anata wa gishi desu ka?
Are you an engineer?

日本人ですか？
Nihonjin desu ka?
Are you Japanese?

漢字： Kanji

Japanese texts are generally composed of 3 scripts:
1. Hiragana
2. Katakana
3. and the Kanji
Occasionaly, it may also include Roman letter.

Among these scripts, I find Kanji the most difficult to learn. That is why I created a "KANJI (漢字)" section on this blogsite that is dedicated to the study of Kanji.

Kanji are Chinese scripts. Japanese adapted these scripts along time ago as they have no writing system of their own at that time. Today, there are currently around 2000 Chinese characters approved by the Japanese government for general use.

Fortunately, the kanji-a-day site made a list of the 100 commonly used kanji on the web. The information from the list originally comes from The Kanji Project at po-ru.com. I think starting learning kanji from this list is a good idea.

文法： noun は noun です・じゃありません

Notes:
noun は noun です・じゃありません
は is the topic marker
です means "am/is/are" while じゃありません means　"am not/is not/are not"

Examples:

私はジョーです。
Watashi wa Jyou desu.
I am Joe.

私は技師です。
Watashi wa gishi desu.
I am an engineer.

私は医者じゃありません
Watashi wa isha ja arimasen。
I am not a doctor.

あなたは学生じゃありません。
Anata wa gakusei ja arimasen.
You are not a student.

会話： Basic Phrases

Here are some of the basic phrases I find useful while living in Japan.

Hello.
こんにちは。
Konnichiwa

My name is _____.
私の名前は＿＿です。
Watashi no namae wa _____ desu.

What's your name?
お名前は？
Onamae wa?

Nice to meet you.
はじめまして。
Hajimemashite.

Yes/No.
はい・いいえ。
Hai/Iie.

Good morning./Good afternoon./Good evening.
おはようございます・こんにちは・こんばんは
Ohayou gozaimasu./Konnichiwa/.Konbanwa.

Thank you.
ありがとうございます。
Arigatou gozaimasu.

I really appreciate it.
本当に感謝しています。
Hontou ni kansha shite imasu.

You're welcome.
どういたしまして。
Dou itashimasite.

This/That/That thing over there
これ・それ・あれ。
Kore/Sore/Are.

This place/That place/That place over there
ここ・そこ・あそこ。
Koko/Soko/Asoko

How are you?/I'm fine.
調子はどうですか。
Choushi wa dou desu ka?/Genki desu.

I'm home./Welcome home.
ただいま・お帰りなさい。
Tadaima./Okaerinasai.

いただきます。
Itadakimasu. (spoken before eating. it means "thanks for the meal")

Drink. Cheers!
乾杯！
Kanpai.

Good night.
おやすみなさい。
Oyasuminasai.

Goodbye.
さようなら。
Sayounara

See you later.
またね。
Mata ne.

Take care.
気をつけて。
Ki wo tsukete.

Excuse me.
すみません。
Sumimasen.

I'm sorry.
すみません。
Sumimasen (you can also say Gomenasai which is less formal)

Please (when requesting)
お願いします。
Onegai shimasu.

Please (when offering)
どうぞ。
Douzo.

Are you alright?/No problem.
だいじょうぶですか。・だいじょうぶです。
Daijoubu desu ka/ Daijoubu desu.

I understood.
わかりました。
Wakarimashita.

I'm sorry but I don't understand Nihongo well.
すみませんが私は日本語がよくわかりません。
Sumimasen ga watashi wa Nihongo ga yoku wakarimasen.