What does 誠 mean in Japanese? 誠 means sincerity, honesty, and integrity in Japanese. You will find it in words such as 誠実 (sincere, honest), 誠意 (sincerity, good faith), and 忠誠 (loyalty, fidelity). For learners, 誠 is best understood as a quality of the heart — not just factual truth, but the sincere and honest … Read more
What does 悪 mean in Japanese? 悪 means “bad, evil” in Japanese. You will often see it in practical words such as 悪い (bad), 悪口 (insult; bad-mouthing), and 最悪 (the worst). For learners, the key is to study 悪 through real vocabulary. The examples below show how the kanji works in words, sentences, and related … Read more
What does 勇 mean in Japanese? 勇 means courage, bravery, and heroic spirit in Japanese. You will find it in everyday words such as 勇気 (courage), 勇者 (hero, brave person), and 勇敢 (brave, courageous). For learners, 勇 is best understood through 勇気 — one of the most common and useful compounds. The examples below show … Read more
If you have learned the kanji 茶 (tea) and 道 (road, way), you already know both halves of one of the most famous words in Japanese culture: 茶道 (さどう, sadou) — the tea ceremony. This article is not a tour of tea history. It is a close look at how these two kanji, and the … Read more
Few kanji work as hard as 月. It is one of the very first characters you learn, yet it shows up in three quite different roles: the moon in the sky, a month on the calendar, and Monday in your weekly schedule. The good news is that this is not random. Each role tends to … Read more
What does 練 mean in Japanese? 練 means to practise, train, or refine through repeated effort. Its most important word is 練習 (renshuu, practice) — the thing you do to get better at anything, including kanji. The on’yomi レン appears in 練習 (practice), 訓練 (kunren, training), and 熟練 (jukuren, skill/mastery). The kun’yomi ね-る (neru) means … Read more
What does 宿 mean in Japanese? 宿 means lodging or an inn — a place to stay. For most learners, though, the first place you meet it is 宿題 (shukudai, homework), where 宿 combines with 題 (topic) to mean the ‘task set to take home’. The on’yomi シュク appears in 宿題 (homework), 宿泊 (shukuhaku, staying … Read more
What does 痛 mean in Japanese? 痛 means pain or hurt. It has three kun’yomi forms that N4 learners need to keep clear: 痛い (itai, adjective: it hurts / painful), 痛む (itamu, intransitive verb: to ache, to be in pain), and 痛める (itameru, transitive verb: to hurt or injure something). The adjective form 痛い is … Read more
What does 怒 mean in Japanese? 怒 means to get angry or to be angry. The primary kun’yomi is 怒る (okoru) — the everyday verb for getting angry or losing one’s temper. A second kun’yomi, 怒り (ikari, anger), comes from the more literary form いかる and is the most common noun for anger in Japanese. … Read more
What does 泣 mean in Japanese? 泣 means to cry or weep. The kun’yomi 泣く (naku) is the standard everyday verb for human crying — shedding tears in response to sadness, emotion, or pain. It is one of the first emotion verbs learners need at N4, forming a natural pair with 笑う (to laugh) and … Read more