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What are KANJI?

Kanji are Chinese characters used in Japanese.

KThe ON- and KUN-reading.

When Japan was isolated it had a rich language already, there was only one problam with it: 'It didn't have a script'. So when Chinese monks were send to Japan, they started using the chinese writing system. The Japanese thought by themselves:" Wait... We know 水 as 'mizu'. But they tell us you should read it 'sui' (as closely to Chinese as possible).'

That's why there are 2 pronounciacions (or READINGS) in Japanese. The ON-reading (which closely resembles the Chinese way of saying the character) and the KUN-reading (which is how the japanese said the idea of the kanji in there own language).

Sometimes you might see a nanori-reading. No panic! These are the readings for the character when it is used in a name and is not that important.

Kanji You Should Know

There are around 1950 KANJI you should know to be literate in Japanese. These are all listed in the Jouyou-Kanji (a list by the Japanese government).

Let's look at a kanji, shall we?

日(day, Japan, origin)

STROKE ORDER:

First of all, you need to learn how to write it, don't you?

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