What does a kanji mean: how to find out the meaning of an unfamiliar character
To find out what a kanji means, there are three ways: find it by its radical (the element on the left or top), draw the character in a dictionary app with your finger, or count the number of strokes and look it up in a table. Drawing works fastest: dictionaries recognize the character even if the stroke order is not exact.
An unfamiliar kanji cannot be 'read letter by letter' — you have to search for it by its shape. Japanese people do it the same way as foreigners: by radical or by drawing. The only difference is that a Japanese person usually already knows which element is the main one here.
How to find out the meaning of a kanji in a minute
- Draw the character with your finger in a dictionary with handwriting input — this is the fastest way; the stroke order can be approximate.
- If drawing is inconvenient, find the radical: the element on the left (氵 water, 木 tree, 犭 beast) or on the top (⺾ grass, 宀 roof). It indicates the area of meaning.
- Count the total number of strokes and look for the character in a table by radical and stroke count — the classic paper method.
- Check the found meaning against the context: a kanji usually has several meanings, and the one that fits the surrounding words is correct.
Why the meaning is not always clear from a single character
Most words consist of two or more kanji, and the overall meaning is not the sum of the parts: 大丈夫 — 'big', 'man', 'husband', but together 'it's all right'. So you need to look up the whole word, and a single character only when it stands alone.
Radicals that narrow down the search fastest
| Radical | Position | Meaning area | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 氵 | left | liquid | 海 sea, 池 pond |
| 木 | left | plants, tree | 松 pine, 机 desk |
| 亻 | left | person and actions | 休 rest, 体 body |
| 犭 | left | animals | 猫 cat, 狼 wolf |
| ⺾ | top | grass and plants | 花 flower, 茶 tea |
| 宀 | top | house, roof | 家 house, 安 peace |
| 糸 | left | thread, fabric, connection | 紙 paper, 縁 connection |
| 言 | left | speech | 話 speak, 語 language |
The radical hints at the meaning, not the reading
In most kanji, one part is responsible for the meaning (the radical), and the other for the sound. In 銅 (copper), the radical 金 'metal' gives the area, and 同 hints at the reading 'do:'. So by the radical you can guess what the character is about, but not how it is read.
Practice on a familiar character
On the left you can see three drops 氵 — the radical 'water'. Trace the character along the guides.
FAQ
- How to find out what a kanji means?
- The fastest way is to draw it in a dictionary with handwriting input. Alternative: find the radical (the element on the left or top) and search by it and the stroke count.
- What is a kanji radical?
- The element by which a character is classified in dictionaries. It usually also indicates the area of meaning: 氵 — liquid, 木 — plants, 言 — speech, 亻 — person.
- How to count strokes?
- A stroke is a line drawn without lifting the pen. Curved lines with a hook count as one. The stroke count is given in all dictionaries, and by it you search for the character within the radical group.
- Why does a kanji have several meanings?
- The characters are old and have accumulated meanings: 生 — to live, to be born, raw, student. The correct meaning is determined by the word and context, not by the kanji itself.
Updated: 2026-07-25