Recognise 現 in words such as 現れる and 現金. Learn the whole word together with its reading and meaning.

The idea

Read 現れる as あらわれる and 現金 as げんきん. 現 has 11 strokes; use the linked KanjiVG diagram to follow their order. Many kanji have Japanese-origin readings (kun) and readings borrowed through Chinese (on); learn each with its word. N3 is an approximate learning level, not an official JLPT kanji list.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
現れるあらわれるto appear
現金げんきんcash
表現ひょうげんexpression; way of expressing

Examples

  • 雲くもの間あいだから月つきが現あらわれました。The moon appeared from between the clouds.
  • 急きゅうに犬いぬが目めの前まえに現あらわれました。A dog suddenly appeared in front of me.
  • 現金げんきんで払はらってもいいですか。May I pay in cash?
  • 現金げんきんを少すこし持もっています。I have a little cash with me.
  • その表現ひょうげんはよく使つかわれます。That expression is often used.
  • 日本語にほんごの表現ひょうげんを一ひとつ覚おぼえました。I learned one Japanese expression.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

現れる means to appear; 現金 means cash, so learn each compound rather than guessing from 現 alone. Compare the shapes of 現 and 見; they are different characters.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 現れる in hiragana.

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    あらわれる

    現れる is read あらわれる; it means to appear.

  2. Write the reading of 現金 in hiragana.

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    げんきん

    現金 is read げんきん; it means cash.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: 表＿（ひょうげん）.

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    現

    現 completes 表現, read ひょうげん; it means expression; way of expressing.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 現 from memory, and read 現れる and 現金 aloud. Then use one in a sentence.