Furigana is the small kana written beside or above kanji to show how a word is read.
The idea
Read the base characters and the small kana together: 犬 is read いぬ and 傘 is read かさ. A reading may cover a whole word, not one kana per kanji: 今日 is read きょう as a unit. Look at the surrounding word before choosing a reading.
| Kanji word | Reading |
|---|---|
| 犬 | いぬ |
| 傘 | かさ |
| 今日 | きょう |
| 日曜日 | にちようび |
Examples
- 犬は小さいです。The dog is small.
- 朝、犬と歩きます。I walk with my dog in the morning.
- 傘を買います。I buy an umbrella.
- 魚を食べます。I eat fish.
- ここに本があります。There is a book here.
- 机の上に本があります。There is a book on the desk.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Furigana gives pronunciation, not a translation. A kanji can have different readings in different words; do not assume 日 always sounds the same.
Try it yourself
「犬」→＿（いぬ／ねこ）
Show answer or example answer
いぬ
いぬ is the kana reading shown for 犬.
「傘」→＿（かさ／かぜ）
Show answer or example answer
かさ
かさ is the kana reading shown for 傘.
「今日」→＿（きょう／あした）
Show answer or example answer
きょう
きょう is the reading of the whole word 今日 here.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
「犬」→＿（いぬ／ねこ）
「傘」→＿（かさ／かぜ）
「今日」→＿（きょう／あした）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Cover the readings in two examples, read the words, then uncover the furigana and check yourself.