Break a character into visible parts, then learn it in a word rather than as a picture alone.

The idea

亻 is a form of 人 often found on the left: compare 休 (亻＋木) with 体 (亻＋本). 氵 is a form related to 水 and appears on the left of 海. A radical is the component a dictionary uses to index a character; a character has other components too.

Patterns to compare
CharacterParts
休亻＋木
体亻＋本
海氵＋毎

Examples

  • 木きの下したで休やすみます。I rest under a tree.
  • 今日きょうは学校がっこうを休やすみます。I am absent from school today.
  • 毎朝まいあさ体からだを動うごかします。I move my body every morning.
  • 体からだをゆっくり休やすめてください。Please give your body plenty of rest.
  • 海うみが青あおくてきれいです。The sea is blue and beautiful.
  • 夏なつに海うみで泳およぎます。I swim in the sea in summer.

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

Watch out

A component can suggest meaning, but it does not guarantee a meaning or reading. The dictionary radical depends on the dictionary; do not invent a story and mistake it for a character’s history.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose and fill the blank: 亻＋木 → ＿。（休／体）

    Show answer or example answer

    休

    休 combines 亻 and 木; 体 has 本 on the right.

  2. Choose and fill the blank: 亻＋本 → ＿。（体／休）

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    体

    体 combines 亻 and 本; 休 has 木 on the right.

  3. Choose and fill the blank: 氵を含ふくむ漢字かんじは＿。（海／休）

    Show answer or example answer

    海

    海 has 氵 on the left; 休 has 亻.

Use it today

Find 休, 体 and 海 in the examples. Sketch their parts and say each complete word, then compare the two right-hand shapes in 休 and 体.