1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Japanese Language

Kanji of the Week

Kanji Rule (7): The Chinese Invented Kanji

The Chinese made kanji characters by observing their culture. If you look at the kanji, you can see the lifestyle of the Chinese.

  • Meaning
    autumn

  • Reading
    On-reading: shuu
    Kun-reading: aki 

  • Mnemonics
    The Chinese plant rice in the field. In autumn, ears turn into rice. People cut them down and burn them to use as fertilizer. The left side of the character expresses an ear of rice, and the right side expresses fire.

Click here to learn more about this kanji character. Click here to learn how to write the four seasons in hiragana.

Previous Lesson     Next Lesson

Kanji of the Week Archives   

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name
Email

Namiko Abe
Guide since 1997

Namiko Abe
Japanese Language Guide

Explore Japanese Language

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Japanese Language

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.