The 50 Most Common Kanji for Beginners
1 June 2026 · Mozhippattru Japanese Language School
These high-frequency kanji appear constantly. Learning them first gives you the most reading power for your effort.
Numbers & basics
一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 (1–10), 百 (hundred), 千 (thousand), 円 (yen), 年 (year).
Time & days
日 (day/sun), 月 (month/moon), 火 水 木 金 土 (weekday elements), 時 (time), 今 (now), 上 (up), 下 (down).
People & places
人 (person), 男 (man), 女 (woman), 子 (child), 学 (study), 校 (school), 先 (previous), 生 (life), 国 (country), 山 (mountain), 川 (river).
Everyday actions & things
大 (big), 小 (small), 中 (middle/inside), 本 (book/origin), 車 (car), 食 (eat), 飲 (drink), 見 (see), 行 (go), 来 (come), 話 (talk), 家 (house), 手 (hand), 目 (eye), 口 (mouth), 何 (what).
Learn these 50 in context and you'll suddenly recognise pieces of signs, menus and textbooks everywhere.
Arul Prakash founded and personally teaches at Mozhippattru. He cleared JLPT N1 largely through self-study and spent 4 years as a Japanese interpreter for Fujitsu, Toyota and Sango — and now teaches Japanese in Tamil to beginners across India.
Read his story →Join Mozhippattru Japanese Language School — JLPT N5–N3 with N1-certified teachers. Book a free demo class, no commitment.
Book a Free Demo →Continue reading
Developed & maintained by Nexaex Digital Services Pvt. Ltd. · nexaex.in