TCJ Blog

Explore the three different types of characters in Japanese: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. This article explains why these three writing systems exist, how they are used differently, and how they function together. How many kanji exist, and how many are commonly used in daily life by Japanese people? As a foreign learner, how many kanji should you know? Is it true that each kanji has two different types of readings? This article answers all your questions about the Japanese writing system.

In the process of learning Japanese, learners often encounter kanji that appear familiar but are read differently, or seem to carry an entirely different meaning. In Japanese, a single kanji—or a combination of kanji—can have multiple readings and meanings. A change in reading alone may shift the reference from a concrete object to an abstract evaluation, or from a general concept to a specific description of a state or condition. In this article, we focus on four commonly confusing words—銀杏, 上手, 人気, and 流石—which learners often struggle with despite encountering them frequently in daily life. We will examine their different readings and meanings, the contexts in which each is used, and how native Japanese speakers determine the appropriate reading.

Four-character idioms often describe the essence of human nature and serve as sharp aphorisms. I’ll show you their meanings and how to use them.

It is said that 2,136 kanji characters are used in daily life. Today, we introduce kanji that are especially popular among foreigners—ones they find cool.