Quick answer: Kanji are Chinese-origin characters that each carry a meaning, and most Japanese words combine one or more of them. Common kanji include 愛 (love), 力 (strength), 山 (mountain) and 心 (heart). This guide lists kanji by topic with readings and meanings, plus tips for tattoos, gifts and learning kanji yourself.
Last updated: 22 Oct 2026, by Spiddy Ng
Summary box
- Kanji are characters borrowed from Chinese. Each has a meaning and usually two kinds of reading: on'yomi (Chinese-derived) and kun'yomi (native Japanese).
- Most "kanji for X" searches are covered by one character: love 愛, strength 力, peace 平和, family 家族, dragon 竜/龍, soul 魂.
- Some words need two or more kanji, or kana as well: girl is 女の子, thank you is usually written ありがとう.
- Before a tattoo or engraving, check the character with a native speaker; many popular "kanji tattoos" are wrong or are Chinese rather than Japanese usage.
Table of contents
- How kanji work (readings, radicals, stroke order)
- What are the kanji for love and feelings?
- What are the kanji for family and people?
- What are the kanji for sun, moon, water, fire and earth?
- What are the kanji for plants, trees and seasons?
- What are the kanji for animals?
- What are the kanji for power, warriors and the spirit?
- What are the kanji for everyday words?
- Big reference table (70+ words)
- What should you know before getting a kanji tattoo or gift?
- How do you learn kanji?
- Are kanji flashcards like White Rabbit worth it?
- Frequently asked questions
1. How do kanji work?
Japanese uses three scripts: hiragana, katakana and kanji. A kanji can stand alone as a word (山 yama, mountain) or combine with others (火山 kazan, volcano). Most characters are built from parts called radicals that hint at meaning: 氵 (water) appears in 海 (ocean) and 河 (river), and 木 (tree) appears in 森 (forest). Readings change depending on the word: 日 is hi in 日の出 (sunrise) and nichi in 日曜日 (Sunday).
Verdict: Learn the meaning and one common reading first; the rest follows with vocabulary.
2. What are the kanji for love and feelings?
| Word | Kanji | Reading | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love | 愛 | ai | Deep love; 恋 (koi) is romantic longing |
| I love you | 愛してる | aishiteru | Strong; daily speech uses 好き (suki) |
| Heart | 心 | kokoro | Heart/mind/spirit |
| Soul | 魂 | tamashii | Spirit, soul |
| Happy | 幸 | shiawase (幸せ) | Happiness, good fortune |
| Good luck | 幸運 | kouun | Fortune |
| Sorry | 御免 / 申し訳 | gomen / moushiwake | Usually written in kana: ごめんなさい |
| Thank you | 有難う | arigatou | Normally written ありがとう |
| Respect | 尊 / 尊敬 | son / sonkei | Respect, esteem |
Verdict: For a romantic message, 愛 is the classic single character.
3. What are the kanji for family and people?
Family is 家族 (kazoku): 家 (house) + 族 (clan). Mother is 母 (haha), father 父 (chichi), son 息子 (musuko), daughter 娘 (musume), older brother 兄 (ani), younger brother 弟 (otouto), husband 夫 (otto) and wife 妻 (tsuma). Man is 男 (otoko: field 田 + strength 力), woman is 女 (onna), boy is 少年 (shounen) or 男の子, and girl is 女の子 (onna no ko).
Verdict: 家族 is the most popular family tattoo; 母 and 父 make simple gifts.
4. What are the kanji for sun, moon, water, fire and earth?
| Word | Kanji | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | 日 / 太陽 | hi / taiyou |
| Moon | 月 | tsuki |
| Star | 星 | hoshi |
| Sky / air | 空 | sora / kuu |
| Light | 光 | hikari |
| Dark | 闇 / 暗 | yami / kurai |
| Water | 水 | mizu |
| Rain | 雨 | ame |
| River | 川 | kawa |
| Ocean | 海 | umi |
| Fire | 火 / 炎 | hi / honoo |
| Earth | 地 / 地球 | chi / chikyuu |
| Heaven | 天 | ten |
雨 shows rain falling from a cloud; 川 is three flowing lines; 月 started as a picture of a crescent moon.
Verdict: Single nature kanji (月, 星, 水, 火) are the most beautiful in calligraphy.
5. What are the kanji for plants, trees and seasons?
Tree is 木 (ki), forest is 森 (mori, three trees), grass 草 (kusa), flower 花 (hana: grass radical + change), garden 庭園 (teien) or 庭 (niwa), and cherry blossom 桜 (sakura). Spring is 春, summer 夏, autumn 秋 and winter 冬.
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6. What are the kanji for animals?
Dragon 竜/龍 (ryuu), fox 狐 (kitsune), cat 猫 (neko), dog 犬 (inu), horse 馬 (uma), bird 鳥 (tori), crow 烏 (karasu), fish 魚 (sakana) and octopus 蛸 (tako). 龍 is the traditional, more ornate dragon; 竜 is the simplified everyday form.
Verdict: Use 龍 for art and tattoos and 竜 for names.
7. What are the kanji for power, warriors and the spirit?
- Strength: 力 (chikara); 強 (tsuyoi) means strong.
- Protector: 守 (mamoru, to protect).
- Samurai: 侍 (samurai); sword 刀 (katana) or 剣 (ken).
- God: 神 (kami), the spirits of Shinto.
- Angel: 天使 (tenshi, "heaven's messenger").
- Demon: 鬼 (oni) or 悪魔 (akuma).
- Ghost: 幽霊 (yuurei).
- Death: 死 (shi); the number 4 is avoided in Japan because it can also be read shi.
- Life: 生 (sei/ikiru) or 命 (inochi).
- Peace: 平和 (heiwa); 和 alone means harmony and also "Japan".
Verdict: Avoid 死 on gifts; 力, 守 and 和 are positive and popular.
8. What are the kanji for everyday words?
- Hello: こんにちは (konnichiwa) is written in hiragana; the old kanji 今日は is rarely used for the greeting.
- How are you: お元気ですか (ogenki desu ka), with 元気 meaning healthy, energetic.
- Please: お願いします (onegaishimasu), or kana ください.
- Happy birthday: お誕生日おめでとう (otanjoubi omedetou), where 誕生日 means birthday. See happy birthday kanji.
- Merry Christmas: メリークリスマス, in katakana, not kanji.
- Stop: 止 (tomaru); road signs say 止まれ.
- New 新 (atarashii), old 古 (furui), noisy 騒 (sawagu; うるさい in daily speech), money 金 (kane, also "gold"), eyes 目 (me).
9. Which kanji should you know at a glance?
| English | Kanji | Reading | English | Kanji | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love | 愛 | ai | Fire | 火 | hi |
| Heart | 心 | kokoro | Water | 水 | mizu |
| Soul | 魂 | tamashii | Earth | 地 | chi |
| Strength | 力 | chikara | Sun | 日 | hi |
| Peace | 平和 | heiwa | Moon | 月 | tsuki |
| Family | 家族 | kazoku | Star | 星 | hoshi |
| Mother | 母 | haha | Light | 光 | hikari |
| Father | 父 | chichi | Dark | 闇 | yami |
| Son | 息子 | musuko | River | 川 | kawa |
| Daughter | 娘 | musume | Ocean | 海 | umi |
| Husband | 夫 | otto | Rain | 雨 | ame |
| Wife | 妻 | tsuma | Tree | 木 | ki |
| Brother | 兄/弟 | ani/otouto | Forest | 森 | mori |
| Man | 男 | otoko | Flower | 花 | hana |
| Woman | 女 | onna | Grass | 草 | kusa |
| Dragon | 龍 | ryuu | Cherry blossom | 桜 | sakura |
| Fox | 狐 | kitsune | God | 神 | kami |
| Cat | 猫 | neko | Angel | 天使 | tenshi |
| Dog | 犬 | inu | Demon | 鬼 | oni |
| Horse | 馬 | uma | Ghost | 幽霊 | yuurei |
| Bird | 鳥 | tori | Heaven | 天 | ten |
| Fish | 魚 | sakana | Death | 死 | shi |
| Samurai | 侍 | samurai | Life | 命 | inochi |
| Sword | 刀 | katana | Respect | 尊敬 | sonkei |
| Gold/money | 金 | kin/kane | New | 新 | shin |
10. What should you know before getting a kanji tattoo or gift?
- Check direction and stroke shape. Mirror-image or wrongly stacked characters are common tattoo mistakes.
- Japanese vs Chinese. Many characters are shared, but meanings and simplified forms differ.
- Choose a calligrapher. Hand-brushed characters look far better than default computer fonts.
- Avoid bad-luck kanji (死, 苦) on gifts.
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11. How do you learn kanji?
Start with the ~80 first-grade kanji, learn radicals, write each character by stroke order, and review with spaced repetition. Exercise books (kanji renshuu-chou) from Japanese bookstores or Amazon Japan are cheap and effective. See best Japanese books for beginners and Shin Kanzen Master review.
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Are kanji flashcards like White Rabbit worth it?
Physical flashcard sets such as White Rabbit Press's kanji cards show a kanji on the front, and its readings, meanings and example words on the back. They suit learners who like studying away from a screen and drilling a set number of characters each day. If you prefer an app, spaced-repetition apps such as Anki cover the same ground. Whichever you use, learn each kanji inside real words, not on its own.
12. Frequently asked questions
How many kanji do I need? About 2,136 jouyou kanji cover everyday Japanese; 500–1,000 let you read a lot.
What's the kanji for "I love you"? 愛してる (aishiteru), though most people say 好き (suki).
Is 龍 or 竜 correct for dragon? Both. 龍 is traditional, 竜 is the everyday simplified form.
Can one kanji mean several things? Yes. 金 is gold and money, 空 is sky and empty.
What's the kanji for strength? 力 (chikara).
Related: Japanese words and meanings · Japanese names by meaning
About the author – [AUTHOR PLACEHOLDER: real name, Japanese level, native-speaker reviewer.]
