One of the most annoying things about learning Japanese is the Chinese ideograms called Kanji. The situation only worsens when you encounter very similar characters that can completely confuse you about the word. In this article, we will talk especially about kanji that look alike.
There are many kanji that change only a small stroke or curve, and it can confuse you when reading or writing, just like the katakana シツ and ソン. Besides having similar appearances, you will sometimes come across ideograms with similar readings and meanings.
Despite having identical characters, the meanings can be completely different. Or sometimes they may have a very similar meaning, or even a similar pronunciation. That’s why it’s important to know the radicals of the ideograms.
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The most confused similar kanji
Below we will share some popular ideograms that are often confused by students who are just starting to learn Japanese. We will also explain each of the ideograms and their differences in detail.
Kanji 入 and 人
On the left side of the image, we have 入 (iri) which means “to enter” and on the right side we have 人 (hito) which means “person”.
On the computer, the characters are hard to identify due to the rendering of the character; however, in calligraphy, it is easier to differentiate one from the other due to the position of the strokes. The smaller stroke on the left supporting the larger stroke on the right is the iri. The smaller stroke on the right supporting the larger stroke on the left is the hito.
Ideograms 土 and 士
These are more difficult, as the difference is quite subtle. The one on the left is 土 (tsuchi) which means “earth” or “soil”. The one on the right is 士 (shi) which means “warrior”. The difference is the length of the strokes. In tsuchi, the bottom stroke is longer than the top stroke. In shi, the opposite applies.
Kanji 本 and 木
The difference between these two is also not very big. The one on the left is 本 (hon) which means “book”. The one on the right is 木 (moku) which means “wood”. The difference from hon to moku is the small stroke in hon that moku does not have.
Ideograms 日 and 曰
These are really difficult to differentiate and require a lot of attention to know which is which. The one on the left is 日 (hi) which means “day” and the one on the right is 曰 (etsu) whose closest meaning would be “to say”.
The difference is that in hi, the stroke is complete and divides the character in half. In etsu, the stroke is incomplete, leaving an opening as shown in the image above. For your happiness, the character etsu is only found in very sophisticated texts and is accompanied by the hiragana く (ku), thus forming a verb.
Kanji 力 and 刀
The characters 力 (chikara), which means “power” and 刀 (katana), meaning “sword” also contain a slight difference. The one on the left (chikara) has a stroke coming out from the top horizontal, while the one on the right (katana) does not have this stroke.
Ideograms 氷 and 水
The character on the left 氷 (kōri) means “ice” and the one on the right 水 (mizu) means “water”. The ideogram is practically the same, with the difference of one extra stroke in kōri.
Kanji 大 and 犬
It’s the same case as the previous one. Two characters that are the same ideogram with the difference that the dog ideogram 犬 (inu) has one extra stroke compared to the large ideogram 大 (dai).
Ideograms 知 and 和
On the left side, the character 知 (chi) which means “wisdom”. On the right side, the character 和 (wa) which means “harmony”. The difference lies in the radicals as described in the image.
猫を描く – Draw a cat
The above sentence means “draw a cat” see how the kanji “Cat- 猫” and “draw- 描” are quite similar.
Analyzing the differences OF SIMILAR KANJI
The truth is that there are thousands of similar kanji, many kanji have the same radical, making them look alike. Others are visibly identical, but have a different form and order of strokes that turn them into completely different things.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to learn the differences in similar kanji that you may not know; over time you will practice and be able to differentiate them instantly. That’s why it’s important to learn the order of the strokes and the writing of ideograms.
Below we will leave an image with 10 pairs of similar kanji, and we ask that you try to see and understand the difference on your own. If I simply tell you, it won’t be very effective. You should look and notice the small differences that range from the order and size of the strokes to different radicals.
Other SIMILAR IDEOGRAMS
Besides the image above, there are many other similar ideograms. I will leave a few more below:
従 – 徒
験 – 検
感 – 惑
識 – 織
待 – 持
嫌 – 婕
録 – 緑
石 – 右
Other difficulties in learning Kanji
Learning kanji can be a great challenge; they may seem beautiful, and they have their positive points in the Japanese language. Besides there being many similar ideograms, there are other reasons that can confuse Japanese students and hinder their learning:
- There are many unnecessary kanji;
- They are unnecessary in conversation;
- They are very difficult to write;
- They have multiple pronunciations;
- They have multiple meanings;
It may seem challenging to have to pay attention not only to the details of the strokes but also to remember countless readings and still have to write them can be overwhelming.
Despite all this, by learning their small differences and memorizing their functions, knowing kanji will change the way you visualize the world. It will expand your brain and make you increasingly smarter.
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