How do you tell similar-looking kanji apart?
· Avinash Kumar
Kanji Mnemonics runs on iPhone and iPad. The app is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
Look-alike kanji get mixed up because your memory stores the overall shape and skips the one detail that differs. The fix is to name that detail and tie it to the meaning: one difference, one story. Then review the pair side by side until the difference is the first thing you see.
I build Kanji Mnemonics, the app mentioned below, so weigh my suggestions with that in mind.
Pairs that catch almost everyone
| Kanji | Meaning | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 人 / 入 | person / enter | Which stroke sits on top at the join |
| 土 / 士 | earth / samurai, gentleman | 土 has the shorter top line; 士 the longer one |
| 未 / 末 | not yet / end | 未 has the shorter top line; 末 the longer one |
| 日 / 目 | sun, day / eye | 目 has two inner lines, 日 one |
| 大 / 犬 / 太 | big / dog / thick | 犬 has a dot top right, 太 a dot at the bottom |
| 待 / 持 | wait / hold | 彳 on the left of 待, 扌 (hand) on the left of 持 |
A method that works
- Find the single difference. Say it out loud: “the dog has an extra dot at its ear.”
- Make the story about that difference. A story for 末 that mentions a long line reaching the end of a table helps; a story that ignores the line does not.
- Compare side by side. Once you know one kanji, study the look-alike next to it rather than in a separate session.
- Read them in words. 未来 (future) and 週末 (weekend) give each kanji a context you will meet again.
Why stories help here
A mnemonic gives a meaning to each part of a shape. When the meaning of a kanji depends on the detail you keep missing, recalling the story forces you to recall the detail too. This is the core idea behind mnemonic methods like Remember the Kanji and it works especially well for look-alikes.
Where the app fits
Kanji Mnemonics gives each kanji one keyword, one story and one picture, with readings and example words, across JLPT N5 to N1. Two-way flashcards check both directions: meaning to kanji and kanji to meaning, which is where look-alikes usually fail. It works offline. Lesson 1 is free; Pro is a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase.
Read next: kanji radicals and components and how kanji mnemonics work.
Questions people ask
- Should I learn similar kanji together or apart?
- Learn the first one on its own until it is solid, then meet the look-alike on purpose and compare them side by side. Learning both brand-new at the same moment tends to blur them.
- Do radicals help with look-alike kanji?
- Often, yes. Many confusing pairs differ in one component, such as 待 (wait) and 持 (hold). Knowing that 彳 relates to going and 扌 to the hand gives each one a reason to look the way it does.
Kanji Mnemonics
Picture-book mnemonics for every JLPT kanji, N5 to N1, with a Today's Kanji widget.
Keep reading
Also available in: Deutsch · Español (Latinoamérica) · Français · Italiano · 日本語