Common kanji confusion pairs to memorize
Excel in Japanese: Important Test Mistakes to Avoid: Common kanji confusion pairs to memorize
Here are some common kanji confusion pairs to memorize, especially useful for learners to distinguish them clearly:
- 牛 (cow) vs 午 (noon) vs 千 (thousand) — often confused due to similar strokes.
- 土 (earth) vs 士 (scholar) — subtle difference in horizontal stroke placement.
- 未 (not yet) vs 末 (end) — differ mainly in the length of a horizontal stroke.
- 辛 (bitter) vs 幸 (happiness) — similar strokes but different directions.
- 待つ (to wait) vs 持つ (to hold) — differ by the radical on the left: person vs hand.
- 縁 (fate, edge) vs 緑 (green) — tricky to tell apart.
- 字 (character) vs 学 (study) — can cause confusion when reading quickly.
- 拾 (pick up) vs 捨 (throw away) — similar but opposite meanings.
- 祖 (ancestor) vs 相 (mutual) — similar appearance and readings そ vs そう.
- 上げる (to raise) vs 上がる (to rise) and 下げる (to lower) vs 下がる (to fall) — pairs of transitive and intransitive verbs often confused.
Learning radicals and using mnemonics, like associating parts of kanji with stories or meanings, helps distinguish these pairs. Writing practice focusing on these details also reinforces memory. Confusions tend to lessen with context reading and typing rather than handwriting. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6