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A free online kanji reading lookup tool. Covers 4,316 kanji characters with 1,100 kun'yomi root patterns at 92.7% accuracy. Unlike a traditional dictionary — each kanji shows its reading relationship network: same-reading kanji, same-root kanji, antonym pairs, and compound co-occurrences, revealing where each character sits within the Japanese vocabulary system.
Filter kanji by JLPT level N5 through N1. N5 covers ~100 basic kanji for beginners, N4 adds ~300, N3 ~650, N2 ~1000, and N1 ~2000 advanced kanji. Whether you're preparing for JLPT N5, N4, N3, N2, or N1, select your target level to see only relevant kanji and their full reading networks. Cross-level kanji that appear in multiple JLPT levels (like 会, 生, 行) show all applicable level tags.
Japanese kanji have two major reading systems: on'yomi (音読み) and kun'yomi (訓読み). On'yomi readings originated from ancient Chinese pronunciations, while kun'yomi are native Japanese readings. Most kanji have multiple readings across both systems — for example, the character 生 has over 10 different readings. Understanding the network of relationships between readings is the key to mastering Japanese kanji.
Q: What is kun'yomi?
A: Kun'yomi (訓読み / くんよみ) is the native Japanese reading of a kanji character. While on'yomi comes from Chinese pronunciations, kun'yomi is the Japanese word that existed before kanji were imported. For example, the kanji 山 is read as サン (san) in on'yomi but やま (yama) in kun'yomi — "yama" was the original Japanese word for mountain.
Q: How do I know whether to use on'yomi or kun'yomi?
A: Generally, kanji compound words (jukugo / 熟語) use on'yomi (e.g. 山水 → サンスイ), while standalone kanji or kanji with okurigana use kun'yomi (e.g. 山 → やま, 食べる → たべる). However, there are many exceptions. This tool helps you see the patterns by visualizing reading networks.
Q: Why does one kanji have so many readings?
A: Kanji entered Japan over multiple historical periods from different regions of China, bringing different pronunciations (Go-on, Kan-on, Tō-on). These layers combined with native Japanese kun'yomi created multiple readings. For instance, 行 has on'yomi コウ and ギョウ plus kun'yomi い（く）and おこな（う）.
Q: Does this tool cover JLPT kanji?
A: Yes. Filter by N5 through N1 levels to see only the kanji relevant to your JLPT study. Cross-level kanji (appearing in multiple JLPT levels) are shown with all applicable levels.
Q: What does "1,100 kun'yomi root patterns" mean?
A: Through linguistic analysis, the 4,316 kanji's kun'yomi readings can be reduced to approximately 1,100 fundamental reading patterns. Master these root patterns and you can deduce the kun'yomi of the entire kanji system. This is the core research result of the kanji-kun project.
Q: Can this tool help with JLPT preparation?
A: Yes. Filter by JLPT N5 through N1 to see exactly the kanji you need for your level. Each level's kanji are shown with their complete reading networks — kun'yomi, on'yomi, and related characters. Cross-level kanji that appear in multiple JLPT levels display all applicable tags, so you can see how the same character scales from beginner to advanced usage.
Q: Is this tool free?
A: Yes, completely free. No sign-up required, no usage limits. The kanji-kun project is an open research and educational tool.
Kanji Memory Network · kanji-kun project · Free online kanji reading dictionary · Data based on public Japanese dictionary resources and research