100 Most Common Kanji Characters (With Meaning and Reading)
If you are starting to learn Japanese, mastering the most common kanji is one of the smartest ways to progress quickly. These kanji appear frequently in daily life, including conversations, menus, signs, and basic reading materials.
Instead of trying to memorize hundreds of random characters, focusing on high-frequency kanji helps you understand more with less effort. This approach is widely recommended for beginners and intermediate learners.
In this guide, you will find 100 of the most commonly used kanji characters. Each entry includes the reading in hiragana and romaji, English meaning, and Indonesian translation to support multi-language learning.
We also provide a searchable table and a copy feature so you can easily find and practice kanji efficiently.
For best results, study these kanji daily and review them regularly. Combining repetition with real-life usage will help you master kanji faster.
| Kanji | Reading | English | Indonesian |
|---|---|---|---|
|
ๆฅ
|
ใซใก (nichi) | day | hari |
|
ไบบ
|
ใฒใจ (hito) | person | orang |
|
ๅนด
|
ใญใ (nen) | year | tahun |
|
ๅคง
|
ใใ (oo) | big | besar |
|
ๅ
|
ใใ ใ (juu) | ten | sepuluh |
|
ไบ
|
ใซ (ni) | two | dua |
|
ๆฌ
|
ใปใ (hon) | book/origin | buku |
|
ไธญ
|
ใชใ (naka) | inside | dalam |
|
้ท
|
ใชใใ (nagai) | long | panjang |
|
ๅบ
|
ใงใ (deru) | exit | keluar |
|
ไธ
|
ใใ (san) | three | tiga |
|
ๆ
|
ใ (ji) | time | waktu |
|
่ก
|
ใใ (iku) | go | pergi |
|
่ฆ
|
ใฟใ (miru) | see | melihat |
|
ๆ
|
ใใค (getsu) | month | bulan |
|
ๅพ
|
ใใจ (ato) | after | setelah |
|
ๅ
|
ใพใ (mae) | before | sebelum |
|
็
|
ใใ (sei) | life | hidup |
|
ไบ
|
ใ (go) | five | lima |
|
ๅ
ญ
|
ใใ (roku) | six | enam |
|
ไธ
|
ใใก (shichi) | seven | tujuh |
|
ๅ
ซ
|
ใฏใก (hachi) | eight | delapan |
|
ไน
|
ใใ ใ (kyuu) | nine | sembilan |
|
็พ
|
ใฒใใ (hyaku) | hundred | seratus |
|
ๅ
|
ใใ (sen) | thousand | seribu |
|
ๅ
|
ใใ (en) | yen | yen |
|
ๅ
|
ใช (na) | name | nama |
|
ๆ ก
|
ใใ (kou) | school | sekolah |
|
ๅ
|
ใใ (saki) | ahead | depan |
|
่ฉฑ
|
ใฏใชใ (hanasu) | speak | berbicara |
|
ๆธ
|
ใใ (kaku) | write | menulis |
|
่ชญ
|
ใใ (yomu) | read | membaca |
|
่
|
ใใ (kiku) | listen | mendengar |
|
้ฃ
|
ใในใ (taberu) | eat | makan |
|
้ฃฒ
|
ใฎใ (nomu) | drink | minum |
|
่ฒท
|
ใใ (kau) | buy | membeli |
|
ๅฃฒ
|
ใใ (uru) | sell | menjual |
|
็ซ
|
ใใค (tatsu) | stand | berdiri |
|
ไผ
|
ใใใ (yasumu) | rest | istirahat |
|
ๆญฉ
|
ใใใ (aruku) | walk | berjalan |
|
่ตฐ
|
ใฏใใ (hashiru) | run | berlari |
|
ๅ
ฅ
|
ใฏใใ (hairu) | enter | masuk |
|
ๅบ
|
ใงใ (deru) | exit | keluar |
|
ๅคฉ
|
ใฆใ (ten) | heaven | langit |
|
ๆฐ
|
ใ (ki) | spirit/energy | energi |
|
้จ
|
ใใ (ame) | rain | hujan |
|
้ป
|
ใงใ (den) | electricity | listrik |
|
่ป
|
ใใใพ (kuruma) | car | mobil |
|
้ง
|
ใใ (eki) | station | stasiun |
|
ๅบ
|
ใฟใ (mise) | shop | toko |
|
ไผ
|
ใใ (au) | meet | bertemu |
|
ๅฎถ
|
ใใ (ie) | house | rumah |
|
ๅฝ
|
ใใซ (kuni) | country | negara |
|
่ช
|
ใ (go) | language | bahasa |
|
ไฝ
|
ใชใซ (nani) | what | apa |
|
่ชฐ
|
ใ ใ (dare) | who | siapa |
|
ๅฃ
|
ใใก (kuchi) | mouth | mulut |
|
็ฎ
|
ใ (me) | eye | mata |
|
่ณ
|
ใฟใฟ (mimi) | ear | telinga |
|
ๆ
|
ใฆ (te) | hand | tangan |
|
่ถณ
|
ใใ (ashi) | foot | kaki |
|
ๅ
|
ใกใใ (chikara) | power | kekuatan |
|
ๅฟ
|
ใใใ (kokoro) | heart | hati |
|
ไฝ
|
ใใใ (karada) | body | tubuh |
|
็ฉบ
|
ใใ (sora) | sky | langit |
|
ๅฑฑ
|
ใใพ (yama) | mountain | gunung |
|
ๅท
|
ใใ (kawa) | river | sungai |
|
็ฐ
|
ใ (ta) | rice field | sawah |
|
่ฑ
|
ใฏใช (hana) | flower | bunga |
|
่
|
ใใ (kusa) | grass | rumput |
|
ๆจ
|
ใ (ki) | tree | pohon |
|
็ณ
|
ใใ (ishi) | stone | batu |
|
็ซ
|
ใฒ (hi) | fire | api |
|
ๆฐด
|
ใฟใ (mizu) | water | air |
|
้
|
ใใญ (kane) | money | uang |
|
ๅ
|
ใคใก (tsuchi) | earth | tanah |
|
็ฌ
|
ใใฌ (inu) | dog | anjing |
|
็ซ
|
ใญใ (neko) | cat | kucing |
|
้ณฅ
|
ใจใ (tori) | bird | burung |
|
้ญ
|
ใใใช (sakana) | fish | ikan |
|
้จ
|
ใใ (ame) | rain | hujan |
|
้ช
|
ใใ (yuki) | snow | salju |
|
้ขจ
|
ใใ (kaze) | wind | angin |
|
็ฉบๆฐ
|
ใใใ (kuuki) | air (atmosphere) | udara |
|
็บ
|
ใพใก (machi) | town | kota kecil |
|
ๆ
|
ใใ (mura) | village | desa |
|
้
|
ใฟใก (michi) | road | jalan |
|
้
|
ใใ (mon) | gate | gerbang |
|
้
|
ใใใ (aida) | between | antara |
|
่ฟ
|
ใกใใ (chikai) | near | dekat |
|
้
|
ใจใใ (tooi) | far | jauh |
|
ๆฉ
|
ใฏใใ (hayai) | early | cepat |
|
้
|
ใใใ (osoi) | late | lambat |
|
ๅผท
|
ใคใใ (tsuyoi) | strong | kuat |
|
ๅผฑ
|
ใใใ (yowai) | weak | lemah |
|
ๆ
|
ใใคใ (atsui) | hot (weather) | panas |
|
ๅฏ
|
ใใใ (samui) | cold | dingin |
|
ๆ
|
ใใใใ (akarui) | bright | terang |
|
ๆ
|
ใใใ (kurai) | dark | gelap |
|
้
|
ใใใ (omoi) | heavy | berat |
|
่ปฝ
|
ใใใ (karui) | light (weight) | ringan |
Why Learn the Most Common Kanji First?
Learning high-frequency kanji gives you the best return on effort. These characters appear in daily conversations, basic reading, and real-world usage such as signs and menus.
Instead of memorizing rare kanji, focusing on commonly used ones allows you to understand a large portion of Japanese quickly. This method is widely used by successful learners.
Try to combine kanji study with vocabulary and real-life context. This will help you retain information longer and use it naturally.
To expand your knowledge, check our basic kanji list and JLPT N5 kanji.