Kanji - Level 13 - Radicals

Question 1

身

Answer 1

Body
This radical is almost the same as the kanji, but it drops the “some” from somebody, making this just a body. Like the physical body you’re trapped in right now.
Just in case you don’t remember the kanji meaning, here’s the mnemonic again: Sure, it’s yourself who’s tumbling down the slide… at least that’s how it feels to you. Who are you? What are you? All you know is you’re somebody, but you don’t know who that somebody is.

Question 2

冊

Answer 2

Bookshelf
This looks like a bunch of books on a shelf. It’s a bookshelf!

Question 3

缶

Answer 3

Can
It’s kind of hard to see, but if you look at this the right way it looks like a tin can. The lines in the middle show the circumference, and the lines on the tops and sides show the outline of the can.

Question 4

央

Answer 4

Center
This radical is the same as the kanji. It means center.

Question 5

丸

Answer 5

Circle
This radical is the same as the kanji. It means circle.
Just in case you don’t remember this, here’s the kanji meaning mnemonic: What’s something with nine sides? Just add a drop and you’ll have something that’s almost a circle.

Question 6

𠮛

Answer 6

Creeper
Do you see the little mustache on top of the mouth? It’s one of those creepy mustaches… a John Waters sort of deal. That’s why this radical is called creeper. (It also bears some resemblance to a certain hissing green thing’s head but… well, you remember it how you want.)

Question 7

東

Answer 7

East
This radical is the same as the kanji. It means east.

Question 8

象

Answer 8

Elephant
What animal is a sad excuse for a pig? An elephant. Imagine an elephant trying to pretend to be a pig. They’re gray, not pink. And they have really long trunks, not little pig sniffers. And they’re way, way bigger. Silly elephant.

Question 9

果

Answer 9

Fruit
Everything’s about rice in ancient Japan and China. So the rice paddy that is on the tree isn’t rice, of course, it’s another kind of food. It’s fruit!

Question 10

良

Answer 10

Good
This radical is the same as the kanji. It means good.
Just in case you don’t remember this, here’s the kanji meaning mnemonic: A drop of water to a root is good. It’s good for the roots to grow and live and thrive. And what’s good for roots is good for our plants and us humans too.

Question 11

百

Answer 11

Hundred
This radical is the same as the kanji. It means hundred.

Question 12

意

Answer 12

Idea
This radical is the same as the kanji. It means idea.

Question 13

原

Answer 13

Original
See that cliff? The white, small one? That’s an original cliff, one of the first cliffs that ever existed. You can always spot original cliffs because they’re white and small. More complex cliffs emerged over time, but the original cliffs remained white and small.

Question 14

品

Answer 14

Products
Three boxes are stacked up on top of each other. These are products waiting to be shipped out.

Question 15

尺

Answer 15

Shrimp
This radical has a little head and some shrimpy legs sticking out of it. That’s because it’s a shrimp!

Question 16

忄

Answer 16

Soul
There are fins floating off of what’s left of a fish. This is the fish’s soul, left over after you ate its body. Make sure you wave goodbye to the souls of the fish you eat. It’s respectful.

Question 17

坴

Answer 17

Womb
Legs appear between two lumps of dirt. This is the earth’s version of a womb. Imagine a tiny baby growing under the ground and then sprouting out, legs first, into the world. Imagine being inside this dirt womb. It’s warm and damp. You feel safe.