Our cultural-tourism approach for learning Japanese kanji
Consistent with our ‘cultural-tourism’ approach, we use 20 themes to group these basic kanji.
CLOTHING AND FASHION
- men’s clothing
- women’s clothing
- children’s clothing
- accessories
CULTURE
- literature, bookstores, libraries
- museums and art galleries
- music
- sculpture
EATING OUT
- meals
- coffee shops
- tearooms
- types of cuisine
- types of restaurants
- bars and clubs
EDUCATION
- types of schools
- students, teachers and administrators
- subjects
- the classroom environment
EMERGENCY SERVICES
- police
- fire
- ambulances
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
- family
- friends
- relationships
- beauty
FOOD AND DRINK
- supermarkets and grocery shopping
- cereals
- condiments, herbs and spices
- dairy products
- fish
- fruits and vegetables
- meats
- pastries and desserts
- poultry
- non-alcoholic beverages
- alcoholic beverages
GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
- different landscapes
- environmental protection and climate control
- natural disasters
- natural resources
- plants and vegetation
- weather and seasons
- wildlife and marine life
- solar system
HEALTH
- healthcare professionals
- specialists
- clinics and hospitals
- alternative medicine
- dentists
- parts of the body
- pharmacies
- pregnancy
- sicknesses
- injuries
- first aid
HOMES AND FURNISHINGS
- types of accommodation
- rooms
- appliances
- decorations
- furniture
- workshops and tools
- gardens and gardening tools
- garages
LEGAL, FINANCIAL AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES
- banks
- investment houses and stock exchanges
- legal services
- real estate
LEISURE ACTIVITIES
- concerts
- hobbies
- routines
- music and theater
- museums and art galleries
- libraries and literature
MEASUREMENTS AND TELLING TIME
- numbers
- telling time
- calendar, days of the week, months of the year
- shapes
- weights
- distances
MEDIA
- types of media: print, radio, televison
- digital and social media
SHOPPING
- prices
- shopping malls
- department stores
- specialty stores
SPORTS
- gyms and fitness
- individual sports
- group sports
- summer and winter Olympics
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
- types of accommodation
- types of jobs
- travel agencies
- types of tourism
- names of prefectures in Japan
- names of popular destination cities in Japan
TRANSPORTATION
- land transport and types of vehicles
- cycling
- rail transport
- marine transport
- airports and aircraft
- maps
WORK
- occupations
- the office
- interviews
- job search
