🎌 Verb and Adjective Kanji: The Action Heroes of Japanese!

🌟 The Magic Word Pictures

Imagine you have a box of special stickers. Each sticker shows a tiny picture that means something you do (like run, eat, or read) or something you feel (like happy, big, or new). These magical stickers are called Kanji!

Today, we’re going to meet the kanji for things we do (verbs) and things that describe stuff (adjectives). Think of it like this:

Verb Kanji = Action superheroes (they DO things!) Adjective Kanji = Description fairies (they DESCRIBE things!)

🏃 PART 1: Common Verb Kanji (Action Superheroes!)

Verbs are doing words. When you run, eat, sleep, or write—those are all actions! Let’s meet the kanji heroes:

1. 行 (い・く / GO)

The Journey Hero

This kanji means “to go”. Look at it—it looks like a crossroad! When you GO somewhere, you pick a path.

行く (いく) = to go

Example: 学校に行く (がっこう に いく) = I go to school 🚶 You’re walking to school every day—you’re going!

2. 来 (く・る / COME)

The Arrival Friend

This kanji means “to come”. Someone is coming toward you!

来る (くる) = to come

Example: 友達が来る (ともだち が くる) = A friend comes 👋 Your buddy is walking toward you—they’re coming!

3. 見 (み・る / SEE)

The Eye Explorer

This kanji has an “eye” on legs! It means “to see” or “to look.”

見る (みる) = to see/look

Example: 映画を見る (えいが を みる) = I watch a movie 👀 Your eyes are looking at the big screen!

4. 食 (た・べる / EAT)

The Yummy Monster

This kanji means “to eat.” The top part looks like a roof (a restaurant!), and below is “good” things to munch.

食べる (たべる) = to eat

Example: りんごを食べる (りんご を たべる) = I eat an apple 🍎 Crunch crunch—you’re eating something delicious!

5. 飲 (の・む / DRINK)

The Thirsty Buddy

This kanji means “to drink.” The left side shows water-related things!

飲む (のむ) = to drink

Example: 水を飲む (みず を のむ) = I drink water 💧 Gulp gulp—refreshing!

6. 読 (よ・む / READ)

The Book Worm

This kanji means “to read.” It has the “word/say” part in it because reading is saying words with your eyes!

読む (よむ) = to read

Example: 本を読む (ほん を よむ) = I read a book 📚 Your eyes are dancing across the pages!

7. 書 (か・く / WRITE)

The Pencil Artist

This kanji means “to write.” It shows a brush writing something down!

書く (かく) = to write

Example: 手紙を書く (てがみ を かく) = I write a letter ✏️ Your hand is making beautiful words appear!

8. 聞 (き・く / LISTEN/HEAR)

The Ear Detective

This kanji has an “ear” inside a gate! It means “to hear” or “to listen.”

聞く (きく) = to hear/listen

Example: 音楽を聞く (おんがく を きく) = I listen to music 🎵 Your ears are catching beautiful sounds!

9. 話 (はな・す / SPEAK)

The Chatterbox

This kanji means “to speak” or “to talk.” The left side is “words” and the right is “tongue.”

話す (はなす) = to speak

Example: 日本語を話す (にほんご を はなす) = I speak Japanese 🗣️ Words are flowing from your mouth!

10. 買 (か・う / BUY)

The Shopper

This kanji means “to buy.” It has a net/shell on top (old money was shells!).

買う (かう) = to buy

Example: おもちゃを買う (おもちゃ を かう) = I buy a toy 🛒 You’re at the store getting something you want!

🎨 PART 2: Common Adjective Kanji (Description Fairies!)

Adjectives are describing words. They tell us if something is big, small, new, old, or beautiful! Let’s meet these magical kanji:

1. 大 (おお・きい / BIG)

The Giant Wizard

This kanji looks like a person spreading their arms wide to show something HUGE!

大きい (おおきい) = big

Example: 大きい犬 (おおきい いぬ) = a big dog 🐕 Imagine a super fluffy, giant doggy!

2. 小 (ちい・さい / SMALL)

The Tiny Fairy

This kanji looks like something being divided into smaller pieces!

小さい (ちいさい) = small

Example: 小さい猫 (ちいさい ねこ) = a small cat 🐱 A teeny tiny kitten that fits in your hand!

3. 新 (あたら・しい / NEW)

The Fresh Friend

This kanji means “new.” It combines “stand,” “tree,” and “axe”—like cutting fresh wood!

新しい (あたらしい) = new

Example: 新しい靴 (あたらしい くつ) = new shoes 👟 Brand new, shiny, never-worn shoes!

4. 古 (ふる・い / OLD)

The Antique Grandpa

This kanji means “old.” It looks like something that’s been standing for ten (十) generations!

古い (ふるい) = old

Example: 古い本 (ふるい ほん) = an old book 📖 A dusty book from long, long ago!

5. 高 (たか・い / HIGH/EXPENSIVE)

The Tower Knight

This kanji means “high” or “tall” or “expensive.” It looks like a tall building!

高い (たかい) = high/tall/expensive

Example: 高い山 (たかい やま) = a high mountain 🏔️ A mountain so tall it touches the clouds!

6. 安 (やす・い / CHEAP/PEACEFUL)

The Calm Friend

This kanji means “cheap” or “peaceful.” A woman (女) under a roof (宀) = safe and calm!

安い (やすい) = cheap

Example: 安いお菓子 (やすい おかし) = cheap snacks 🍬 Yummy treats that don’t cost much!

7. 長 (なが・い / LONG)

The Stretchy Buddy

This kanji means “long.” Picture something stretching out far!

長い (ながい) = long

Example: 長い道 (ながい みち) = a long road 🛤️ A road that goes on and on and on!

8. 短 (みじか・い / SHORT)

The Quick Pal

This kanji means “short.” It has an arrow (矢) that doesn’t go far!

短い (みじかい) = short

Example: 短い時間 (みじかい じかん) = a short time ⏰ Just a quick moment—zip!

9. 白 (しろ・い / WHITE)

The Snow Spirit

This kanji means “white.” It looks like a tiny bit of brightness!

白い (しろい) = white

Example: 白い雪 (しろい ゆき) = white snow ❄️ Beautiful, pure, sparkling snow!

10. 黒 (くろ・い / BLACK)

The Night Shadow

This kanji means “black.” It has “earth” (土) and dots like soot!

黒い (くろい) = black

Example: 黒い夜 (くろい よる) = black night 🌑 The sky when all the stars hide!

🧠 How Verbs and Adjectives Work Together

Here’s the magic trick: You can combine them!

graph TD
    A[大きい犬] --> B[見る]
    B --> C[大きい犬を見る]
    C --> D[I see a big dog!]

More Combinations:

• 新しい本を読む = I read a new book
• 長い道を行く = I go on a long road
• 安いお菓子を買う = I buy cheap snacks

🌈 Quick Memory Tricks

🎉 You Did It!

Now you know the action heroes (verbs) and description fairies (adjectives) of Japanese kanji!

Remember:

• Verb kanji tell you what you DO
• Adjective kanji tell you what things ARE LIKE

Mix them together, and you can describe your whole world in Japanese! 🌏✨

“Every kanji is a tiny picture that tells a story. The more you learn, the more stories you can tell!”