Kanji, taken apart

Kanji you can rebuild, not just stare at

Every character opens into radicals that carry meaning of their own, held together by a short mnemonic and drilled in real stroke order — so a kanji becomes something you can reason your way back to instead of a shape you cram.

For example
日 sun
月 moon

明 · sun beside moon → bright

あかるい · akarui

  • Broken down by radical

    Every character opens up into meaningful parts instead of a tangle of loose strokes.

  • A mnemonic story

    The radicals’ meanings are woven into a short, slightly absurd scene — absurd sticks — that lands on the meaning of the character.

  • Handwriting in real stroke order

    Watch the stroke order, then write it back on a blank canvas — with no template underneath when you are being tested.

  • Look it up however you remember it

    Type kanji, kana, romaji, or the English meaning — or pick radicals when the shape is all you have.

GoMe's Library screen: searching 山 returns vocabulary and kanji entries with English meanings

Kanji dictionary

Browse kanji and vocabulary by level

Every kanji and word has its own page: meanings, readings, example sentences and stroke order. Pick a level (estimated against the JLPT framework) or start with a few familiar characters.

Featured kanji

Ready for the first leg?

GoMe Nihongo is out on the App Store and Google Play — download it and start today.