日常生活の漢字 (N4 Kanji Part 1: Everyday Life)
Learning Objectives
- Learn essential N4 kanji related to daily activities and human body.
- Understand kanji used for meals, food, and drinks.
- Recognize kanji for basic communication and movement.
- Practice reading kanji combinations in context.
Welcome to the N4 level! Now that you have mastered the foundational N5 kanji (numbers, days, basic adjectives, and verbs), it is time to expand your vocabulary with kanji you will encounter every single day in Japan. In this first part of the N4 Kanji series, we focus on characters related to the human body, eating, drinking, and daily routines.
1. The Human Body (体)
Let’s begin with some fundamental kanji related to the physical body and senses.
タイ、テイ
からだ
- 体【からだ】body
- 体育【たいいく】physical education
- 体力【たいりょく】physical strength
トウ、ズ、ト
あたま
- 頭【あたま】head
- 頭痛【ずつう】headache
ガン
かお
- 顔【かお】face
- 洗顔【せんがん】face washing
セイ、ショウ
こえ
- 声【こえ】voice
- 大声【おおごえ】loud voice
彼女は顔が広いです。
kanojo wa kao ga hiroi desu.
She is well-connected (literally: her face is wide).
頭が痛いですから、病院へ行きます。
atama ga itai desu kara, byouin e ikimasu.
Because my head hurts, I am going to the hospital.
大きな声で話してください。
ookina koe de hanashite kudasai.
Please speak in a loud voice.
2. Food & Drink (飲食)
Eating out and talking about food are major parts of daily conversation. Here are the core kanji for these topics.
ニク
-
- 肉【にく】meat
- 牛肉【ぎゅうにく】beef
- 豚肉【ぶたにく】pork
チャ、サ
-
- お茶【おちゃ】tea (green tea)
- 紅茶【こうちゃ】black tea
- 茶色【ちゃいろ】brown
ヤ
の
- 野菜【やさい】vegetable
- 分野【ぶんや】field (of study, etc.)
サイ
な
- 野菜【やさい】vegetable
- 白菜【はくさい】Chinese cabbage
[!TIP] Notice how
野菜(yasai - vegetable) combines野(field) and菜(vegetable). Many Japanese kanji compounds are very literal!
| Word | Romaji | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 牛肉 | gyuuniku | Beef | Noun |
| 豚肉 | butaniku | Pork | Noun |
| 鶏肉 | toriniku | Chicken meat | Noun |
| お茶 | ocha | Green tea | Noun |
| 野菜 | yasai | Vegetable | Noun |
私は肉より野菜のほうが好きです。
watashi wa niku yori yasai no hou ga suki desu.
I like vegetables more than meat.
温かいお茶を飲みましょう。
atatakai ocha o nomimashou.
Let's drink some warm tea.
この料理には鶏肉が入っていますか。
kono ryouri niwa toriniku ga haitte imasu ka.
Does this dish have chicken in it?
3. Movement and Actions (行動)
Finally, let’s look at kanji associated with essential daily actions.
ソウ
はし・る
- 走る【はしる】to run
- ごちそう【ごちそう】feast (often uses kanji 御馳走)
ホ、ブ、フ
ある・く、あゆ・む
- 歩く【あるく】to walk
- 散歩【さんぽ】a stroll/walk
キ
お・きる、お・こす
- 起きる【おきる】to wake up
- 早起き【はやおき】early rising
シン
ね・る、ね・かす
- 寝る【ねる】to sleep
- 昼寝【ひるね】nap
毎朝、公園を走ります。
maiasa, kouen o hashirimasu.
Every morning, I run in the park.
駅から家まで歩いて帰りました。
eki kara ie made aruite kaerimashita.
I walked home from the station.
休みの日は、遅くまで寝ています。
yasumi no hi wa, osoku made nete imasu.
On days off, I sleep in late.
Contextual Dialogue
Let’s see how these words are used naturally in a daily conversation.
鈴木さん、お昼ご飯を食べに行きましょう。
Suzuki-san, ohirugohan o tabe ni ikimashou.
Suzuki, let's go eat lunch.
いいですね。何を食べたいですか。肉ですか、魚ですか。
Ii desu ne. Nani o tabetai desu ka. Niku desu ka, sakana desu ka.
Sounds good. What do you want to eat? Meat? Fish?
最近、少し体が重いので、野菜をたくさん食べたいです。
Saikin, sukoshi karada ga omoi node, yasai o takusan tabetai desu.
Recently, my body feels a bit heavy, so I want to eat lots of vegetables.
わかります。じゃあ、あの新しいサラダのお店まで歩いていきませんか。
Wakarimasu. Jaa, ano atarashii sarada no omise made aruite ikimasen ka.
I understand. Then, how about walking to that new salad place?
はい、そうしましょう！喉が渇いたので、冷たいお茶も飲みたいです。
Hai, sou shimashou! Nodo ga kawaita node, tsumetai ocha mo nomitai desu.
Yes, let's do that! I'm thirsty, so I also want to drink cold tea.
Chapter Summary
- 1体 (body), 頭 (head), 顔 (face), and 声 (voice) are crucial body-related kanji.
- 2肉 (meat), 茶 (tea), and 野菜 (vegetables) are highly common in food contexts.
- 3走 (run), 歩 (walk), 起 (wake), and 寝 (sleep) are daily motion verbs.
- 4Combining kanji often creates literal meanings, like 牛 (cow) + 肉 (meat) = 牛肉 (beef).
Knowledge Check
Test your understanding of the N4 kanji introduced in this chapter!
Quiz
Which kanji means 'Body'?