List of Phonetic Components

Natalie Hamilton is a teacher and translator. She turned her focus to Japanese study while living and working in Japan’s rural Oita Prefecture on the JET Programme. She was awarded a Master of Japanese Translation in 2014, which included a linguistics dissertation entitled Cracking the ON Yomi Code. Her new kanji textbook The Kanji Code has been an Amazon #1 Best Seller on four continents.

The components that indicate meaning in Japanese – the radicals or 部首 (bushu) – are a known quantity. There are 214 in both Japanese kanji and Chinese hanzi, and their meanings are roughly the same across both languages, with only small differences. You can find a list in the back of most kanji dictionaries, and two good online lists can be found at Kanji Alive and Wikipedia. Personally, I found it useful to learn the radicals by subject category. I’ve created a list of the most common radicals by subject which you might find helpful.

The components that indicate sound – the phonetic components or 音符 (onpu) – are more shifty than the radicals. There is no official list, even though many people agree that they exist and that they do provide a great hint to the ON readings of kanji. One reason for this is the many exceptions to the phonetics. A phonetic that appears in one kanji may indicate a different sound in another. For this reason phonetic components sometimes falls into the ‘too hard basket’ in Japanese language education. However, this is changing and as my recent conversation with Hiroko Townsend showed, the phonetics are now believed by teachers and academics to be a vital weapon in your kanji learning armoury.

The absence of an official list was frustrating when I was studying kanji intensively.  I intuitively knew that learning them would help me to master more kanji ON readings. So  I attempted to catalogue the most useful phonetic components while I was living in Japan in 2006,  and in 2011 I made this exercise formal in a linguistics dissertation at Macquarie University. In 2018 I revisited my list and expanded on it by going through the Joyo Kanji in order, looking for kanji with the same reading that shared a certain component. To this list I added 41 phonetics from Townsend’s 2011 dissertation, finally arriving at 150 components, which includes 20 rhyming phonetics – where the final sound is the same, rather than the whole ON reading. The full references for my research can be found in The Kanji Code.

So here you have it. The first ‘official’ online list of the Japanese Phonetic Components that explicitly lists the components and the sounds they represent, as well as providing a name to help you remember them. The radicals give you a hint to the meaning of kanji, and these phonetics will give you a hint to the reading or pronunciation.

For each of the components listed below, my book  The Kanji Code includes the following information:

1. the component e.g. 可
2. the ON reading it represents, written in romaji e.g. KA
3. the meaning in English e.g. possible
4. the type (either a kanji in its own right, a radical or a component) e.g. kanji
5. at least two and up to seven kanji that contain it and their meaning

e.g. 可 possible

河 river

歌 sing, song

6. at least one example word per kanji that uses the reading associated with this phonetic, with an English meaning and the reading written in romaji

e.g. 可能 KANOU possible

河川 KASEN river, stream

歌詞 KASHI song lyrics

A version of this list that links to the WWWJDIC was created by Dr Jim Breen in September 2019. It allows you to click on each kanji and see its full entry in the WWWJDIC including radicals, meaning in Japanese and English and more. Click the link below to visit the clickable link. It’s also listed on Dr Breen’s Japanese Page.

Kanji Phonetic Components linked to WWWJDIC

Kanji Phonetic Components (Standard)

Phonetic component names are Copyright Natalie Hamilton 2019.

Those marked as creative components have an original name that was created by the author, because the component is not known to have a clear meaning in Japanese. a detailed explanation of the creative component derivation can be found in the book.

Those marked Power Phonetics appear in at least five kanji.

The list is provided for research and study purposes. If you reproduce it, please credit Ocha Press and provide a link to this page.

Cite this resource (APA style): Hamilton, N. (2019). The Kanji Code. Sydney: Ocha Press. Retrieved from https://thekanjicode.com/list-of-phonetic-components/

Order The Kanji Code for the full list including kanji examples and vocabulary.

	Phonetic Component	ON reading	Name	Type	Power Phonetic
1	永	EI エイ	eternal	kanji
2	可	KA　カ	possible	kanji
3	加	KA　カ	add	kanji
4	化	KA　カ	change	kanji
5	果	KA　カ	fruit	kanji
6	咼	KA　カ	open mouth	component
7	牙	GA　ガ	tusk	radical
8	我	GA　ガ	myself, obstinate	kanji
9	義	GI　ギ	morality	kanji
10	各	KAKU カク	each	kanji
11	干	KAN カン	dry	radical
12	官	KAN カン	bureaucrat	kanji
13	門	KAN カン	gate	radical
14	𠦝	KAN カン	10AM	creative component
15	几	KI　キ	desk	radical
16	⼰	KI　キ	oneself	radical
17	其	KI　キ	step ladder	creative component
18	奇	KI　キ	strange	kanji
19	及	KYUU キュウ	reach	kanji
20	求	KYUU キュウ	want	kanji
21	巨	KYO キョ	Enormous* The capital E is deliberate, as it resembles 巨	kanji
22	兄	KYOU キョウ	big brother	kanji
23	竟	KYOU キョウ	nosy neighbour	creative component
24	共	KYOU キョウ	share	kanji
25	夹	KYOU キョウ	pinch	component
26	区	KU　ク	ward	kanji
27	禺	GUU グウ	fasten together	creative component
28	屈	KUTSU　クツ	bend	kanji
29	糸	KEI ケイ	thread	radical
30	圭	KEI ケイ	jade	kanji
31	圣	KEI ケイ	straight	component
32	敬	KEI ケイ	respect	kanji
33	券	KEN ケン	ticket	component
34	犬	KEN ケン	dog	radical
35	㑒	KEN ケン	everyone, all	component
36	県	KEN ケン	prefecture	kanji
37	臤	KEN ケン	solid	kanji
38	古	KO　コ	old	kanji	Power Phonetic
39	五	GO　ゴ	five	kanji
40	工	KOU コウ	katakana E, work	radical
41	⺹	KOU コウ	old age	radical
42	交	KOU コウ	mix	kanji
43	洪	KOU コウ	flood	kanji
44	冓	KOU コウ	combine	component
45	高	KOU コウ	tall	radical
46	艮	KON コン	boundary	radical	Power Phonetic
47	左	SA　サ	left	kanji
48	少	SA　サ	a few	kanji
49	采	SAI サイ	dice	kanji
50	才	ZAI ザイ	talent	kanji
51	斉	SAI サイ	even	radical
52	乍	SAKU サク	craft letter F	creative component
53	祭	SATSU サツ	festival	kanji
54	参	SAN サン	participate	kanji
55	司	SHI　シ	manage	kanji	Power Phonetic
56	士	SHI　シ	scholar	radical	Power Phonetic
57	次	SHI　シ	next	kanji
58	匕	SHI　シ	spoon	radical
59	直	SHOKU ショク	direct	kanji
60	寺	JI　ジ	temple	kanji
61	昔	SHAKU シャク	long ago	kanji
62	朱	SHU シュ	bright red	kanji
63	十	JUU ジュウ	ten	radical
64	旬	JUN ジュン	ten days	kanji
65	小	SHOU ショウ	small	radical
66	肖	SHOU ショウ	similar	kanji
67	召	SHOU ショウ	summon	kanji (honorific)
68	申	SHIN シン	say	kanji (honorific)
69	辰	SHIN シン	zodiac dragon	radical
70	㐱	SHIN シン	rash	creative component
71	亲	SHIN シン	relative	component
72	生	SEI セイ	life	radical
73	正	SEI セイ	correct	kanji
74	青	SEI セイ	blue	kanji
75	成	SEI セイ	become	kanji
76	泉	SEN セン	fountain	kanji
77	㦮	SEN セン	thinly sliced	creative component
78	善	ZEN ゼン	kind	kanji
79	且	SO　ソ	moreover	kanji (formal)
80	相	SOU ソウ	mutual	kanji
81	曽	SOU ソウ	great grandma	kanji
82	曹	SOU ソウ	sergeant	kanji
83	喿	SOU ソウ	Christmas tree/ pine cone	creative component
84	則	SOKU ソク	rule	kanji
85	弟	DAI ダイ	little brother	kanji
86	旦	TAN タン	dawn	kanji
87	単	TAN タン	single	kanji
88	知	CHI　チ	wisdom	kanji
89	竹	CHIKU チク	bamboo	radical
90	中	CHUU チュウ	centre	kanji
91	主	CHUU チュウ	main	kanji
92	長	CHOU チョウ	long	radical
93	兆	CHOU チョウ	omen	kanji
94	甬	TSUU ツウ	pack elephant	creative component
95	丁	TEI テイ	nail	kanji
96	⽦	TEI テイ	bolt of cloth	radical
97	氐	TEI テイ	ancient tribe	kanji (rare)
98	廷	TEI テイ	court	kanji
99	啇	TEKI テキ	stem	component
100	同	DOU ドウ	same	kanji
101	童	DOU ドウ	child	kanji
102	壬	NIN ニン	crying baby	creative component
103	忍	NIN ニン	endure	kanji
104	白	HAKU ハク	white	radical
105	半	HAN ハン	half	kanji
106	反	HAN ハン	opposite	kanji	Power Phonetic
107	必	HI　ヒ	certainly, must	kanji
108	皮	HI　ヒ	skin	radical	Power Phonetic
109	非	HI　ヒ	non-	radical
110	付	FU　フ	attach	kanji
111	畐	FUKU　フク	full box	creative component
112	复	FUKU フク	lathe, repeat	component
113	分	FUN フン	minute	kanji
114	辟	HEKI へキ	heckler, punish	kanji	creative component
115	扁	HEN へン	knitting	creative component
116	甫	HO　ホ	piercing sword/needle	creative component
117	莫	BO　ボ	sundown	creative component	Power Phonetic
118	包	HOU ホウ	wrapping	kanji	Power Phonetic
119	夆	HOU ホウ	sewing needle/ bee sting	creative component
120	亡	BOU ボウ	dead	kanji
121	麻	MA　マ	hemp	radical
122	未	MI　ミ	not yet	kanji
123	宓	MITSU　ミツ	hidden treasure	creative component
124	名	MEI メイ	name	kanji
125	明	MEI メイ	bright	kanji
126	面	MEN メン	surface	kanji
127	令	REI レイ	order	kanji	Power Phonetic
128	良	ROU ロウ	good	kanji
129	予	YO　ヨ	look ahead	kanji
130	羊	YOU ヨウ	sheep	radical

Order The Kanji Code for the full list including kanji examples and vocabulary.

Kanji Phonetic Components (Rhyming)

Rhyming phonetic components appear in kanji that don’t have the same first sound, but have the same final sound. For example, HOU/BOU and BEI/MAI.

	Phonetic Component	ON Reading	Name	Type	Power Phonetic
PR1	⻌	~OU ～オウ	movement	radical
PR2	方	HOU/BOU ホウ・ボウ	way	radical	Power Phonetic
PR3	米	~AI/EI ～アイ・ エイ	rice	radical
PR4	単	~AN ～アン	single	kanji
PR5	品	~IN ～イン	goods	kanji
PR6	占	~EN ～エン	fortune-telling	kanji
PR7	免	~EN ～エン	evade	kanji
PR8	亦	~EN ～エン	also	kanji
PR9	因	~IN/ON ～イン・ オン	cause	kanji
PR10	元	~AN/EN ～アン・ エン	origin	kanji
PR11	番	~N　～ン	number	kanji
PR12	各	~AKU ～アク	each	kanji
PR13	莫	~AKU ～アク	sundown	creative component
PR14	楽	~AKU ～アク	fun	kanji
PR15	出	~UTSU ～ウツ	exit	kanji
PR16	谷	~OKU ～オク	valley	radical
PR17	直	~OKU ～オク	direct	kanji
PR18	录	~OKU ～オク	chisel/tea harvest (catch)	creative component
PR19	刀	~ATSU/ETSU ～アツ・ エツ	sword	radical
PR20	⽄	~ITSU/ETSU ～イツ・ エツ	axe	radical

Order The Kanji Code for the full list including kanji examples and vocabulary.

A reader, Prashant Tak, has created an Anki deck based on this list for your convenience. Check it out!

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