Top 10 Confusing Lookalike Kanji Printable Cheat Sheet (5-Second Radical Rules)
One changed radical changes the entire meaning and reading. Keep this 1-page visual comparison sheet on your desk to tell lookalike kanji apart in under 5 seconds.
待 (Wait) vs 持 (Hold) vs 特 (Special) vs 時 (Time)
彳 (slide / footsteps) = Wait (待) • 扌 (hand) = Hold (持) • 牛 (cow) = Special (特) • 日 (sun) = Time (時).
Long wait times (たい) for the bell tower slide. Moms (ま) surely did not approve this...
Sometimes God intervenes with Jesus (じ) work, and holds for a moment (も) the time-bell.
At 6pm, the special cow that can talk-u (とく) announces the end of the day.
In the old Toki-o (とき) Jesus (じ) rang the church bell so you could tell the time...
日 (Day) vs 目 (Eye) vs 白 (White) vs 百 (Hundred) vs 自 (Self)
日 (1 inner bar = Day/Sun) • 目 (2 inner bars = Eye) • 白 (sun with a ray on top = White) • 百 (one 一 on top of white = Hundred) • 自 (eye with a nose ridge on top = Self).
In a bright sun beam (び), Mr. Hiroki (ひ) can finally see why his “knee is itchy” (にち)! Must be from all the karate (か) and jiu-jitsu (じつ)!
“Mee (め) eh?” Is this cute-eyed sheep mocking (もく) us?
She wrote (しろ) the code to hack-u (はく) the white radish server.
Slow-mo motion (もも) Hyacinth Cool (ひゃく) Town is now a hundred years old!!
Just Jesus (じ) with his friend Shitake (し) in a self-driving car...
人 (Person) vs 入 (Enter) vs 八 (Eight)
人 (two legs standing together = Person) • 入 (top leans left as if ducking inside = Enter) • 八 (two strokes separated with space between = Eight).
Ninja (にん) hitman (ひと) wearing jeans (じん), working at Nintendo... just your typical Japanese person...
When entering a new (にゅう) tent with an eagle (い) design, make sure to first say hi (はい)....
Yaa (や) kids coming out of secret hatches (はち) to play on the forbidden yolo (よう) eight meter slide...
牛 (Cow) vs 午 (Noon) vs 年 (Year)
牛 (vertical horn pokes ABOVE the top bar = Cow) • 午 (vertical line stops FLAT at the top bar = Noon) • 年 (extra horizontal steps across the calendar = Year).
大 (Big) vs 太 (Thick/Fat) vs 犬 (Dog)
大 (arms stretched wide = Big) • 太 (drop at the bottom belly = Thick/Fat) • 犬 (drop up by the ear = Dog).
“Ooooo!!” (おお), what a fight! Definitely no tie (たい) today, the big guy will win all the diamonds (だい)...
Fighting a sumo tiger (たい) dripping with fat, is a foolish torture (ふと). Reward? Just tacos! (た)
Shiba Inu (いぬ) is one happy dog, listening to Kendrick (けん).
木 (Tree) vs 本 (Book/Origin) vs 休 (Rest) vs 体 (Body)
木 (Tree) • 本 (bar at the roots of the tree = Origin/Book) • 休 (person 亻 leaning against a tree 木 = Rest) • 体 (person 亻 + root/foundation 本 = Body).
The tree is mocking (もく) us, it knows we got no keys (き)...
The boy in Hong Kong, is reading a book about Honda (ほん) Motors (もと).
Resting by the cucumber (きゅう) tree is the best. Ohh Ya-ss (やす)!!
Tyrant (たい) Karate dad (からだ) wants his son to train his body, not read books.
右 (Right) vs 左 (Left) vs 石 (Stone)
右 (mouth 口 at bottom = you eat with your Right hand) • 左 (work/craft エ at bottom = Left hand holds the ruler) • 石 (cliff + rock mouth = Stone).
親 (Parent) vs 新 (New) vs 立 (Stand)
親 (standing 立 in a tree 木 watching 見 over their child = Parent) • 新 (chopping a tree with an axe 斤 for fresh wood = New) • 立 (standing on the ground = Stand, top-left of 親 & 新).
A proud parent watches his son present his revolutionary shiitake (した) cream for shins (しん). O ya!! (おや)
The arabic (あら) tree is thinking of a new life as a podium for artsy talented rabbis (あたら) in Wa-shington (しん)...
A rich European (りゅう) kid took a stand at the Ritz(u) (りつ) Hotel to discuss the importance of great tacos (た).
言 (Say) vs 話 (Talk) vs 読 (Read) vs 買 (Buy)
言 (sound waves rising from a mouth = Say) • 話 (words 言 + singing cat's tongue 舌 = Talk) • 読 (words 言 + sell 売 = Read) • 買 (net 罒 + shell money 貝 = Buy).
Genghis (げん) Khan, came back from the dead, just to say: “Gondola (ごん) prices are evil (い)!!”
Hannah, she (はなし) can't believe she got a waffle (わ) cake and her dream talking cat for birthday!!
Stop texting yo (よ)! I’m reading my toe (とう) book.
The boy really wants to buy (ばい) the kangaroo (か) robo-roo.
週 (Week) vs 通 (Pass Through) vs 進 (Advance) vs 送 (Send)
週 (church 周 on a scooter = Week) • 通 (passing through on a scooter = Pass Through) • 進 (bird 隹 advancing on a scooter = Advance) • 送 (sending a gift on a scooter = Send).
At the end of each week, grandpa puts on his best shoes (しゅう) and rides to church.
The boy is just passing through, totally (とお) unaware of the tsunami (つう) and a coyote (かよ) in the background...
If birds get shin (しん) guards they will be able to ride scooters to the soup supermarket (すす) and advance in the world...
If you want to make a soulful (そう) little boy happy, send him a scooter. The only cool (おく) gift!!