Side-by-Side Comparison: 王 vs. 主 vs. 理 vs. 全 vs. 現 vs. 玉 vs. 国
Every kanji below contains the King (王) component. Bold readings indicate the primary WaniKani reading:
| Kanji & Meaning | Readings (Bold = Primary) | Shibashi Visual Mnemonic Story | Top Compound Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 王 (King) | ON: おう KUN: — |
King’s crown is all about fancy O-shaped jewels, so you go “Ohhh!! ” when you see it... | 王 (おう) — king, ruler, sovereign, monarch |
| 主 (Master) | ON: しゅ KUN: — |
Every smart king was always sure to follow the true master above him... | 主要 (しゅよう) — chief, main, principal, major |
| 理 (Reason) | ON: り KUN: — |
The king trying to figure out the reason why the boy meditates with a big box on his head... | 無理 (むり) — impossible |
| 全 (All) | ON: ぜん KUN: すべ |
The zen king lives in the mountains and all he eats are super berries . | 全員 (ぜんいん) — all members, all hands, everyone, everybody, whole crew |
| 現 (Present Time) | ON: げん KUN: あらわ |
Present time Genghis Khan subsists on apples, rabbits and water , which well... gets many strange looks. | 現れ (あらわれ) — embodiment, materialization |
| 玉 (Ball, Jewel) | ON: ぎょく KUN: たま |
The king, with his scepter ball/jewel is eating gyoza cooked at the local taco market ... | 玉 (たま) — ball, sphere, coin |
| 国 (Country) | ON: こく KUN: くに |
For some reason, the coke country king, has really cool knees ... | 外国 (がいこく) — foreign country |
How Each Kanji Uses the King (王) Visual Motif
1. 王 (King) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: おう | Kun’yomi: —
Shibashi Visual Story: “King’s crown is all about fancy O-shaped jewels, so you go “Ohhh!! ” when you see it...”
- 王 (おう): king, ruler, sovereign, monarch
2. 主 (Master) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: しゅ | Kun’yomi: —
Shibashi Visual Story: “Every smart king was always sure to follow the true master above him...”
3. 理 (Reason) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: り | Kun’yomi: —
Shibashi Visual Story: “The king trying to figure out the reason why the boy meditates with a big box on his head...”
4. 全 (All) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: ぜん | Kun’yomi: すべ
Shibashi Visual Story: “The zen king lives in the mountains and all he eats are super berries .”
5. 現 (Present Time) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: げん | Kun’yomi: あらわ
Shibashi Visual Story: “Present time Genghis Khan subsists on apples, rabbits and water , which well... gets many strange looks.”
- 現れ (あらわれ): embodiment, materialization
- 現代 (げんだい): nowadays, modern times, present-day
- 現れる (あらわれる): (1) to appear, to come in sight, to become visible, (2) to express oneself
6. 玉 (Ball, Jewel) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: ぎょく | Kun’yomi: たま
Shibashi Visual Story: “The king, with his scepter ball/jewel is eating gyoza cooked at the local taco market ...”
- 玉 (たま): ball, sphere, coin
7. 国 (Country) — King Radical (王) in Context
On’yomi: こく | Kun’yomi: くに
Shibashi Visual Story: “For some reason, the coke country king, has really cool knees ...”
- 外国 (がいこく): foreign country
- 国 (くに): country
- 外国人 (がいこくじん): foreigner
- 全国 (ぜんこく): country-wide, nation-wide, whole country, national
Essential Japanese Vocabulary Words Built from the King (王) Family
Once you can recognize 王 (King), 主 (Master), 理 (Reason), 全 (All), 現 (Present Time), 玉 (Ball), 国 (Country) by their shared King (王) visual motif, practice reading them inside these high-frequency Japanese words from the Shibashi app:
| Japanese Word | Hiragana Reading | English Meaning | JLPT Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 王 | おう | king, ruler, sovereign, monarch | JLPT |
| 主要 | しゅよう | chief, main, principal, major | JLPT |
| 主婦 | しゅふ | housewife, homemaker | JLPT |
| 無理 | むり | impossible | JLPT |
| 地理 | ちり | geography | JLPT |
| 物理 | ぶつり | physics | JLPT |
| 代理 | だいり | representation, agency, proxy, deputy, agent | JLPT |
| 全員 | ぜんいん | all members, all hands, everyone, everybody, whole crew | JLPT |
| 全て | すべて | everything, all, the whole | JLPT |
| 現れ | あらわれ | embodiment, materialization | JLPT |