Side-by-Side Comparison: 行 vs. 後 vs. 待 vs. 彼
Every kanji below contains the Slide (彳) component. Bold readings indicate the primary WaniKani reading:
| Kanji & Meaning | Readings (Bold = Primary) | Shibashi Visual Mnemonic Story | Top Compound Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行 (Go) | ON: こう, ぎょう KUN: い, ゆ |
Just a bunch of gyozas in coats eating yuzu screaming “go!”, playing on a slide... | 銀行 (ぎんこう) — bank |
| 後 (Behind, After) | ON: ご, こう KUN: — |
Mr. Snowman is not very happy about Godzilla in a coat skiing behind his back... | 午後 (ごご) — afternoon |
| 待 (Wait) | ON: たい KUN: ま |
Long wait times for the bell tower slide. Moms surely did not approve this... | 待つ (まつ) — to wait |
| 彼 (He) | ON: ひ KUN: かれ, かの |
The single guy... he will just go to Karate , eat canoli and keep hilarious stuff at his place... | 彼女 (かのじょ) — she, her |
How Each Kanji Uses the Slide (彳) Visual Motif
1. 行 (Go) — Slide Radical (彳) in Context
On’yomi: こう, ぎょう | Kun’yomi: い, ゆ
Shibashi Visual Story: “Just a bunch of gyozas in coats eating yuzu screaming “go!”, playing on a slide...”
- 銀行 (ぎんこう): bank
- 旅行 (りょこう): travel
- 行く (いく): to go
- 急行 (きゅうこう): speedy, express
2. 後 (Behind, After) — Slide Radical (彳) in Context
On’yomi: ご, こう | Kun’yomi: —
Shibashi Visual Story: “Mr. Snowman is not very happy about Godzilla in a coat skiing behind his back...”
3. 待 (Wait) — Slide Radical (彳) in Context
On’yomi: たい | Kun’yomi: ま
Shibashi Visual Story: “Long wait times for the bell tower slide. Moms surely did not approve this...”
4. 彼 (He) — Slide Radical (彳) in Context
On’yomi: ひ | Kun’yomi: かれ, かの
Shibashi Visual Story: “The single guy... he will just go to Karate , eat canoli and keep hilarious stuff at his place...”
Essential Japanese Vocabulary Words Built from the Slide (彳) Family
Once you can recognize 行 (Go), 後 (Behind), 待 (Wait), 彼 (He) by their shared Slide (彳) visual motif, practice reading them inside these high-frequency Japanese words from the Shibashi app:
| Japanese Word | Hiragana Reading | English Meaning | JLPT Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 銀行 | ぎんこう | bank | JLPT |
| 旅行 | りょこう | travel | JLPT |
| 行く | いく | to go | JLPT |
| 急行 | きゅうこう | speedy, express | JLPT |
| 午後 | ごご | afternoon | JLPT |
| 後者 | こうしゃ | the latter | JLPT |
| 今後 | こんご | from now on, hereafter | JLPT |
| 後 | ご | after | JLPT |
| 待つ | まつ | to wait | JLPT |
| 期待 | きたい | expectation, anticipation, hope | JLPT |