Kanji

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kanji

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the writing system classification?Logographic characters adapted from Chinese script (Hanzi)
2. What is the simplification efforts?Post-Meiji Restoration, simplified forms known as 'shinjitai' were developed to enhance literacy
3. What are Kanji and why are they called "picture characters"?Kanji are logographic symbols that look like tiny pictures and tell a story. They were borrowed from ancient China and became part of Japanese writing. They help show meaning directly.
4. Why do some Kanji have two different ways to read them?Each Kanji usually has an "on" reading that comes from the Chinese pronunciation when it was first brought to Japan, and a "kun" reading that is a native Japanese word for the same meaning. This lets people use the same symbol in many different words.

Logographic System: A writing system where characters represent words or morphemes, conveying meaning directly rather than phonetic sounds.
On'yomi (音読み): The Sino-Japanese reading of a Kanji character, derived from its original Chinese pronunciation.
Kun'yomi (訓読み): The native Japanese reading of a Kanji character, assigned to a Japanese word that has a similar meaning.
Wasei-kango (和製漢語): Japanese-coined words using Chinese characters and morphemes, some of which have been adopted into other East Asian languages.