Kanji Study

Bushu (Radical) Info: 面 (めん) – face

Henshall Mnemonic: mask encloses funny face with big eye

Levels: JLPT N3 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 3
Frequency: #186 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N5 Words

• 面白い   [おもしろい]
  (adj) interesting; amusing   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N4 Words

• 真面目   [まじめ]
  (adj-na,n) diligent; serious; honest   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N3 Words

• 場面   [ばめん]
  (n) scene; setting (e.g. of novel)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面   [めん]
  (n,n-suf) face; mug; surface; facial features; mask; face guard; side or facet; corner; page   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面倒   [めんどう]
  (adj-na,n) trouble; difficulty; care; attention   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 表面   [ひょうめん]
  (n) surface; outside; face; appearance   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

• 方面   [ほうめん]
  (n) direction; district; field (e.g., of study)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 地面   [じめん]
  (n) ground; earth's surface   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面積   [めんせき]
  (n) area   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面接   [めんせつ]
  (n) interview   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面倒臭い   [めんどうくさい]
  (adj) bother to do; tiresome   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 洗面   [せんめん]
  (n,vs) wash up (one's face); have a wash   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 正面   [しょうめん]
  (n,pref) front; frontage; facade; main   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 水面   [すいめん]
  (n) water's surface   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

• 斜面   [しゃめん]
  (n) slope; slanting surface; bevel   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面する   [めんする]
  (vs-s) to face on; to look out on to   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 几帳面   [きちょうめん]
  (adj-na,n,vs) methodical; punctual; steady   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 側面   [そくめん]
  (n) side; flank; sidelight; lateral   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面会   [めんかい]
  (n) interview   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 断面   [だんめん]
  (n) cross-section   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 対面   [たいめん]
  (n) interview; meeting   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面目   [めんぼく]
  (n) face; honour; reputation; prestige; dignity; credit   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面目   [めんもく]
  (n) face; honour; reputation; prestige; dignity; credit   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面皰   [にきび]
  (n) pimple; acne   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 覆面   [ふくめん]
  (n) mask; veil; disguise   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

• 画面   [がめん]
  (n) terminal screen; scene; picture; the field (in TV); photo   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 他面   [ためん]
  (n-adv,n-t) the other side; another direction; (on) the other hand   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 額面   [がくめん]
  (n) face value; par   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 図面   [ずめん]
  (n) drawing; diagram; plans; blueprint   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 両面   [りょうめん]
  (n) both sides; two sides   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 誌面   [しめん]
  (n) page of a magazine   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 前面   [ぜんめん]
  (n) front part; frontage; facade   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 紙面   [しめん]
  (n) space (page)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面   [おもて]
  (n) face   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面   [つら]
  (n,n-suf) face; mug; surface; facial features; mask; face guard; side or facet; corner; page   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面々   [めんめん]
  (n) each one; all; every direction   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面影   [おもかげ]
  (n) face; looks; vestiges; trace   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 譜面   [ふめん]
  (n) (written) music   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 平面   [へいめん]
  (n) level surface; plane   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 顔面   [がんめん]
  (n) face (of person)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面子   [めんつ]
  (n) face; (one's) honour   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面持ち   [おももち]
  (n) expression; look; countenance; face   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面識   [めんしき]
  (n) acquaintance   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 壁面   [へきめん]
  (n) surface of a wall   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 渋面   [じゅうめん]
  (n) grimace; sullen face   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 全面   [ぜんめん]
  (n) whole surface; entire   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 月面   [げつめん]
  (n) moon's surface   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 面談   [めんだん]
  (n,vs) interview   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 全面的   [ぜんめんてき]
  (adj-na) all-out; general; over-all; complete; extensive; full-scale   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 能面   [のうめん]
  (n) Noh mask   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Find more details for 面 at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.