Kanji Study
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Kanji Information Sheet for 明 ( PDF version )
English: bright light | On-Yomi: メイ ミョウ ミン | Kun-Yomi: あ.かり あか.るい あか.るむ あか.らむ あき.らか あ.ける -あ.け あ.く あ.くる あ.かす あきら あけ あす きら け さや さやか とし はる み め |
Bushu (Radical) Info: 日 (にち) – sun
Henshall Mnemonic: bright sun and moon give clarity
Levels: JLPT N4 | JLPT 3 (old) | Grade 2
Frequency: #67 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers
Frequency: #67 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
- 明るい [あかるい]
(adj) bright; cheerful [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明後日 [あさって]
(n-adv,n-t) day after tomorrow [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明日 [あした]
(n-t) tomorrow [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明日 [あす]
(n-t) tomorrow [K] [D] [Jisho]
JLPT N4 Words
JLPT N3 Words
- 夜明け [よあけ]
(n) dawn; daybreak [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明かり [あかり]
(n) lamplight; light (in general); brightness [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明ける [あける]
(v1) to dawn; to become daylight [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明らか [あきらか]
(adj-na,n) obvious; evident; clear; plain [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明確 [めいかく]
(adj-na,n) clear up; clarify; define [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明後日 [みょうごにち]
(n-adv,n-t) day after tomorrow [K] [D] [Jisho] - 発明 [はつめい]
(n,vs) invention [K] [D] [Jisho] - 証明 [しょうめい]
(n,vs) proof; verification [K] [D] [Jisho] - 文明 [ぶんめい]
(n) civilization; culture [K] [D] [Jisho]
JLPT N2 Words
- 明け方 [あけがた]
(n-adv,n-t) dawn [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明明後日 [しあさって]
(n-adv,n-t) (uk) (in) three days time (two days after tomorrow) [K] [D] [Jisho] - 透明 [とうめい]
(adj-na,n) transparency; cleanness [K] [D] [Jisho]
JLPT N1 Words
- 照明 [しょうめい]
(n) illumination [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明かす [あかす]
(v5s) to pass; spend; to reveal; to divulge [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明くる [あくる]
(adj-pn,pref) next; following [K] [D] [Jisho] - 賢明 [けんめい]
(adj-na,n) wisdom; intelligence; prudence [K] [D] [Jisho] - 打ち明ける [うちあける]
(v1) to be frank; to speak one's mind; to open one's heart [K] [D] [Jisho] - 声明 [せいめい]
(n) declaration; statement; proclamation [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明白 [めいはく]
(adj-na,n) (uk) obvious; overt; plainly; frankly [K] [D] [Jisho]
Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT
- 究明 [きゅうめい]
(n) investigation (esp. in academic and scientific contexts) [K] [D] [Jisho] - 自明 [じめい]
(adj-na,adj-no,n) obvious; self-evident; axiomatic; self-explanatory [K] [D] [Jisho] - 解明 [かいめい]
(n,vs) elucidation; explication [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明くる日 [あくるひ]
(n-adv,n-t) next day; following day [K] [D] [Jisho] - 克明 [こくめい]
(adj-na,n) detailed; elaborate; faithfulness; diligence; conscientiousness [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明け暮れ [あけくれ]
(n-adv,n-t) morning and evening; all the time [K] [D] [Jisho] - 未明 [みめい]
(n-adv,n-t) early dawn; grey of morning [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明り [あかり]
(n) lamplight; light (in general); brightness [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明暗 [めいあん]
(n) light and darkness; light and shade [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明快 [めいかい]
(adj-na,n) clarion; clarity [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明記 [めいき]
(n,vs) clear writing; specification [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明言 [めいげん]
(n) declaration; statement [K] [D] [Jisho] - 判明 [はんめい]
(n,vs) establishing; proving; identifying; confirming [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明細 [めいさい]
(adj-na,n) details; obvious [K] [D] [Jisho] - 失明 [しつめい]
(n) loss of eyesight [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明治 [めいじ]
Meiji era [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明示 [めいじ]
(n,vs) specification; explicitly state [K] [D] [Jisho] - 鮮明 [せんめい]
(adj-na,n) vivid; clear; distinct [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明星 [みょうじょう]
(n) (1) morning star; Venus; (2) Lucifer; (3) (literary) star [K] [D] [Jisho] - 英明 [えいめい]
(adj-na,n) intelligent; wise; bright; brilliant; clear-sighted [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明朝 [みょうちょう]
(n-adv,n-t) tomorrow morning [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明年 [みょうねん]
(n-adv,n-t) next year [K] [D] [Jisho] - 不透明 [ふとうめい]
(adj-na,n) opacity [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明晩 [みょうばん]
(n-adv,n-t) tomorrow evening [K] [D] [Jisho] - 明文化 [めいぶんか]
(n) stipulate [K] [D] [Jisho]
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.