Kanji Study

Bushu (Radical) Info: ｜ (ぼう) – rod

Henshall Mnemonic: Chinese arrow pierces middle of target

Levels: JLPT N5 | JLPT 4 (old) | Grade 1
Frequency: #11 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

• 中   [なか]
  (n) inside; middle; among   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N4 Words

• 中学校   [ちゅうがっこう]
  (n) junior high school; middle school; lower secondary school   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 真ん中   [まんなか]
  (n) middle; centre; mid-way   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 途中   [とちゅう]
  (n-adv,n-t) on the way; en route; midway   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 背中   [せなか]
  (n) back (of body)   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N3 Words

• 中中   [なかなか]
  (adv) (1) (uk) very; considerably; easily; readily; fairly; quite; highly; rather; (2) by no means (with negative verb)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 集中   [しゅうちゅう]
  (n,vs) concentration; focusing the mind   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 最中   [さいちゅう]
  (n-adv,n) in the middle of; height of; in course of; midst   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中央   [ちゅうおう]
  (n) centre; central; center; middle   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 夢中   [むちゅう]
  (adj-na,n) daze; (in a) trance; ecstasy; delirium; engrossment   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中学   [ちゅうがく]
  (n) middle school; junior high school   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 年中   [ねんじゅう]
  (n-adv,n) whole year; always; everyday   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 世の中   [よのなか]
  (n) society; the world; the times   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中古   [ちゅうこ]
  (n-t) (1) used; second-hand; old; (2) Middle Ages   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中止   [ちゅうし]
  (n,vs) suspension; stoppage; discontinuance; interruption   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 熱中   [ねっちゅう]
  (n) nuts!; enthusiasm; zeal; mania   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中心   [ちゅうしん]
  (n) center; core; heart; pivot; emphasis; balance   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 夜中   [よなか]
  (n-adv,n-t) midnight; dead of night   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 日中   [にっちゅう]
  (n-adv,n-t) (1) daytime; during the day; (2) Sino-Japanese   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

• 中途   [ちゅうと]
  (n) in the middle; half-way   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中年   [ちゅうねん]
  (n) middle-aged   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 空中   [くうちゅう]
  (n) sky; air   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中間   [ちゅうかん]
  (n-adv,n) middle; midway; interim   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 御中   [おんちゅう]
  (n) and Company; Messrs   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中指   [なかゆび]
  (n) middle finger   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

• 寒中   [かんちゅう]
  (n-adv,n-t) mid-winter; cold season   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 地中   [ちちゅう]
  (n) underground; subterranean   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 地中海   [ちちゅうかい]
  Mediterranean Sea   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 車中   [しゃちゅう]
  (n-adv,n-t) in a train or vehicle   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中絶   [ちゅうぜつ]
  (n,vs) interruption; abortion; discontinuance; suspension; abeyance   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中前   [ちゅうぜん]
  (n) front of center field   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 市中   [しちゅう]
  (n) in the city   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 一日中   [いちにちじゅう]
  (n) throughout the day   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• お話し中   [おはなしちゅう]
  (n) busy (phone)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 暑中   [しょちゅう]
  (n) mid-summer   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中卒   [ちゅうそつ]
  (n) junior high school or middle school graduate   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 暑中見舞   [しょちゅうみまい]
  summer greeting card   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 戦中   [せんちゅう]
  (n) during the war   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 暑中見舞い   [しょちゅうみまい]
  summer greeting card   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中退   [ちゅうたい]
  (n) leaving school during a term   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中隊   [ちゅうたい]
  (n) company, battery, troop   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 生中継   [なまちゅうけい]
  (n) (on TV) "live" broadcast   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 食中毒   [しょくちゅうどく]
  (n) food poisoning   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 訪中   [ほうちゅう]
  (n) visit to China   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 一年中   [いちねんじゅう]
  (n-adv,n-t) all year round   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 心中   [しんちゅう]
  (n) in one's heart; true motives; mind   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中庭   [なかにわ]
  (n) courtyard; quadrangle; middle court   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 中でも   [なかでも]
  (adv) among; above all   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 集中豪雨   [しゅうちゅうごうう]
  local downpour; severe rain fall   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 真夜中   [まよなか]
  (n-adv,n-t) dead of night; midnight   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Find more details for 中 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.