The kanji writing system is used for most words in Japanese. There are over 2,000 kanji characters. Kanji can really help you tell words apart! For example, notice the words that sound the same in the following sentences:
たなかさん、こんにちは。
[Tanaka‑san, konnichiwa]
Hello, Mr. Tanaka.
さんじです。
[sanji desu]
It's three o'clock.
Some kanji look like what they mean. See how the kanji for one, two, and three have that many lines:
| kanji | hiragana |
|---|---|
| 一 | いち |
| 二 | に |
| 三 | さん |
In this course, you’ll slowly learn more and more about kanji.