🀄 Kanji Reading Lookup (音読み・訓読み)

Most kanji have at least two kinds of reading. The onyomi (音読み, "sound reading") is the approximation of the original Chinese pronunciation, used mainly in compound words (熟語, jukugo) like 日本 (nihon) and 学校 (gakkō). The kunyomi (訓読み, "meaning reading") is the native Japanese word the kanji was matched to, used mainly when the kanji stands alone or with okurigana, like 山 (yama, "mountain") and 食べる (taberu, "to eat"). Knowing both families of readings is what lets a reader pronounce a kanji in any context.

This kanji reading lookup takes a single kanji (or several) and returns its onyomi in katakana, its kunyomi in hiragana, and a short English meaning. It is built for learners who meet an unfamiliar character and want a quick answer, and for readers who need to disambiguate a compound. For automatic furigana over a whole sentence, use the furigana generator; to romanise the readings you find here, the romaji converter handles the kana.

Refer to the table below for the readings of some everyday kanji:

The tool consults an embedded dictionary of common jōyō kanji. For each character it returns the onyomi (written in katakana by convention, because they come from Chinese) and the kunyomi (written in hiragana, with any okurigana shown in parentheses so you can see the verb or adjective ending). When a kanji has several readings of each type, all the common ones are listed. The dictionary focuses on the 200+ most frequent characters; rarer kanji may not appear and should be looked up in a full kanji dictionary.

The table below explains the conventions used to display each reading:

Choosing the right reading in context is a skill that comes with practice: a compound usually takes onyomi, a standalone word with okurigana usually takes kunyomi, and there are exceptions for very common words (今日 is read kyō, neither pure on nor kun). To romanise the readings shown here, paste them into the romaji converter, and to add them automatically above a sentence, use the furigana generator.

1. Type one or more kanji into the input box.
2. Click Look Up to search the embedded kanji dictionary.
3. Read the onyomi (katakana), kunyomi (hiragana), and English meaning.
4. Use the example words to see each reading in context.
5. Paste the readings into the romaji converter if you need Latin letters.

Why are onyomi shown in katakana and kunyomi in hiragana?

It is the standard dictionary convention. Onyomi come from Chinese and are written in katakana to mark them as sound-borrowings; kunyomi are native Japanese words and use hiragana, with okurigana in parentheses.

How do I know which reading to use in a real word?

Compounds (two or more kanji together) usually take onyomi; a kanji standing alone or with okurigana usually takes kunyomi. Common words like 今日 break this rule, so context and vocabulary knowledge matter.

Does it cover every kanji?

It covers the most common jōyō kanji (roughly 200+). Rare characters, some name-only kanji, and newly added jōyō may be missing and should be checked in a full kanji dictionary.

Can it tell me the stroke count too?

This tool focuses on readings and meaning. For stroke counts (used in name fortune), use the name fortune tool, which looks up strokes for the five-grid calculation.

What are nanori readings?

Nanori (名乗り) are special readings used almost exclusively in personal names. They are often not listed in general dictionaries; for name readings, use a dedicated Japanese name-reading resource.

Is the lookup sent to a server?

No. The whole dictionary is embedded in the page and the search runs locally in your browser, so it works offline and keeps your input private.

As a rule of thumb, a kanji in a two-or-more-character compound takes its onyomi, while a kanji standing alone or followed by hiragana takes its kunyomi - but watch out for common exceptions like 今日 (kyō), 大人 (otona), and 一日 (tsuitachi). When a kanji has several onyomi, the right one often depends on the era the compound was borrowed (go-on, kan-on, tō-on). Learning one common reading of each kanji first, then adding the rest through vocabulary, is more efficient than memorising all readings in isolation. For names of people and places, use dedicated name-reading resources, because many use rare nanori readings not listed here. To count the kanji in a passage, drop it into the Japanese character counter.