| Meaning |
small 小
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| Explanation |
A person | with two arms 八 close to the body is small (compare with big 大, which is a person with widely spread arms and legs).
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Used in these characters:
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小
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JLPT 5Joyo 1 |
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| small, little
ko, o, chiisai, SHŌ
小
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A person 亅 with the arms 八 tight to the body is: small.
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少
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JLPT 5Joyo 2 |
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| few, a little
sukoshi, sukunai, SHŌ
小
少
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Small 小 with an extra stroke ノ
Such a small stroke is too little.
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当
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JLPT 3Joyo 2 |
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| hit the target, expose, apply, really
ataru, TŌ
小
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Top: small 小, bottom: a hand ヨ
It is as small as a hand, but we hit the target!
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県
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JLPT 4Joyo 3 |
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| prefecture
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From top: eye 目, corner ∟ & small 小
The eye sees in the corner (of a map) a small prefecture.
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鎖
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| chain, shut, link
kusari, SA
金
小
貝
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Left: metal, gold 金 (Covered  in the ground 土 are 2 gold nuggets 丷), right: small 小 money 貝 (=small change)
(If you punch a hole into the coins:) The metal of small change can be used as a chain.
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尚
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| furthermore, besides, esteem, respect
nao, tattobu, SHŌ
尚
小
冂
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Top: small 小, bottom: house 冂 with a window 口
A small house with a window is furthermore also esteemed.
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弥
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JLPT -Joyo 7 |
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| increasingly, more and more
ya, MI
弓
小
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Left: bow 弓, right: 尔 (lying person  and small 小, together: small person)
Bows are also used by small persons, and they become more and more.
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瞭
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JLPT -Joyo 7 |
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| clear, obvious
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Left: eye 目, right: 尞 (big 大 person with fat 丷 legs, day 日, small 小 (cf.寮=dormitory without roof)
(Memories of big days fade with time) The eye sees that a big, fat day becomes a small one: That is obvious.
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| Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning. |  |
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At this page you get the memory phrases for learning the Japanese Kanji. If you are learning the Chinese Hanzi, please follow this link. |
List of the characters |
List of the radicals
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