kanjisense

The 1,013 "compound" kanji components

All the 3,530 most important kanji can be broken down into just 270 "atomic" components. But sometimes, these atomic components appear again and again in the same combinations. These combinations are also considered kanji components in the Kanjisense system, and given names. As with the atomic components, learning to recognize these "compound" components will help you to learn new kanji much more easily.

The problem is that, as with the characters themselves, there are a multitude of these compound components. Therefore, they don't lend themselves well to rote memorization. But the good news is that most of the compound kanji components double as standalone characters. So there is not really any need to learn them separately from the characters themselves. They are listed here for your reference.

659 compound components doubling as standalone characters

two
words
self "nose"
child
string
rice
see
white
grain
temple
li "mile"
thousand
square
can
twenty "grassy plant"
come out
head
three
seashell
say "cloud"
not "shawl"
skin
fifth Heavenly Stem "guard"
husband
old
go "footsteps"
sound
up
think
that which "early riser"
base
part
daybreak
what
time
now "clenching mouth"
door
interval
gold
blue
few
arrive
tongue
beans "cooking pot"
heaps
dog
hole
each "notch"
household
shaku (unit of volume) "tablespoon"
generation "leaf"
early
join
down
reason "germinate"
chief
know
thing
father
inside
together
opposite
take
year of the Monkey "monkey"
I
heaven
good
year of the Dog "watchdog"
proper
not yet "sapling"
long "long-haired person"
same "grotto"
mutually "appearance"
degree
also
become
direct "straightening"
reside
year of the Rooster "wine jug"
administer
walk
idea
beforehand "stowed spear"
condole
next
head/neck
have no "dancer"
its "basket"
older brother
woods
platform
roof
jewel
generation
ahead
fortunate
change
ba "leviathan"
wholesale
acrid
depart
robe
lord
so "burn"
capital
everyone
move
bright
meet
vassal
color
righteous
lad
empty
four
feeling
name
son
way
every "sea"
valley
level
divination
ingredient
right-hand
adhere
hold
mix
man
many
round
wind
consider
new
duke
soft leather "patrol"
half
field
sell
surplus
night
shaku (unit of distance) "foot-long"
me "enlightenment"
high
bird
voice
phrase
leg
hundred
friend
death
army
thick
boat
this "purple"
set out
be there
eat
strange
year of the Dragon "flying dragon"
bundle
entire
cut
truth
east
unit
arm
bad luck
place
square jewel "embankment"
this
walk
necessary
how much "warp and weft"
summon
six
all "step"
peace
ordinary "breeze"
chart
wares
talent "bear"
pivot
circuit
history
some "territory"
Luo
revelation
must not "sunset"
filial piety
most
black
happy
festival
long robe "ape"
young
around
attain
order
strike
active
left-hand
introduce
office
period
morning
separate
add
ninth Heavenly Stem "burden"
rank
both
north "back"
place in order
dipper
fruit
flower
love
sit
rite
soldier
third Heavenly Stem "third-class"
music
set
venerate
ogre
likeness
of old
once before "steamer basket"
resolve
elephant
lineage
backbone
delicious
loss
fish
scenery
yellow
wrap up
slave
path
dispute
help
fly
value
vast "stretched bow"
market
rain
resemblance
link
benefit
receive
impart "raising hands"
break
winter
concern
exempt "evening"
blood
visitor
illuminate
elder
night watch
red
bone
display
cloth
wave
aware
official
demand
world
small animals
come "wheat"
obscure
accordance
teacher
roll of cloth
climb
control
former
spear
hemp
storehouse
spring
eternity
along
dragon
flame
wife
court
center
just now "shore"
will
hard
deer
boss
different
liable
military
abrupt
blade edge
exceeding
concurrently "sickle"
build
entrust
conforming
stow
wide
lodging
springtime
whole
roll
ride
year of the Boar "hog"
return
countryside
autumn
grade
plants "overgrown grass"
glad
south
abide
contents
protect
follow
member
outstanding
participate
cloud
finally "mirror"
Hun
long time
marquis
supply
dumbfounded
arrive
haughty
question
apart
uncle
release
flesh
leather
younger brother
hill
stay
phonetic "na"
seedling
bend
purchase
abode
pierce
beg
ward
commander
sweet
cause
vermillion
excellence
address
abundance "heaps"
void
harm
melancholy
virtuous
beheading
observance
concubine
Wu
province
unite "unite"
emperor
already
bring up
sect
government body
tip
preserve
chapter
robust
stationing
disperse
responsible
variation
range
examine
hall
even
duty
farming
year of the Hare "bunny ears"
defeated
inspection
minuteness
star
zhang "ten feet"
tail
year of the Tiger "captive tiger"
general
go back
again
Yao "dawn"
vessels
encounter
jar
dare
shadow
punish
summer
juvenile
deliver
unlucky
medical
accede
easy
country
enjoy
dice "gather"
violence
squadron
prefecture
unwrought
brave
belt
tooth
dim
shoot
Shu
hang
pavilion
stomach
hot water
boot
far-reaching
emperor
pity
come out with
splendor
flourish
convenient
revered
universal
danger
companion
home
fragrant
chieftain
amount
orchard
ballot
smell
domain
license
neck
barbarian
chiku lute
that which "early riser"
nun
rib
phonetic "ya"
alert
filament
dragon
declare
chaste
southeast "dragon-snake"
shore
so-and-so
prolong
strict
hope
eminent
prefecture
lowly
risk
ward off
officer
prosperous
exchange
rule
prohibit
require
ash
descendant
graduate
door
Shun
follow through
suddenly
hold fast
stay overnight
truth
bless
contain
deliberation
pair
lieutenant
Tang dynasty
unit
suitable
tot
yield over
dedicated
soft
villa
grandchild
lad
flat
shield
stink
scorch
firm
deputy
ease
employ
eyebrow
overpowering
longevity
fresh
goose
reward
silk cloth
sign
oust
phonetic "sa"
tow
once before "steamer basket"
roll
deplete
black
dispute
genus
how
wheat
thus "decoration"
music
offspring
slit
lower "underground"
chestnut
token
Mengzi
livestock
by all means
longevity
follow
tribute
imperial decree
Yao "dawn"
lonely
season
rapid
impart "raising hands"
even
recesses
pledge
tiger
ignorance
decline
blue
thunder
dread
play music
grass forage
oneself
folding screen
crow
signature
imprisoned
skewer
ten thousand "scorpion"
empress
yellow
wide
humiliate
forking
decameron
streak
fell
commoner
give birth
district
Chu
guest
miscellaneous
stow
count
divide
Lu
quiet
ordinary
ride
superintendent
egg
first of the month
ponder
commander
solemn
intercalary
infant
ward
comet
old man
meet
a swallow
lowly
murky
implicate
overcome
oppression
Qin dynasty
moo
fowl
robust
roll
years old
belt
set out
bless
senile
flea
amber
curve
strict
node
listen
participate
zero
envelope
entrust
clear
royal audience
blade edge
solemn
every "sea"
pheasant
countryside
constricted
drought
tooth
raise
already
broom "broom"
walk
signature
void
wheat
tribute
revelation
report
obstruct
frequent
spirit
difficult
aware
son
exempt "evening"
unite "unite"
return
sign

About a quarter of the remaining compound components may be considered variants of standalone characters. Sometimes they are identical in form, minus a few strokes—in other words, an abbreviated form. Other times, the variant form is a more complex historical form of the currently used character. Sometimes, the historical relationship between variant forms is more complicated. But in any case, it's usually easy to see the relation between the two once it's pointed out.

Again, I don't recommend trying to memorize these variants by rote. But as you learn more and more characters, you might find it helpful to return to this list and take note of the patterns in these variations, to reinforce the connections between characters in your memory.

98 compound components which are variants of standalone characters

join
head
child
elder
"mile"
gold
good
door
lad
flesh
"leaf" (via )
eat
follow
"tablespoon"
leg
front
ahead
rain
"long-haired person"
"straightening"
younger brother
"warp and weft" (cf. )
next
bird
high
"shore" (via )
pass through
"broom" (via )
"antique"
level
sell
flag
"raising hands" (cf. )
half
feathers
eminent
entire
"steamer basket" (cf. )
morning
both
drum
we the Emperor
"reaching arms"
wrap up
resemblance
"bunny ears"
minuteness
"evening" (via )
link
roll of cloth
prostrate
even
"sickle" (via )
conforming
window
chieftain
answer
graduate
jar
chase
swallow
various
"decoration"
revered
flat
encounter
flea
weak
withdraw
practice
bewilder
"dragon-snake"
gain
dispatch
penetrate
ash
old man
calculate
hawk
rabbit
husk
alley
fan
increasingly
Sui dynasty
pig
report

As for the remaining compound components in the 3,530 most important kanji, which do not appear as standalone characters in everyday modern Japanese, in any form, they are listed below.

In many cases, these components originally derive from standalone characters. When the graphical form of the component is especially evocative and easy to relate to the original character's meaning, I have used in in Kanjisense as the mnemonic keyword for that character. But in so many cases, the modern forms are so hard to visually relate their archaic meanings, that the effort to do so outweighs the benefit. So, for the most part, the mnemonic keywords here relate to the modern form of the character, and to the context in which you are likely to encounter it as a beginner in Japanese.

256 compound components without standalone characters as variants

house
"road"
dagger-axe
"silver" (via )
cliff
knock
"brush" (via )
"pump"
"bird body" (cf. )
"skirt"
"old body"
"fur cap"
"remains" (cf. )
"mincemeat"
"teacher" (via )
"armed hand"
"bloom" (via )
"supporting hands"
"tree climber"
"spouted bucket"
"sunshine" (via )
"ankle"
"face mask"
"domed lid"
"crown of thorns"
youth
"tied hands"
"double knot"
"spitting mouth"
"tunnel"
"opening mouth"
tiger stripes
leafy tree
thicket
"bottom" (via )
"lightning" (via )
"point" (via )
"ardent feelings"
"dancing legs" (cf. )
"shepherd's crook"
stork
"friends"
"chopping hand"
"coin" (via )
"straw"
"continent" (via )
"decide" (cf. )
"crashing dagger-axe"
"ogre head" (cf. )
"tower" (via )
"deep" (via )
"round continent"
"signpost"
"flow" (via )
"hotpot" (via )
"unanimous"
"vein" (via )
millet
"Han" (via )
"fright" (via )
"expert" (via )
"trimmed hedge"
"fold"
"emperor's crown" (cf. )
"abundance" (via )
"riverside" (via 沿)
"trespasser"
"clothes" (via )
"deer head" (cf. 鹿)
"upward-looking" (via )
"moral" (via )
"vitrine"
"gutter" (via )
"wall" (via )
"patch" (cf. )
"brew" (via )
"monkey body" (cf. )
"suckling babe" (cf. )
hornless dragon
"grass net"
"crane" (via )
"commander" (via )
"supervisor" (cf. )
"uncle" (via )
"insomniac"
long hair
"dreamcatcher" (cf. )
"peak" (cf. )
horned pig
"tailor" (via )
"bystander" (via )
"edge" (via )
"flank" (cf. )
wild boar
"sink" (via )
"hem" (via )
"engraving" (cf. )
"hide" (via )
"seafarer"
"cliffside forest"
"palisade"
birds chirping
"masses" (cf. )
"male" (via )
"fortress" (via )
"merchant" (cf. )
"pleasant" (via )
"thorn" (cf. )
"firm" (cf. )
clay
"honey" (via )
"bonnet"
"neighbor" (via )
"pocket" (cf. )
"husbands"
"loot" (via )
"ruffled bird"
"elephant eyes"
"open jar"
granary
"follow path" (via )
"Buddha" (via )
"graduation cap" (cf. )
"reverse" (via )
"toad"
"fly rapidly" (cf. )
railing
"beat" (via )
"big bird"
"brain" (cf. )
"sour" (via )
"awning"
"busted umbrella"
"shrimp" (via )
"garden snake" (cf. )
"slack" (via )
"slivers"
"cooperation" (cf. )
"podium" (via )
"lacquer tree" (cf. )
splendid
"servant" (via )
"chrysanthemum" (via )
"dust" (cf. )
"muffled speaking"
"engrave" (cf. )
"colleague" (via )
"boast" (via )
"small pot"
"ornament"
"cash" (via )
"pitfall" (cf. )
"shreds"
"hoop" (via )
"chicken-farmer" (cf. )
"plow" (cf. )
"ripen" (via )
"exposure" (cf. )
spy
stone chimes
now, here
cauldron
"mane"
dawdle
"pottery" (cf. )
inlaid gems
"chin" (via )
letter
"extract" (via )
"deep pool" (cf. )
hut
fumigation
"firefly" (via )
stockpile
"lazy" (via )
"hostess" (cf. )
whetstone
"magic spell"
"gossip"
"gust"
"strut" (cf. )
"silver horned dog"
"bumpkin" (via )
"fiber" (via )
whisper
"chain"
groan
"restrained bird"
"armor" (via )
"garlic chive" (cf. )
"twin birds"
"although" (via )
"dirty altar"
"reach the summit"
"eyelashes" (via )
"plantation"
alkaline salt
shoe
"full" (via 滿)
"knead" (via )
"border" (cf. )
fragrant
shackled pig