8 Kanji with 寺 (ji) | Master Shape and Pronunciation at Once
Kanji containing '寺' (temple) mostly share the on-yomi 'じ' (ji) or a similar pronunciation.
Understanding how the radical (the left or top component) changes the meaning makes memorization much easier.
Master these 8 essential N3 kanji together to avoid confusion on the exam.
How this bundle was curated
All items at a glance
| Kanji | Kun-yomi | On-yomi | Meaning | Radical (Meaning) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 寺 | てら | じ | Temple | 寸 (Inch) - Rule, law |
| 時 | とき | じ | Time, hour | 日 (Sun) - Sun, time |
| 持 | もつ | じ | Hold | 扌 (Hand) - Hand, action |
| 待 | まつ | たい | Wait | 彳 (Step) - Road, walk |
| 詩 | - | し | Poem | 言 (Words) - Speech, writing |
| 特 | - | とく | Special | 牛 (Cow) - Cow (sacrifice) |
| 等 | ひとしい / など | とう | Equal, etc. | 竹 (Bamboo) - Bamboo (documents) |
| 侍 | さむらい | じ | Serve, samurai | 亻 (Person) - Person |
Item by item
Kun: てら
On: じ
Temple
This is the base kanji. It means a traditional Japanese 'temple' and often provides the pronunciation 'じ' when combined with other radicals.
Kun: とき
On: じ
Time
The '日' (sun) radical is added, giving it a meaning related to time. Think of how time was measured by the movement of the sun. The pronunciation remains 'じ'.
Kun: もつ
On: じ
Hold
The '扌' (hand) radical is added, meaning to 'hold' or 'carry' with your hands. The on-yomi is also 'じ'.
Kun: まつ
On: たい
Wait
The '彳' (step/road) radical is added, meaning to 'wait' for someone on the road. Note that the on-yomi changes slightly to 'たい' instead of 'じ'.
Kun: し
On: し
Poem
The '言' (words) radical is added, meaning a 'poem'. The pronunciation drops the dakuten (voicing mark) from 'じ', becoming 'し'.
Kun: とく
On: とく
Special
The '牛' (cow) radical is added. The meaning 'special' is said to originate from offering a cow as a special sacrifice in the past. The pronunciation irregularly changes to 'とく', so it's best to memorize this one separately.
Kun: ひとしい / など
On: とう
Equal / etc.
The '竹' (bamboo) radical is added on top. The meaning 'equal' or 'grade/class' comes from the image of bamboo slips gathered evenly together. The pronunciation is 'とう'.
Kun: さむらい
On: じ
Serve / samurai
The '亻' (person) radical is added, meaning a 'person who serves' a superior, which refers to a 'samurai' (warrior). The pronunciation is 'じ'.
Practice with examples
How to decide when unsure
- Infer the meaning by looking at the radical (the left or top component). A hand (扌) relates to an action (持), the sun (日) to time (時), and a road/step (彳) to waiting (待).
- Distinguish between regular and exceptional on-yomi. 寺, 時, 持, and 侍 are all read as 'じ', but 待 (たい), 詩 (し), 特 (とく), and 等 (とう) have slight variations, so it's best to group and memorize them separately.
- The best way to prevent confusion with similar-looking kanji is to write them by hand and familiarize your eyes with the subtle differences in their radicals.
Common mistakes
These kanji are often confused because the step radical (彳) and the hand radical (扌) look similar. Try associating them with the images of 'waiting on the road (待)' and 'holding with a hand (持)'.
Wrong example: 荷物を待つ (Wait for the luggage? -> Incorrect if you meant 'hold the luggage')/Correct example: 荷物を持つ (Hold the luggage)
Depending on the context, it could mean 'waiting for the luggage to arrive', but generally, when you mean to 'hold' or 'carry' luggage yourself, it is natural to use 持つ.
Mini quiz
Which kanji fits in the blank? 'ここで友達を（ ）っています。' (I am waiting for a friend here.)
One-line summary
By focusing on the common component '寺' and combining it with the meanings of the radicals, you can easily and durably memorize these similar-looking N3 kanji without getting them confused.
FAQ
Are all of these kanji read as 'じ' (ji)?
They are mostly similar, but not all the same. 寺, 時, 持, and 侍 are read as 'じ', but 待 is 'たい', 詩 is 'し', 特 is 'とく', and 等 is 'とう'. The pronunciation can change depending on the radical it combines with, so you should pay special attention to the exceptions.
Do I have to memorize all the radicals when learning kanji?
You don't need to perfectly memorize the exact names of the radicals, but knowing their 'basic meanings' (e.g., hand, sun, road) is very helpful for inferring the meaning of kanji you see for the first time.
