Lesson L3N2N2 Kanji in Context⏱ 25 min

Emotion and Psychology Kanji

This lesson introduces kanji commonly used to express feelings and mental states, focusing on reading and usage in sentences. You will practice recognizing these characters in real-life contexts, building vocabulary for discussing emotions and psychological concepts at the N2 level.

🎯 Goal: Learn N2 kanji related to emotion and psychology in context.

Lesson Content

Learning Goal

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use 8 N2-level kanji related to emotion and psychology. You will understand their meanings, readings, and how they appear in common words and sentences.

Concept

Emotion and psychology kanji often describe internal states—feelings, moods, and mental conditions. These characters are frequently used in news, literature, and daily conversation at the N2 level. Instead of memorizing isolated characters, we will learn them in small groups by theme, with example words and sentences.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Group 1: Core Emotions (喜・怒・哀・楽)

Kanji	Meaning	On'yomi (Chinese reading)	Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
喜	joy, delight	キ (ki)	よろこ・ぶ (yoroko-bu)
怒	anger, rage	ド (do)	いか・る (ika-ru), おこ・る (oko-ru)
哀	sorrow, grief	アイ (ai)	あわ・れむ (awa-remu)
楽	comfort, ease, music	ラク (raku), ガク (gaku)	たの・しい (tano-shii)

Example words:

喜怒哀楽 (きどあいらく, kidoairaku) — "joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure" (all human emotions)
喜び (よろこび, yorokobi) — joy, delight
怒り (いかり, ikari) — anger
哀れ (あわれ, aware) — pity, sorrow
楽しみ (たのしみ, tanoshimi) — enjoyment, pleasure

Example sentence:

彼は喜怒哀楽がはっきりしている。
Kare wa kidoairaku ga hakkiri shite iru.
"He clearly shows his emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure)."

Group 2: Mental States (悩・恐・驚・恥)

Kanji	Meaning	On'yomi	Kun'yomi
悩	worry, distress	ノウ (nou)	なや・む (naya-mu)
恐	fear, dread	キョウ (kyou)	おそ・れる (oso-reru), こわ・い (kowai)
驚	surprise, astonishment	キョウ (kyou)	おどろ・く (odoro-ku)
恥	shame, embarrassment	チ (chi)	は・じる (ha-jiru), は・ずかしい (hazukashii)

Example words:

悩み (なやみ, nayami) — worry,烦恼
恐怖 (きょうふ, kyoufu) — fear, terror
驚き (おどろき, odoroki) — surprise, amazement
恥ずかしい (はずかしい, hazukashii) — embarrassing, shy

Example sentence:

彼女は試験の結果に驚いた。
Kanojo wa shiken no kekka ni odoroita.
"She was surprised at the exam results."

Group 3: Compound Words for Psychology

Word	Kanji	Reading	Meaning
心理	心 + 理	しんり (shinri)	psychology, mentality
感情	感 + 情	かんじょう (kanjou)	emotion, feeling
精神	精 + 神	せいしん (seishin)	spirit, mind, mental
苦痛	苦 + 痛	くつう (kutsū)	pain, suffering

Example sentence:

彼の心理を理解するのは難しい。
Kare no shinri o rikai suru no wa muzukashii.
"It's difficult to understand his psychology."

Mini Examples

Japanese	Romaji	English
彼は怒りを抑えた。	Kare wa ikari o osaeta.	He suppressed his anger.
その知らせに驚いた。	Sono shirase ni odoroita.	I was surprised at the news.
彼女は恥ずかしそうに笑った。	Kanojo wa hazukashisō ni waratta.	She laughed shyly.
悩みを友達に話した。	Nayami o tomodachi ni hanashita.	I told my worries to a friend.

Common Mistake

❌ Confusing 怒 (anger) with 努 (effort)

怒 (anger): 怒る (okoru) — to get angry
努 (effort): 努力 (doryoku) — effort, hard work

✅ Tip: 怒 has a "heart" radical (心) at the bottom, showing it's an emotion. 努 has "power" (力) at the bottom, showing effort.

❌ Using 楽 (comfort) only for "fun"

楽しい (tanoshii) means "fun/enjoyable"
But 楽 (raku) alone can mean "comfortable/easy" — e.g., 楽な仕事 (raku na shigoto) = an easy job

Quick Practice

Fill in the blank with the correct kanji:
- 彼は試験の結果に___いた。(was surprised)
  Answer: 驚
Choose the correct reading for 悩み:
- a) nayami b) ikari c) odoroki
  Answer: a) nayami
Match the kanji to its meaning:
- 恥 → _____
- 恐 → _____
- 哀 → _____
- 喜 → _____
  Answers: shame, fear, sorrow, joy

Summary and Next Step

You have learned 8 key N2 kanji for emotion and psychology: 喜・怒・哀・楽・悩・恐・驚・恥. You also learned compound words like 心理 (psychology) and 感情 (emotion). Practice writing these characters and using them in sentences about your own feelings.

Next step: In the next lesson, we will study kanji for "thought and judgment" (考・思・判・決) to continue building your N2 vocabulary for abstract concepts.