Color and Size Kanji

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to read and write 6 N5 kanji related to color and size: 赤 (red), 青 (blue), 白 (white), 大 (big), 小 (small), and 中 (medium/inside). You will also learn how to use them in simple words and sentences.赤青白大小中

Kanji for colors and sizes are very common in daily life. They often appear as the first character in compound words (e.g., 赤い akai – red) or as standalone nouns. Knowing these kanji will help you describe objects, people, and places more naturally.赤

1. Color Kanji

赤 (あか / aka) – Red

• Meaning: red
• On'yomi: セキ (seki)
• Kun'yomi: あか (aka), あかい (akai – red [adjective])
• Stroke order: 7 strokes. Start with the horizontal line at top, then the two vertical lines, then the bottom box.
• Memory tip: Imagine a red sun rising over a field (the top part looks like a sun, the bottom like a ground).

青 (あお / ao) – Blue

• Meaning: blue (also green in some contexts, like traffic lights)
• On'yomi: セイ (sei), ショウ (shō)
• Kun'yomi: あお (ao), あおい (aoi – blue [adjective])
• Stroke order: 8 strokes. Top part is like a crown, bottom is the moon radical (月).月
• Memory tip: The top looks like a blue sky, and the bottom is the moon shining in it.

白 (しろ / shiro) – White

• Meaning: white
• On'yomi: ハク (haku), ビャク (byaku)
• Kun'yomi: しろ (shiro), しろい (shiroi – white [adjective])
• Stroke order: 5 strokes. A short horizontal line on top, then a longer one, then a vertical line through the middle, and two small strokes at the bottom.
• Memory tip: A white square with a single stroke through it – like a white flag.

2. Size Kanji

大 (おおきい / ōkii) – Big

• Meaning: big, large
• On'yomi: ダイ (dai), タイ (tai)
• Kun'yomi: おお (ō), おおきい (ōkii – big [adjective])
• Stroke order: 3 strokes. Horizontal line, then a left-slanting stroke, then a right-slanting stroke.
• Memory tip: A person standing with arms stretched wide – "I am big!"

小 (ちいさい / chīsai) – Small

• Meaning: small, little
• On'yomi: ショウ (shō)
• Kun'yomi: ちい (chī), ちいさい (chīsai – small [adjective])
• Stroke order: 3 strokes. A small hook on the left, a dot in the middle, and a small hook on the right.
• Memory tip: Three tiny dots – like small grains of rice.

中 (なか / naka) – Medium / Inside

• Meaning: middle, medium, inside
• On'yomi: チュウ (chū)
• Kun'yomi: なか (naka)
• Stroke order: 4 strokes. A vertical line, then a box around it, then a horizontal line through the middle.
• Memory tip: A box with a line through the center – "inside the box."

Example sentences:

• この赤い花はきれいです。 (Kono akai hana wa kirei desu.) – This red flower is pretty.赤花
• あの青い車は大きいです。 (Ano aoi kuruma wa ōkii desu.) – That blue car is big.青車大
• 小さい白い犬がいます。 (Chīsai shiroi inu ga imasu.) – There is a small white dog.小白犬
• 箱の中に何がありますか？ (Hako no naka ni nani ga arimasu ka?) – What is inside the box?箱中何

Mistake: Confusing 中 (naka – inside) with 大 (ōkii – big) because they look similar.中大

• Fix: Remember: 中 has a vertical line through the middle (like a "center line"), while 大 has two diagonal strokes (like arms).中大

Mistake: Using 青 (ao) for "green" all the time.青

• Fix: In modern Japanese, green is usually 緑 (midori). 青 is used for blue, and for green traffic lights (because they look blue-green).緑青

1. Fill in the blank with the correct kanji:

   • この___い花は白いです。 (This red flower is white.)花白
   • Answer: 赤 (aka)赤
   花白赤

2. Match the kanji to its meaning:

   • 小 → ?小
   • 大 → ?大
   • 中 → ?中
   • Answers: small, big, inside/medium
   小大中

3. Write the romaji for these words:

   • 青い → ______青
   • 大きい → ______大
   • 白い → ______白
   • Answers: aoi, ōkii, shiroi
   青大白

You have learned 6 essential N5 kanji: 赤 (red), 青 (blue), 白 (white), 大 (big), 小 (small), and 中 (medium/inside). Practice writing them and using them in simple sentences like "あの赤い車は小さいです" (That red car is small).赤青白大小中

Next step: Learn kanji for numbers (一, 二, 三, 四, 五) and basic counters (つ, 個, 人) to describe quantities of objects.一二三四五個