Action and State Kanji

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use 10 N3-level kanji related to actions and states. You will understand their core meanings, common readings, and how they appear in everyday Japanese sentences.

Kanji for actions and states describe what people do (actions) or how things are (states). Unlike simple verbs like "eat" (taberu) or "run" (hashiru), these kanji often appear in compound words, formal writing, or news. Learning them in context helps you move from basic to intermediate Japanese.

1. 動 (dou) – "move" / "motion"

• On'yomi: どう (dou)
• Kun'yomi: うご(く) (ugoku)
• Meaning: movement, action
• Example: 運動 (undou) – exercise / 自動 (jidou) – automatic運動自

2. 止 (shi) – "stop"

• On'yomi: し (shi)
• Kun'yomi: と(まる) (tomaru), と(める) (tomeru)
• Meaning: stop, halt
• Example: 停止 (teishi) – stop / 禁止 (kinshi) – prohibition停止禁

3. 変 (hen) – "change"

• On'yomi: へん (hen)
• Kun'yomi: か(わる) (kawaru), か(える) (kaeru)
• Meaning: change, unusual
• Example: 変化 (henka) – change / 変身 (henshin) – transformation変化身

4. 続 (zoku) – "continue"

• On'yomi: ぞく (zoku)
• Kun'yomi: つづ(く) (tsuzuku), つづ(ける) (tsuzukeru)
• Meaning: continue, sequence
• Example: 続く (tsuzuku) – to continue / 連続 (renzoku) – consecutive続連

5. 増 (zou) – "increase"

• On'yomi: ぞう (zou)
• Kun'yomi: ふ(える) (fueru), ふ(やす) (fuyasu)
• Meaning: increase, add
• Example: 増加 (zouka) – increase / 増える (fueru) – to increase増加

6. 減 (gen) – "decrease"

• On'yomi: げん (gen)
• Kun'yomi: へ(る) (heru), へ(らす) (herasu)
• Meaning: decrease, reduce
• Example: 減少 (genshou) – decrease / 減る (heru) – to decrease減少

7. 進 (shin) – "advance"

• On'yomi: しん (shin)
• Kun'yomi: すす(む) (susumu), すす(める) (susumeru)
• Meaning: advance, proceed
• Example: 進む (susumu) – to advance / 進歩 (shinpo) – progress進歩

8. 退 (tai) – "retreat"

• On'yomi: たい (tai)
• Kun'yomi: しりぞ(く) (shirizoku), しりぞ(ける) (shirizokeru)
• Meaning: retreat, withdraw
• Example: 退く (shirizoku) – to step back / 退職 (taishoku) – retirement退職

9. 開 (kai) – "open"

• On'yomi: かい (kai)
• Kun'yomi: ひら(く) (hiraku), あ(く) (aku), あ(ける) (akeru)
• Meaning: open, start
• Example: 開く (hiraku) – to open / 開始 (kaishi) – start開始

10. 閉 (hei) – "close"

• On'yomi: へい (hei)
• Kun'yomi: し(まる) (shimaru), し(める) (shimeru), と(じる) (tojiru)
• Meaning: close, shut
• Example: 閉まる (shimaru) – to close / 閉店 (heiten) – closing shop閉店

1. 運動すると、体重が増える。運動体重増

   • Undou suru to, taijuu ga fueru.
   • When you exercise, your weight increases.
   運動体重増

2. 雨が続いて、気温が下がった。雨続気温下

   • Ame ga tsuzuite, kion ga sagatta.
   • The rain continued, and the temperature dropped.
   雨続気温下

3. 会議が始まる前に、ドアを閉めてください。会議始前閉

   • Kaigi ga hajimaru mae ni, doa o shimete kudasai.
   • Please close the door before the meeting starts.
   会議始前閉

4. 人口が減少している。人口減少

   • Jinkou ga genshou shite iru.
   • The population is decreasing.
   人口減少

Mistake: Confusing 進む (susumu – to advance) with 退く (shirizoku – to retreat) because they look similar (both have the same radical on the left: 辶).進退辶

Fix: Remember the right side: 進 has 隹 (a bird), which moves forward; 退 has 艮 (a stopping point), which means pulling back. Practice with opposites: 進む vs 退く.進隹退艮

1. Fill in the blank with the correct kanji: 毎日、体重が__える。 (Every day, weight increases.)毎日体重

   • Answer: 増える (fueru)増
   毎日体重増

2. Choose the correct reading: 閉店 (heiten / heishou)閉店

   • Answer: heiten (closing shop)
   閉店

3. Match the kanji to its meaning:

   • 動 → (a) stop動
   • 止 → (b) change止
   • 変 → (c) move変
   • Answer: 動 = c, 止 = a, 変 = b動止変
   動止変

You've learned 10 key N3 kanji for actions and states: 動 (move), 止 (stop), 変 (change), 続 (continue), 増 (increase), 減 (decrease), 進 (advance), 退 (retreat), 開 (open), and 閉 (close). Practice using them in sentences about daily life, like exercise, weather, or work. Next, try learning kanji for emotions (like 喜 – joy, 怒 – anger) to expand your expressive range.動止変続増減