scrubbing brush

“束子” is read as “tawashi.” It’s a common household kitchen item, primarily used as a cleaning tool for washing dishes and pots. Rather than following the intuitive on-yomi or kun-yomi readings, it has a fixed reading as a specific noun. Therefore, while it’s easy for those who know it, it’s one of those kanji that can be quite hard to read if you don’t.

fish cake

“Kamaboko” is a Japanese food made by grinding fish into a paste, shaping it onto a stick or wooden board, and then grilling or steaming it. The name comes from its surface resembling the leaves of the cattail plant. Its appearance can be striking, so you might be surprised that it’s read as “kamaboko,” but in fact it’s a familiar ingredient in Japanese households.

catnap

The correct reading of the obscure kanji 転寝 is utatane. It means taking a short nap and is a word used in everyday life. Although the kanji may look simple, it’s actually an example where the reading is unexpectedly difficult. Taken literally, it suggests “to roll over and sleep,” which makes it easy to mistakenly read it as korone, but utatane is the correct reading.

As expected

This kanji is read as “sasuga.” Although it’s a word you often see, when it’s written in kanji it can be confusing to read. It’s used to express admiration or evaluation of various situations or someone’s actions, and is often used with the nuance of “just like them” or “as expected of them.”

uchiwa (Japanese hand fan)

The correct reading of 「団扇」 is “uchiwa.” It’s a tool that has long been used to keep cool. Although the kanji look simple, it’s actually one of those hard-to-read characters whose pronunciation isn’t widely known. The word combines the kanji 「団」, which means “round” in Chinese, and 「扇」, which depicts the generation of wind.

stormy weather

The kanji “時化” is often used to describe stormy weather or rough seas, and is read as “shike.” This term is frequently used by sailors and fishermen to express weather and sea conditions, and is also one of the less commonly heard, hard-to-read kanji in everyday life.

hydrangea

The correct reading of 紫陽花 is “ajisai.” Each character is simple, but it’s a word that’s hard to read unless you know the combination, so it’s recommended to think about the colors and shapes the characters evoke. This flower is often seen during Japan’s rainy season and is known for its vividly colored blossoms.

abacus

The correct reading of the kanji 算盤 is “soroban.” It is a tool for calculating numbers, specifically a traditional device once used for commercial calculations. It is also sometimes used in math education, and if you think of it as a board-shaped tool used for arithmetic, the answer might come to you more easily.

wimp

The correct answer is “henachoko.” In this quiz, you are asked to read a word formed from the kanji ‘埴’ and ‘猪口.’ In this context, ‘埴’ is a rarely used character meaning clay-like soil, and ‘猪口’ refers to a small sake cup. Combined as ‘埴猪口,’ the term has come to be read in a distinctive way as ‘henachoko,’ meaning someone lacking strength or skill. It describes a person who is feeble, unreliable, or lacking perseverance.

burdock (root)

The correct reading of the difficult kanji 牛蒡 is “gobō.” Although the characters may look unfamiliar, they refer to a commonly used vegetable in everyday life. In the Edo period, it was also valued for medicinal use, but today it is often used in a variety of dishes. It is rich in dietary fiber and is considered good for health.