JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
飯 means meal, boiled rice. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 12 strokes, read めし or はん. It combines 飠 (eat, food), which carries the meaning, with 反, which is there for its sound はん. It appears in 御飯 (rice (cooked)) and 夕飯 (dinner / supper / evening meal).
飯 is written in 12 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
飯 breaks into 2 parts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 御飯 | ごはん | rice (cooked) |
| 夕飯 | ゆうはん | dinner / supper / evening meal |
| 朝御飯 | あさごはん | breakfast |
反 tends to carry the sound はん. They carry it; they do not all mean the same thing.
| Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 反 | はん | anti- |
| 阪 | はん | heights, slope |
| 販 | はん | marketing, sell |
| 版 | はん | printing block, printing plate |
| 坂 | はん | slope, incline |
| 板 | はん | plank, board |
| 飯 | はん | meal, boiled rice |
These use 飠 or 反 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
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