parts of the body

#	kanji	kun-yomi			on-yomi
16	目	め	目	eye, look, insight	かもく	か目	school subject
17	耳	みみ	耳	ear, hearing	がいじ	がい耳	outer ear
18	口	くち	口	mouth; opening	かこう	火口	volcanic crater
		いりぐち	入口	entrance
19	手	て	手	hand, arm	じょうず	上手	skilled
					はくしゅ	はく口	applause
20	足	あし	足	foot, leg	いっそく	一足	a pair (shoes/socks)
		たりる	足りる	to be enough

Aside from meaning ‘eyes’ here are other interesting uses of 目:

• we use it to state order, e.g., ‘the third person’ is 三人目 (さんにんめ)
• ‘in front of my eyes’ or 目のまえ (めのまえ) means ‘in front of me’

person

#	kanji	kun-yomi			on-yomi
21	男	おとこ	男	man, male	だんし	男子	boy
					さんなん	三男	three sons
22	女	おんな	女	woman, female	しょうし	女子	girl
		めがみ	女がみ	goddess	じょせい	女せい	woman
					にょ	女	woman
23	子	こいぬ	子犬	puppy	いす	い子	chair
					しょうし	女子	girl
					おうじ	王子	prince
24	人	ひと	人	person, man	にほんじん	日本人	Japanese person
		ひとり	一人	one person	さんにん	三人	three people
25	王				おう	王	king, monarch
26	名	な	名	name	めいじん	名人	expert
					だいみょう	大名	feudal lord

子 (child) is a common ending for female names; although usually a name has several possible spellings (discussed here), the following are -子 names that we can spell with kanjis from Kentei 10:

• 森子 (もりこ): forest child
• 水子 (みずこ): water child
• 火子 (かこ): fire child
• 花子 (はなこ, かこ): flower child
• 小子 (ここ, ちょこ): small child
• 雨子 (あまこ, あまご, あめこ): rain child
• 川子 (かわこ, かわご): river child
• 山子 (やまこ, やまご): mountain child
• 月子 (つきこ): moon child
• 日子 (にちこ, ひこ, ひのこ): sun child
• 空子 (そらこ, あきこ): sky child

In many names, the -こ changes to -ご.

Here are a few more from pop culture:

• 真理子 (まりこ): from James Clavell’s ‘Shogun’
• 貞子 (さだこ): child with integrity, from ‘Ringu’
• 爽子 (さわこ): refresing child, from ‘Kimi ni todoke’

animals

#	kanji	kun-yomi			on-yomi
26	犬	いぬ	犬	dog	あいけん	あい犬	pet dog
27	虫	むし	虫	insect; temper	こんちゅう	こん虫	insect
28	貝	かい	貝	shellfish, sea shell

Hachikou was an Akita owned by Mr. Hidesaburou Ueno, a university professor. Every day, Hachikou waited at the train station for his return home. One day, in 1925, the professor died while lecturing at the university and didn’t return. Hachikou continued going daily to the station to wait for his return, for nine years, until it died in 1935. Since then, Hachiko has been considered an example of loyalty and fidelity, and his memory has been kept in monuments and movies, e.g., there are statues of Hachiko at Shibuya station and at the University of Tokyo, and the movie ‘Hachi: a Dog’s tale‘ is a recent drama about Hachiko’s life.

plants

#	kanji	kun-yomi			on-yomi
29	木	き	木	tree, wood	もくようび	木よう日	Thursday
					たいぼく	大木	large tree
30	林	はやし	林	grove, forest	さんりん	山林	mountain forest
31	森	もり	森	forest	しんりん	森林	forest, woods
32	竹	たけ	竹	bamboo	ちくりん	竹林	bamboo grove
33	花	はな	花	flower, cherry blossom	かびん	花瓶	flower vase
34	草	くさ	草	grass, weed, herb	すいそう	水草	water plant

Probably the most traditional yearly event in all Japan is 花見 (はなみ, flower viewing), when millions of people get together and have parties under blossoming cherry trees, a tradition more than a thousand years old [WP].

Japanese people are also very fond of fireworks, which have the appropriate name of 花火 (はなび, fire flowers). Firework festivals are called 花火大会 (はなび　たいかい, fire-flower large-party). Many Japanese dress traditionally, in yukatas, for these festivals that include street food and games. Look here for more great pictures of these festivals.

Vocabulary

These are basic words that use only kanken-10 kanjis: