Comprehensive Japanese-English Dictionary

Jiten Online is one of Japan's most popular comprehensive dictionaries, now available in English.
Find Japanese words, kanji, meanings, and readings quickly using our versatile search tools.
You can search by keywords, categories, stroke counts, or radicals.

Our database includes detailed explanations of stroke order, kanji components, and official Kanji Kentei examination levels.
Understanding radicals (the core component of a kanji) is essential for mastering Japanese. For example, the kanji for sakura "桜" contains the tree radical "木", and kizuna "絆" contains the thread radical "糸".

If you do not know a kanji's reading or radical, use our "Parts" search. By selecting visual components you recognize (like entering "木" three times to find "森"), you can easily locate the correct kanji.

How to Use the Search Options

You can sort and find kanji by choosing "All", "Kanji", "Words" or "Parts" in the search box, followed by your keyword.

There are also two further options from which to choose.
These are explained below:

Searching by "All", "Kanji" or "Words" using two options, example of using "a".

1) Choose one of "All", "Kanji" or "Words"
2) Then choose from "Option1" which are:
Include (if you don't choose others below, results are shown by searching "include")
matching completely with "a"
Kanji that starts with "a"
Kanji that ends with "a"
3) You can also choose from "Option 2" which are:
Kanji that has a meaning of "a"
Kanji that reads as "a"
*if you don't choose one of them, you will get results that include both. Only show the results when you search by alphabet.

Exception being, if you only use Option 2 for "Parts".
Kanji that has a meaning of "a" and/or Kanji that reads as "a".