Similar-Looking Kanji: 土/士, 末/未, 大/犬/太 and More

Short answer: Common look-alike sets include 土/士, 末/未, 大/犬/太, 日/目/白 and 人/入/八. The difference is usually one stroke or the length of a line. Learn them side by side, with a one-line memory trick for each, and they stop being confusing.

土 and 士

土 means ‘earth’ or ‘soil’. 士 means ‘samurai’ or ‘gentleman’ and shows up in words like 弁護士 (lawyer). Both are a cross over a line. The difference is which bar is longer.

Memory trick: earth has a wide base to stand on, so the bottom line of 土 is longer. A samurai wears a wide hat, so the top line of 士 is longer.

末 and 未

末 means ‘end’ or ‘tip’, as in 週末 (weekend). 未 means ‘not yet’, as in 未来 (future). Again the length of two horizontal lines decides.

Memory trick: in 末 the top line is longer, like a long branch tip marking the end of the tree. In 未 the lower line is longer, like a branch that has not finished growing out yet.

大, 犬 and 太

大 means ‘big’. 犬 means ‘dog’. 太 means ‘thick’ or ‘fat’, as in 太陽 (sun).

Memory trick: 犬 is a big person with a dot, which is the dog’s ear on top right. 太 is a big person with a dot underneath, like a belly button on a thick, well-fed person.

日, 目 and 白

日 means ‘sun’ or ‘day’. 目 means ‘eye’. 白 means ‘white’.

Memory trick: 日 is a square window with one line, a sun in a box. 目 is taller with two inner lines, like an eye with an iris and a pupil, and it can be turned on its side to look like an eye. 白 has a small stroke on top, like a tiny ray of light on the sun, and the result is white.

人, 入 and 八

人 means ‘person’. 入 means ‘enter’. 八 means ‘eight’.

Memory trick: 人 is a person striding, with the long stroke falling to the left and a shorter leg on the right. 入 flips that balance, with the short stroke on the left and the long stroke sweeping down to the right, like an arrow pointing in. 八 has two strokes that spread apart evenly, like the number eight opening up.

General tips for look-alikes

Study confusing sets together, not apart. When you review, say the difference out loud: ‘earth is wide at the base’. Also write the pair next to each other a few times by hand. Finally, put each in a real word, such as 犬 in 子犬 (puppy), so context gives you a second clue.

Slow down when you read. Most mix-ups happen when the eye skims. If you notice you misread a kanji, make a note of the pair and add it to a list of confusing sets to review weekly.

How the app helps

The app we are building gives each kanji a picture-story mnemonic, organized by JLPT level from N5 to N1, with flashcards and spaced repetition that revisit the characters you mix up. It is not launched yet.