Kanji: 近 利 可 暗 不

1. Vocabulary List

2. Kanji Breakdown

近 — near / close

• Readings: ちか-い (adjective) / きん (compound prefix)
• Radical: 辶 — meaning "to go forward"
• Memory Hook: The same radical 辶 is used in 送 (to send) and 道 (road) — all involve moving forward.
• Key Words: 近い (near), 近所（きんじょ）(neighbourhood)
• Culture Note: 近所の人 (kinjō no hito) means "neighbours".
• Example: この近くにペット可のカフェはありますか。(Kono chikaku ni petto ka no kafe wa arimasu ka.) — "Are there any cafes where pets are allowed near here?"

利 — advantage

• Reading: り
• Radical: 刂 — meaning "sword"
• Memory Hook: 前 (mae, before/front) shares the same radical 刂.
• Key Words: 便利（べんり）convenient
• Example: 家の近くに新しい駅ができて、便利になった。(Ie no chikaku ni atarashii eki ga dekite, benri ni natta.) — "A new station was built near my house, and it became more convenient."
• Grammar Note: 便利な is a na-adjective. To use it with なる (to become), drop the な and add に → 便利になる.

可 — allowed

• Reading: か
• Radical: 口 — meaning "mouth"
• Key Words: ペット可（か）(pets allowed), 不可（ふか）(not allowed / inadvisable)
• Example: この近くにペット可のカフェはありますか。(Kono chikaku ni petto ka no kafe wa arimasu ka.) — "Are there any cafes where pets are allowed near here?"
• Reading Drill: ペット可 → ペットか

暗 — dark

• Reading: くら-い
• Radical: 日 — meaning "sun"
• Memory Hook: 暗 contains 日 (sun) — when there is no sun, it is dark. 明（あかるい）, 時（とき）, and 晩（ばん）share the same radical.
• Key Words: 暗い（くらい）dark
• Grammar Note: 暗い is an i-adjective — it can connect directly to nouns without changing form: 暗い道 (the dark road).
• Example: まやさんは暗い道を歩きません。(Maya-san wa kurai michi wo arukimasen.) — "Maya doesn't walk on the dark street."
• Example: 暗くなると、よく見えなくて不便です。(Kuraku naru to, yoku mienakute fuben desu.) — "When it's dark, I can't see well and it's inconvenient."

不 — negative prefix

• Reading: ふ
• Radical: 一 — meaning "one"
• Memory Hook: 上（うえ）and 下（した）share the same radical 一.
• Function: 不 is added at the beginning of a word to make it negative (like "un-" or "in-" in English).
• Key Compounds:

• Formula: 不（negative）＋ 便（convenient）＝ 不便（inconvenient）
• Example: 車がこわれたので、不便です。(Kuruma ga kowareta node, fuben desu.) — "Because my car is broken, it is inconvenient."
• Example: 暗くなると、よく見えなくて不便です。(Kuraku naru to, yoku mienakute fuben desu.) — "When it's dark, I can't see well and it's inconvenient."

3. Reading Drill

4. Contrast Pairs

5. Sentence Drill

6. Learning Context

• Topic: Kanji for neighbourhoods and convenience — 近 利 可 暗 不
• Kanji Set: 近 利 可 暗 不
• Memory Hooks:
  • 近（辶 go forward）— moving close to something
  • 利（刂 sword）— same as 前; an "advantage" cuts through
  • 可（口 mouth）— a mouth saying "yes, allowed"
  • 暗（日 sun）— no sun = dark; shares radical with 明, 時, 晩
  • 不（一 one）— a line negating everything above it; "un-" prefix in Japanese
• Grammar Notes:
  • 便利な + なる → drop な, add に: 便利になる (become convenient)
  • 暗い is an i-adjective → connects directly to nouns: 暗い道
  • 不 is a productive negative prefix: 不便, 不可, 不幸, 不安

7. Progress Tracker