L10. Daily Japanese Kanji — Day 10: 田
Days 1-10
R-report
[Day 10] 田 - rice field
The character 田 originally depicts a rice field divided into plots — a pictograph that appears across East Asian writing systems. In Japan it is common in words about agriculture, place names, and family names (e.g., Tanaka). You’ll see it in everyday contexts like maps, local place names, and vocabulary about farming and the countryside. Readings: On'yomi: デン (den) — appears in compounds such as 田園 (でんえん, den'en: rural/pastoral area). Kun'yomi: た (ta), だ (da) — appears in words and names like 田んぼ (たんぼ, tanbo: rice paddy) and 田中 (たなか, Tanaka). Mnemonic tip: Imagine the square divided into four plots — 田 looks like a little map of rice paddies, which helps you remember “rice field.”
Readings
On'yomi: **デン** (den) Kun'yomi: **た, だ** (ta, da)
Related words
- 田んぼ（たんぼ / tanbo） — rice paddy. - 昨日、**田んぼ**でカエルを見ました。 (Kinō, **tanbo** de kaeru o mimashita. — Yesterday I saw a frog in a rice paddy.)
- 田舎（いなか / inaka） — countryside; rural area. - 週末は**田舎**の祖母の家に行きます。 (Shūmatsu wa **inaka** no sobo no ie ni ikimasu. — On weekends I go to my grandmother's house in the countryside.)
- 田中（たなか / Tanaka） — common Japanese family name. - **田中**さんは今日休みです。 (**Tanaka**-san wa kyō yasumi desu. — Mr./Ms. Tanaka is off today.)
- 水田（すいでん / suiden） — paddy field (irrigated rice field). - 春に**水田**に水を入れます。 (Haru ni **suiden** ni mizu o iremasu. — In spring, water is put into the rice paddies.)
- 農田（のうでん / nouden） — farmland; cultivated fields. - その地域には広い**農田**があります。 (Sono chiiki ni wa hiroi **nouden** ga arimasu. — There are wide farmlands in that area.)