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Study Japanese kanji radicals with flashcards from your own notes

Ready-made radical sheets are easy to find, but they rarely match the list your teacher or textbook uses. Upload your material and DeckOwl builds flashcards from it, with spaced repetition to help the radicals stick.

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Drop files here or browsePDF, DOCX, PPTX, text or photos of your notes · several files with Plus

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Why build your own radical deck

Printed radical charts are useful, but they rarely match the exact set of radicals your class or textbook covers. A Japanese kanji radicals flashcards deck made from your own pages keeps the study focused on what you actually need to know.

Learn the meaning of each radical before memorizing the kanji built from it.
Include the left-side, right-side and bottom forms of radicals that change shape.
Review radicals in short daily sessions rather than one long cram.
Check your deck against your textbook's radical list before a quiz.

Example Japanese kanji radicals flashcards

Radical 木 (tree): meaning and an example kanjiTree or wood. Found in 林 (hayashi, grove) and 本 (hon, book or origin).

Radical 口 (mouth): meaning and an example kanjiMouth. Found in 味 (aji, taste) and 叫 (sakebu, to shout).

The left-side form of radical 人 (person)亻. Found in 休 (yasumu, to rest) and 体 (karada, body).

The left-side form of radical 水 (water)氵 (three dots). Found in 海 (umi, sea) and 泳 (oyogu, to swim).

The bottom-of-character form of radical 火 (fire)灬 (four dots). Found in 無 (nai, not) and 熱 (atsui, hot).

Generate the full set

Built from your own material

Upload a PDF of your radical chart, slides, typed notes or a photo of a page, and get flashcards that follow your course's list.

Spaced repetition

Cards you miss come back sooner, and cards you know fade into longer intervals, so review time goes where it helps most.

Study in the browser

Review on your laptop or phone with no install. Exporting to Anki or CSV is available on the Plus plan.

How it works

Upload your radical list

Add a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, text file or a photo of the page with the radicals you need to learn.

Generate your flashcards

DeckOwl reads the text, including photos through text recognition, and creates cards with the radical on the front and its meaning and example kanji on the back.

Review on a schedule

Study the deck with spaced repetition and focus on the radicals you keep missing.

Most Japanese dictionaries index kanji under the classic 214 radicals, so learning the common ones first pays off quickly. Pair each radical with two or three kanji that use it, and say the meaning aloud when you review.

Since radicals often appear in different forms, such as 氵 for 水 and 亻 for 人, include those variants on the back of each card so you recognize them inside full characters.

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Frequently asked questions

How many radicals should I learn first?

Start with the radicals that appear most often in the kanji on your course list. Most dictionaries use the classic 214 radicals, so your deck can grow from the common ones over time.

How do I study radicals alongside kanji?

Learn a radical's meaning first, then find two or three kanji that contain it. Review the radical on its own and inside the kanji so you recognize it in different contexts.

Can I export my radical flashcards to Anki?

Yes, Anki export is included in the Plus plan at $39/year or $7.99/month. The free plan lets you study in the browser, with 3 generations per month.

Is there a free plan to try this?

Yes, the free plan gives you 3 generations per month and browser study, and you can start without a credit card. Students get 40% off paid plans with a school email.

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