Commonly Mistaken Kanji: How to Tell Similar Kanji Apart

Memory trick: 人 looks like a person standing sideways (legs together). 入 looks like an arrow pointing into a doorway.

Tip: 人 has a wider bottom; 入 is narrower at the bottom, like entering through a door.

Memory trick: 月 (moon) is perfectly rectangular. 肉 (meat) has a horizontal line through the middle, dividing it like strips of meat.

Tip: The inner division of 肉 is the key difference. Say "肉 has a meat line through it!"

Memory trick: 日 (sun) has a cross in the middle (like sun rays). 口 (mouth) is just an open square with no line.

Tip: The cross in 日 represents the sun's rays. The empty square 口 represents an open mouth.

Memory trick: 火 is simple fire (4 strokes). 灯 has 火 inside 王 (king), making a lamp; the fire is contained by the king-like structure.

Tip: Think of a royal lamp: 灯 = 火 + ornament (王).

Memory trick: 悪 (bad) has 心 (heart) on the left side; it's "evil from the heart." 亜 is just a standalone symbol used as a prefix.

Tip: See the heart (心) in 悪? That's the evil heart making it bad!