To Wait or To Hold

こんにちは、日本語の学習者の皆さん！🌸
Welcome to the first post of our new blog series: "Kanjis That Look the Same."
If you've ever stared at two kanji and thought, "Wait, haven’t I seen this before?" – you’re not alone. Today, we’ll look at two common JLPT N5/N4 kanji that trick everyone at some point:

待ちます（まちます） – To wait

持ちます（もちます） – To hold

At first glance, these two kanji look almost identical:

• Both have 待 and 持 with the same right-hand radical: 寺 (てら), meaning "temple".

• But it's the left-hand radical that makes all the difference.

Memory Hacks

🕒 待 (まつ) – “To wait”

• Left part: ⻌ (the radical for movement or walk)

• Right part: 寺 (temple)

• Mnemonic: Imagine you're waiting at the temple for someone to arrive (move).

📌 Bonus Tip: Many verbs that involve motion or time use the ⻌ radical.

🤲 持 (もつ) – “To hold”

• Left part: 扌 (the hand radical)

• Right part: 寺 (temple)

• Mnemonic: You're using your hand to hold something precious at the temple – maybe an offering?

📌 Bonus Tip: The 扌 radical appears in many verbs that involve hand actions: 打つ (うつ – to hit), 押す (おす – to push), etc.

Practice Sentences

待ちます：

• 駅で友だちを待ちます。
  (えきで ともだちを まちます。)
  I will wait for my friend at the station.

持ちます：

• 荷物を持ちます。
  (にもつを もちます。)
  I will hold (carry) the luggage.

Wrap-up

When you're learning kanji for the JLPT, it's totally normal to mix up lookalikes.
But with simple radical analysis and fun mnemonics, you'll be a kanji master in no time! 🧙‍♂️✨