Keyword
sound
Info
FrequencyTop 100-200
Type
Kyōiku (1st grade) 
?
KankenLevel 10
Heisig518
Readings
おん
(38%)
おと
(34%)
(26%)
Composed of
standing up
sun
Mnemonic

Imagine physically standing on the surface a sun. I'd be so hot that the only sound you'd be making is a horrific scream. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! IT BURNS!"

Used in kanji (10 in total)
idea
echo
dark
pitch-black darkness
Used in vocabulary (826 in total)
sound; noise; note; fame; Chinese-derived character reading
sound of footsteps; sense or sign that something is approaching
to make a sound; to give off a sound; to hear a sound
to make a sound
real intention; motive; true opinion; what one really thinks
voice; speech; sound of a voice; sound (e.g. of a TV)
quietly; soundlessly
vocal sound; tone of voice
thunderous roar; roaring sound
sound of water
to make a sound
sound of an explosion
tone color; tone colour; tone quality; timbre
pronunciation; production of sound
(audio) recording
(sound of an) explosion or detonation; roar (of a machine)
dull sound; muffled sound
metallic sound; metallic clank
chimes; toll of a bell
sound of the wind; voice of the wind
noise (usu. unpleasant); interference (e.g. radio); static; gossip; irresponsible criticism
to speak one's mind; to be frank; to tell the truth
sound of rainfall
volume (sound)
electronic sound
to whine; to make feeble complaints
roar of waves
walking sound; footsteps
flapping sound (of wings); fluttering; hum (of insects); whizz (of a flying arrow); whoosh
to give up; to admit defeat; to throw in the towel
to walk noisily; to walk loudly
soft sound; dampening (of sound)
to produce a sound
sound; noise; acoustics; reverberation; echo; audio
soundproofing
(sound of one's) heartbeat
very loud volume; megavolume
speed of sound
news (from someone); word; letter; tidings; contact
imitative sound (in film, theatre, etc.); sound effect
good news; gospel (teachings or revelations of Jesus Christ)
low tone; bass; low voice
being lost for words
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
ringtone (of mobile phones, portable phones, cellphones, etc.)
allophone; strange noise
ultrasonic waves; ultrasound
discord; dissonance; cacophony; discord (in a relationship); disagreement; disharmony
break in contact; not hearing from; having no communication with
lead (in a cheer, toast, song, etc.); (someone's) lead; folk song and dance performed by a group; leader of a group of wind instruments (in gagaku)
high-pitched tone; soprano
sound source; sound generator; tone generator
sound wave
(person with) no sense of direction; poor sense of locality
very low frequency sound; heavy bass sound; low-register sound
feeble complaint; whine
tone-deafness; amusia; tone-deaf; off-key; having no sense (of something); being hopeless (when it comes to something)
loud sound; loud reverberation
interval; step; pitch; key
a sound; one sound
notification sound
chord; "on" reading of a kanji
musical note; note symbol; phonetic symbol (incl. the kanji and kana-doubling symbols, vowel-lengthening symbol, etc.); part of a kanji for which the role is primarily to represent the pronunciation (as opposed to the meaning)
to give up; to admit defeat; to throw in the towel
(saying) with one voice; unanimously; in chorus; in unison; as one
sound of footsteps; sense or sign that something is approaching
reading aloud; reading a kanji by its Chinese-derived pronunciation
calls and sounds made by insects
with stealthy steps; with noiseless footsteps; on tiptoe; stealthily
sound of operation; operation noise; running noise
the sound of waves
arrival chime (of an elevator, train, etc.)
double doors opening from the centre; double-opening from the centre (e.g. doors, casement windows, etc.); method of filleting fish, chicken, etc. with a central cut and peeling back the flesh
sound of the wind
to take the lead (of a group of people); to lead (a toast, cheer, etc.); to sing the leading notes of a song after which others join in
exhaust sound; exhaust note
college of music
having slow reflexes; being nonathletic; person who is not athletic
synthesized voice; synthesized speech
singing range; register
sound of a motor
first warbling heard in a New Year
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; clitoris
to walk noisily; to walk loudly
correspondence; news; letter; tidings
light music; popular music
gramophone; phonograph
silencing (e.g. machine); muffling; muting (e.g. TV)
pleasant sound; crack (of a baseball bat); roar (of a motor)
tuning fork
tone quality; sound quality
temple dedicated to Kannon
low noise (of a machine, appliance, etc.); silent (device)
to be widely known; to be famous
sound of something falling
songs with samisen accompaniment; musical performance
ringtone; ring tone; ringback tone; ringing tone
music school; music academy; conservatory
a sweet voice
fricative; fricative consonant
daily life noise; household noises; noise that arises at home from everyday occurrences
metre; rhythm; musical temperament
to take the lead (of a group of people); to lead (a toast, cheer, etc.); to sing the leading notes of a song after which others join in
soundproofing; sound insulation
rhythm game (video game genre); music game
sound collection
stammering; stuttering; dysphemia
tune; tone; intonation; melody; rhythm; harmony
thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara; thousand-armed Kannon
one's true feelings and one's official stance (which may be at odds); one's real motive and one's stated reason
absolute pitch; perfect pitch
second (supplementary) sound channel
sense of sound; sense of pitch
sound leaking (out of headphones, etc.); sound leakage
mechanical ineptitude; being hopeless with machines
voiced consonant in Japanese
to speak one's mind; to be frank; to tell the truth
standard gojūon syllabary order (aiueo, etc.)
voice recognition; speech recognition
conservatory; conservatoire; music academy; music school; college of music
unsophisticated palate; inability to discern good and bad flavours
place where music lessons are given; music class; music school
semitone; half-tone
sound recorder; tape recorder
silence; without sound
imitated cry (of an animal); lie
unvoiced consonant (except p) in Japanese
the world of music; the music world
with stealthy steps; with noiseless footsteps; on tiptoe; stealthily
rapping sound (and other sounds when associated with poltergeists)
highly directional microphone
vocal sound; phoneme
sound pressure; acoustic pressure
gramophone; phonograph
(musical) tuning
ringtone; ring tone; ringback tone; ringing tone
consonant
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
the Japanese syllabary
homophony; same pronunciation; unison; same pitch; (in) one voice; (speaking in) unison
audio tape; magnetic tape
music industry; music business
the Emperor's voice; beautiful voice; beautiful sound
to whine; to make feeble complaints
sound of rustling leaves
clipping (audio); crackling (noise); breaking
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
single sound; monosyllable; phone; monotone (harmonica, etc.)
(car) muffler; (piano) damper pedal; (gun) silencer
on reading; on'yomi; Chinese-derived reading of a kanji
sound barrier
to be off-pitch; to be off-key; to be out of tune
sound of vibrating bowstring
noise barrier; soundproof wall; soundwall; sound barrier
singing, dancing and music; (public) entertainment; performing arts
spoken instructions (over the phone, etc.); voice assist; spoken directions
onomatopoeic word
radio broadcast announcing acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration and the end of the war (recording of Hirohito; broadcast August 15, 1945)
one's true feelings and one's official stance (which may be at odds); one's real motive and one's stated reason
pitch (of a sound)
hammering sound; hammering
Kannon (Bodhisattva); Kwannon; Goddess of Mercy; Bodhisattva of Compassion; Guan Yin; Kuan Yin
sad voices; sad sounds
overtone; harmonic
mediant; baritone; contralto; medium tone; medium pitch
dampening (sound); diminishing (chord, interval)
voice guidance; voice guide; audio guide; spoken instructions
music theory; musical theory
eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara; eleven-faced Kannon
college of music; school of music; music college
double doors opening from the centre
taking the lead; leadership; leader; chorus leader
sound effects; acoustics
thunderous roar; roaring sound
distant sound
exquisite voice; exquisite music
quietness; low noise
having no sense of taste
sound absorption
Hayagriva (manifestation of Avalokitesvara with an ornament in the shape of a horse's head)
voiceless sound
sound of a word; sounds of speech; phoneme
double-stopping (string instr.); double-stop; multiphonics (e.g. wind instr.)
musical note
speech output; voice output; audio output
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
present (to build up a "friendship" with someone); bribe
voice guidance; voice guide; audio guide; spoken instructions
outdoor concert hall; band shell; bandstand
silence; without sound
hold music; music on hold; hold tone
number of syllabic sounds in a language
pentatonic scale
treble; high singing voice
audio system; audio equipment
sound of waves
Japanese pronunciation of a kanji (based on adopted Chinese pronunciations)
G clef; treble clef
8th note; eighth note; quaver
phonetic symbol; phonogram; phonetic script
music director; musical director
the Gospel according to John (book of the Bible)
Japanese music (esp. traditional Japanese music)
Avalokitesvara Sutra; Kannon Sutra
music; notes; notation
whispering; quiet weeping
phonograph record; gramophone record
clang of hoofs; sound of a koto
audio lag; out-of-sync (sound)
modern music; contemporary music
short sound
roar of a cannon
nasal voice; nasal stop; nasal occlusive; nasal
noise; cacophony
program music; programme music
Amoghapasa (manifestation of Kannon)
skipping (e.g. on a CD); jumping
contracted sound; palatalised sound (e.g. Japanese morae with small kana); palatalized sound
Cintamani-cakra (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
kan-on; Han reading; on reading of a kanji based on Tang dynasty Chinese
quarter note; crotchet
damper; mute (on musical instruments)
geminate consonant (small "tsu" in Japanese)
the Gospel according to Matthew (book of the Bible)
(study of) acoustics
listening instrument; sound detector; sound locator; acoustic locator; hydrophone
fundamental tone
news (from someone); word; letter; tidings; contact
soundproofing (device)
dental; dental consonant; dental sound
(alveolar) flap
speech synthesis; voice synthesis
tone color; tone colour; tone quality; timbre
report of a death
dominant (note)
supersonic airliner (i.e. the Concorde)
electric gramophone; record player
kanji readings
listening instrument; sound detector; sound locator; acoustic locator; hydrophone
sibilant; sibilant consonant
euphony; euphonic change
transliteration; transcription
whole note; semibreve
transliteration; phonetic representation of a foreign word using Chinese characters; reading aloud (for people with impaired vision)
sound when stopping the blade of a sword with the guard
sandhi; liaison; trill
ringtone; ring tone; ringback tone; ringing tone
consonant p in Japanese
the Gospel according to Luke (book of the Bible)
sound of the sea; sound of the waves; sound of massed chanting of sutras, etc.
the sound of the kana "n"
go-on; Wu reading; on reading of a kanji based on 5th and 6th century Chinese
Gospel of John (book of the Bible)
exceptionally close friend
sound of sutra chanting
stammering; stuttering; dysphemia
record; sound-recording
Latin-American music
tonic; keynote
rale; rales
note name; pitch name; letter notation
sound-producing organ (esp. of land-dwelling vertebrates and insects)
sound pattern; figure
Gospel of Matthew (book of the Bible)
rhythm game (video game genre); music game
stuttering; stammering; dysphemia
broken chord; arpeggio
acoustic material; acoustic absorbent material
lingual sound
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; clitoris
homonymy; (two words) having the same pronunciation but bearing different meanings
Maria Kannon; statue of the Virgin Mary disguised as a Buddhist Kannon statue, used by hidden Christians during the Edo period
Cundi (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
fundamental tone; fundamental note
tremolo; trill; vibratory sound; warble tone
looking up a word or kanji by its reading (rather than by its radical or stroke count); katakana-hiragana prolonged sound mark
voiced nasal sound; nasal sonant
parabolic reflector
phonetic value; note value; time value
compound note (on a harmonica)
long-vowel mark; macron; long note
evangelicalism; evangelism
evangelist; gospeler; gospeller
phonetic representation
online music distribution
noise barrier; soundproof wall; soundwall; sound barrier
toilet device that plays a melody or flushing sound
the Gospel according to Mark (book of the Bible)
the seven forms of Avalokitesvara; the seven Avalokitesvaras of Kyoto
tō-on; Tang reading; on reading of a kanji based on Song dynasty and later Chinese
mixing board (console, desk); (audio) mixer
outdoor concert hall; band shell; bandstand
signal (sound); starting gun signal
euphonic change of pronunciation; elision
accent; stress
the Six Forms of Avalokitesvara (one for each of the six realms)
similar sound
homophone; word with the same pronunciation and similar meaning as another but a different written form
evangelist (i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
correct Chinese (on) pronunciation of a character
(recorded) man-on-the-street interview
the sound of gunfire
kanji reading and meaning
Tieguanyin (variety of oolong tea)
sound pattern; figure
audio recording; sound recording
stereo image (audio)
supersonic aircraft; supersonic plane
Gospel of Mark (book of the Bible)
oral consonant
simultaneous recording; synchronous recording
guardian Avalokitesvara of children and childbirth (bodhisattva)
syllabary; phonetic symbol
F clef; bass clef
call of a wild goose; wild goose (esp. a lesser white-fronted goose, Anser erythropus); tea made from twigs of high-quality tea plants (esp. gyokuro); high-grade kukicha (esp. from gyokuro)
stop; stop consonant; occlusive
major chord; major triad
traditional ballad sung wearing hanagasa (esp. Yamagata Pref.)
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
articulatory organ (i.e. the tongue, teeth, lips, etc.)
Ekadasamukha (eleven-faced Avalokitesvara)
acoustic engineering; acoustical engineering
infra-sound; infrasound; low frequency sound
nasal sound change (generation of geminate consonant, primarily a geminate 't' from vowel stems ending in 'i')
Gospel of Luke (book of the Bible)
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
to be off-pitch; to be off-key; to be out of tune
car horn; alarm
Okinawan scale (hemitonic pentatonic scale: do, mi, fa, so, ti)
recording audio without consent; secret recording
rale; rales; crackles; abnormal rattling sound in the lungs
recording room; recording studio
Japanese pronunciation of a kanji (based on adopted Chinese pronunciations)
relative pitch; relative hearing
ASMR video; genre of video that exploits autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) to induce tingling, comfort, or sleepiness in the listener
tone poem
hammering sound; hammering
acoustic training; auditory training
long "o" vowel arising from combination of the "a" and "u" sounds
prolonged silence
the Japanese syllabary table
phonemics; phonology
visage; voice and countenance
Pythagorean temperament; Pythagorean tuning
audio recording; sound recording
acoustic signal; audible signal; audio signal
sound-producing organ (i.e. speech organs of mammals, wings of insects)
ko-on; ancient reading; reading of a kanji based on Zhou, Han and Wei dynasty Chinese
heptatonic scale; seven note scale; heptachord
euphonic change form
voiceless consonant
gurgle; sound of peristaltic activity
sound pressure level (usu. measured in decibel); SPL
audio lag; out-of-sync (sound)
recording disc (of the Imperial surrender message)
phonetic sign
toilet device that plays a melody or flushing sound
damping; muffling; noise-reduction
nasal sound change (generation of the mora 'n', primarily from verb stems ending in 'i')
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
multiplex broadcast or transmission
Pinyin; Chinese romanization system
long silence; not making contact for a long time
mimetic word (esp. in manga); onomatopoeic word
voice mail; voicemail
sounder (e.g. for a telegraph)
daily life noise; (excessive) noise that arises at home from everyday occurrences
kanji used to represent syllables, based on their "on" readings (prior to the advent of kana)
single-kana sound
crepitus; crepitation
narrative style of Bon dance song from eastern Osaka (often with improvised lyrics)
subdominant (note)
sō-on; Song reading; on reading of a kanji based on Song dynasty and later Chinese (esp. in words related to Zen Buddhism)
sound made by a plectrum
phonetics; phonology
tone-deafness; amusia; tone-deaf; off-key; having no sense (of something); being hopeless (when it comes to something)
true parrot (esp. small parrots such as the parakeet, lory and conure)
(saying) with one voice; unanimously; in chorus; in unison; as one
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; clitoris
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; clitoris
tuning fork
thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara; thousand-armed Kannon
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
(musical) tuning
call of a wild goose; wild goose (esp. a lesser white-fronted goose, Anser erythropus); tea made from twigs of high-quality tea plants (esp. gyokuro); high-grade kukicha (esp. from gyokuro)
call of a wild goose; wild goose (esp. a lesser white-fronted goose, Anser erythropus); tea made from twigs of high-quality tea plants (esp. gyokuro); high-grade kukicha (esp. from gyokuro)
Kannon (Bodhisattva); Kwannon; Goddess of Mercy; Bodhisattva of Compassion; Guan Yin; Kuan Yin
sharp (musical note)
eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara; eleven-faced Kannon
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
phonetic table (esp. that of Japanese)
rale; rales
Cundi (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
dialectal pronunciation
Pinyin; Chinese romanization system
Pinyin; Chinese romanization system
acute (accent, etc.)
sounder (e.g. for a telegraph)
combination tone (psychoacoustic phenomenon); difference tone
sound made by a plectrum
reading in unison; saying the same thing
strength of the voice
Vietnamese reading (of Chinese characters)
bad news; news of a death
labial sound
megaphone; speaking tube; sound box
affricative sound
telephone time-warning sound
64th note; hemidemisemiquaver; semidemisemiquaver
maru mark; semivoiced sound; p-sound
phonetic transcription; phonetic notation
index listing kanji by their Chinese and Japanese pronunciations
similar-sounding words
aspirate; aspirated consonant
vocalization; vocalisation
English pronunciation
sound system (of a language); phonological system
consonant cluster
(piano) damper
voiceless consonant
phonological component
popularly accepted "on" reading of a kanji (as opposed to those derived from Chinese)
monophthong; simple vowel
Hunmin-jongum; the Hankul (Hangul) alphabet (of Korea); the Onmun (Enmun)
voice recognition; speech recognition
making no sound; staying quiet; lying low; saying nothing and waiting for an opportunity
making no sound; staying quiet; lying low; saying nothing and waiting for an opportunity
alveolar consonant
initial consonant; syllable onset
final consonant
Wu-dynasty reading of Chinese characters
tōsō-on; Tang-Song reading; on reading of a kanji based on Song dynasty and later Chinese
professor specializing in the readings of kanji in classic Confucianist texts
medial; final-head (glide before the center vowel in Chinese)
(of Chinese) pronunciation of kanji without a medial between the initial consonant and center vowel; (of Japanese) the long "o" vowel arising from combination of the "a" and "u" sounds
(of Chinese) pronunciation of kanji with a medial between the initial consonant and center vowel; (of Japanese) the long "o" vowel arising from combination of the "o" and "u" or "e" and "u" sounds
long "o" vowel arising from combination of the "o" and "u" or "e" and "u" sounds
euphonic change wherein some mora ('ku', 'gu', 'hi', 'bi' and 'mi') are pronounced 'u'
euphonic change wherein some mora ('ki', 'gi', 'shi' and 'ri') are pronounced 'i'
the sound of one hand clapping (a classic Zen koan)
ablaut; vowel gradation; apophony; vowel shift
phonetic change; change in sound; shift in sound; sound change
phonetic change; change in sound; shift in sound; sound change
turn (melodic ornament); gruppetto
Gospel of Thomas (apocryphal) (book of the Bible)
root (of a chord)
Tonmalerei (musical imagery); sound film
anhemitonic pentatonic scale (pentatonic scale containing no semitones)
hemitonic pentatonic scale (pentatonic scale containing semitones)
miyako-bushi scale (characteristic Japanese hemitonic pentatonic scale: mi, fa, la, ti, do)
folk scale (anhemitonic pentatonic scale: mi, so, la, ti, re)
ritsu scale (anhemitonic pentatonic scale primarily used in gagaku: re, mi, so, la, ti)
aeolian sound; eolian sound; aeolian tone
using the Chinese-reading of kanji to represent native Japanese words (irrespective of the kanji's actual meaning)
tone generator module
pseudonoise sequence; pn sequence
transcription
vaginal flatulence; flatus vaginalis
speaker (stereo equipment, computer, etc.)
speaker (stereo equipment, computer, etc.)
sound-level meter; sound pressure meter
contamination noise; noise from contamination
contamination noise; noise from contamination
flaw noise (in bearings)
flaw noise (in bearings)
trill (consonant sound)
trill (consonant sound)
contraction (in phonetics)
consonant stem verb; godan verb
vowel stem verb; ichidan verb
phonemic system; phoneme system
mixing board (console, desk); (audio) mixer
audio equalizer circuit; sound equalizer circuit
audio equalizer circuit; sound equalizer circuit
audio equalizer; sound equalizer
phonetics; phonology
stridor; stridulous
stridor; stridulous
medial (in phonics)
kanji reading that has not been approved by the government (and is not to be taught in public schools)
tuplet (e.g. triplet)
syllabic meter (poetry)
depalatalization (e.g. dropping small kana in borrowing foreign words into Japanese); depalatalisation
click consonant; click; click sound; suction stop
uvular; uvular consonant
dorsal; dorsal consonant
International Phonetic Alphabet; IPA
International Phonetic Alphabet; IPA
International Phonetic Alphabet; IPA
coronal; coronal consonant
labiodental; labiodental consonant
place of articulation; region of articulation; point of articulation
retroflex; retroflex consonant; retroflex sound
retroflex; retroflex consonant; retroflex sound
retroflex; retroflex consonant; retroflex sound
ultrasonic microscope; acoustic microscope
phonetic symbol; phonogram
sound shift (esp. in historical kana); new pronunciation
recording audio at home (as opposed to in a studio)
audio dropout (incl. stutter, clicks, pops etc.)
music therapy
ultrasonication; sonication; ultrasonic treatment
Japanese war tuba; pre-radar acoustic locator used by the Imperial Japanese Army
consonant
strongly pronounced consonant (esp. in Korean); tenseness
sound drop-out (e.g. in audio equipment)
diminished chord; diminished triad
augmented chord; augmented triad
aspirate; aspirated consonant
unaspirated sound
unreleased stop; applosive
implosive consonant
Bopomofo; Zhuyin fuhao; Chinese transliteration system now used mainly in Taiwan
Bopomofo; Chinese transliteration system now used mainly in Taiwan
quiet PC; personal computer that makes little to no noise
fundamental tone; fundamental note
foley artist; sound effects person
noise-induced hearing loss; NIHL
popularly accepted "on" reading of a kanji (as opposed to those derived from Chinese)
scale degree
musical accompaniment and sound effects (esp. in kabuki)
Tongyong Pinyin; former official Taiwanese romanization system
Tongyong Pinyin; former official Taiwanese romanization system
Tongyong Pinyin; former official Taiwanese romanization system
appoggiatura
writing palatalized sounds with a single kana character
jion kanazukai (historical kana style for kanji on-yomi)
jion kanazukai (historical kana style for kanji on-yomi)
phonological alternation; sound alternation; phonetic alternation
Kannon of Great Mercy (alt. name for Avalokiteshvara); Greatly Compassionate Kannon; Daihi Kannon
pronunciation of ha-column sounds in non-initial positions as wa-column sounds
morphophonology; morphophonemics; morphonology
tone language; tonal language
Examples (200 in total)
What was that sound?
What was that noise?
What's that sound?