Over 80 Kanji inside the character for 'East'!? | A 'Decomposition Quiz' lesson that fills the blackboard

Take a close look at the character for 'East' (東). How many kanji can you think of that are born from it?

'Sun' (日), 'Rice field' (田), ...

When I have students come up with them in class, the blackboard gets completely filled. There are over 80 characters.

📚 Lesson Flow

1. Write 'East' (東) in large letters on the blackboard
Write the character 'East' large in the center and explain the rules. Showing an example like 'Sun' (日) in the top right gets the students' thinking started.

2. Decide the order.

Just like deciding the order for 'Kanji Shiritori', start it with a sense of a game.

3. Have students come to the front one by one to write
Starting from the right edge of the blackboard, students write the kanji they found. The sheer volume that fills the blackboard creates a sense of surprise.

4. How to end the lesson/Penalty games
For details, refer to 'Classroom Application' in 'Kanji Shiritori'. While maintaining the game-like feel, be creative with how you wrap things up.

📝 Supplementary points

• 'Tree' (木), 'Person' (人), and 'Enter' (入) are also OK (accepted as parts of the shape)

• There are many Chinese numerals. 'Four' (四) is not allowed (because the vertical bar overlaps in the center)

• 'Five' (五) is OK (this allows associations to expand)

• If you notice one kanji, you can notice others by rearranging it (e.g., 'Power' (力), 'Sword' (刀), 'Blade' (刃))

• For students who get stuck, use the aforementioned 'rearranging existing kanji' as a hint.

In addition,
“占”, “引”, “市”, “京”, “卍”...

When you “decompose” them, Kanji are just like puzzles.
Please let your students experience that moment where their creativity spreads across the entire blackboard.

🔗 Word games you can use in class (Link)

• “日”: What happens if you add one stick? An 8-character quiz that makes your brain groan

• “Kanji Shiritori”: Fill the blackboard with compound words! Ride the wave of compound words.