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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Kindness" are 恩、恵、渥.
恩
grace, blessing, gratitude
Onyomi: on 10 strokes Jōyō
to bless, wise
Also associated with gentle.
Onyomi: e, kei Kunyomi: megu.mi, megu.mu 10 strokes Jōyō
moisture
Also associated with thick, luster.
Onyomi: aku Kunyomi: atsu.i, uruo.u 12 strokes Jinmeiyō
blessing, grace
Also associated with wise.
Onyomi: e, kei Kunyomi: megu.mi, megu.mu 12 strokes Jinmeiyō
恩 is kindness seen from the receiving end. It is a favor you owe something for: 恩人 is the person who did you a decisive good turn, 恩師 a teacher you remain grateful to, 恩返し the act of repaying kindness. It carries obligation, which the English word does not.
恵 is kindness given freely — blessing, grace, bounty. 恵み is what nature or fortune bestows and 恵まれる is to be blessed with something. It is one of the most common name characters for women (Megumi, Keiko), and it also appears in 知恵 (wisdom), a sense unrelated to kindness.
惠 is the same character as 恵 in its older, pre-reform shape, kept on the name list for family names and traditional spellings. It is not a separate word.
渥 is rare. Its dictionary sense is moistening, with kindness by extension, and in practice it is met almost only in given names such as Atsushi.
恵 is the safe choice and reads as blessing and grace. 恩 reads as a debt of gratitude rather than as being a kind person, which makes it an odd thing to wear about yourself. 渥 will be read as a name character, not as a word.
What is Onyomi?
Onyomi, also known as the "Sino-Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is derived from the original Chinese pronunciation.
What is Kunyomi?
Kunyomi, also known as the "native Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. Kunyomi readings are often used when a kanji character stands alone or is followed by hiragana, as in verbs and adjectives. Mastering both kunyomi and onyomi is crucial for understanding and using kanji effectively in the Japanese language.
What is Radical?
A radical, also known as "bushu" in Japanese, is a fundamental component of kanji characters. Radicals are the building blocks of kanji and are used to categorize and organize them in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals, each with its own meaning, which often provides a clue to the meaning of the kanji character it forms.
What is strokes?
Stroke count, or "kakusuu" in Japanese, refers to the number of individual brushstrokes required to write a kanji character. Each kanji has a specific stroke order and stroke count, which are essential for writing the character correctly and legibly. Understanding and following the correct stroke order not only ensures proper balance and aesthetics but also makes writing more efficient and fluid.