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Kanji quizzes for the joy of reading

Common four-character idioms

How do you read 温故知新 in Japanese?
Revisit the past to discover something new.

Make the words you meet in books your own, one quiz at a time. Discover Japanese kanji readings, meanings and usage with DuraRing.

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QUESTION 37Difficulty ★★☆

How do you read this in Japanese?

温故知新

Think of your answer before you look.

HINTShow hint

Revisiting the past or something already learned to gain fresh knowledge or insight. It begins with onko.

More on radicals and this quiz’s stroke counts

Describe the shapes you see

You do not need to know the radical’s name. Try these searches for this quiz’s characters.

  • water radical beside 日 above 皿

  • 古 with the strike radical on the right

  • Japanese four-character idiom for new insight from old knowledge

These searches describe visual similarities, not formal radicals or character components.

温: 12 strokes; radical 水 (water). 故: 9 strokes; radical 攴 (strike). 知: 8 strokes; radical 矢 (arrow). 新: 13 strokes; radical 斤 (axe). Distinguish informal descriptions of the shape from the dictionary radical.

温12 strokes / radical: 水 (water)

故9 strokes / radical: 攴 (strike)

知8 strokes / radical: 矢 (arrow)

新13 strokes / radical: 斤 (axe)

Stroke counts and radicals follow the Japanese dictionary Kanjipedia; other dictionaries may differ.

Kanjipedia「温」 ／ Kanjipedia「故」 ／ Kanjipedia「知」 ／ Kanjipedia「新」

ANSWERShow answerHide answer

The answer is

おんこちしん

onkochishin

温故知新

Understand the meaning

English translationLearning something new by revisiting the past

Gaining new knowledge or understanding by re-examining the past or what you have learned before. The emphasis is on reaching a fresh insight, not merely looking back.

A person studies the weave of an old basket while developing a new bag design.
Revisit the past to discover something new.AI-generated illustration

See it in a sentence

昔のかごの編み方を調べ、温故知新の発想で新しいバッグを考えた。

I studied traditional basket weaving and used insights from the past to design a new bag.

A way to remember

Here 故 relates to things from the past. Divide the expression into 温故 and 知新 and connect revisiting the old with learning something new.

Sources：Kanjipedia: 温故知新

The explanation draws on the sources below. Examples were written for this page.

Explore the word further

What did looking back reveal?

Use phrases such as 温故知新の姿勢 or 温故知新の発想. Show how an old record or experience yielded an idea useful for a present question.

例：以前の読書ノートを開き、温故知新のつもりで今の悩みを考え直した。

I opened my old reading notes and reconsidered my current concern, hoping to gain a new insight from what I had learned.

More than nostalgia

The expression is not simply about feeling nostalgic or repeating an old method unchanged. Explain what new understanding emerged to make the connection clear.

References for this explanation：Kanjipedia: 温故知新

Explanation checked on 2026-10-25. Additional examples were written by DuraRing for this page.

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Even without the reading, try radicals, stroke counts, shapes or handwriting.

01

By radical

shinnyo radical 11 stroke kanji

If you know the radical’s name, such as shinnyō, use a radical index or search. Narrow the list by the remaining strokes.

02

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11 stroke kanji list

If you do not know the radical, count all the strokes and use a stroke-count index. If nothing matches, check your count.

03

Describe what you see

kanji with two 火 stacked vertically

Try describing the parts, their number and position: ‘fire on the left, … on the right’. A component search such as ‘火 火’ can also help.

04

Use IME Pad (handwriting)

Windows · Microsoft Japanese IME
  1. Switch to Japanese input, then right-click “あ” or “A” on the taskbar.
  2. Open “IME Pad”, choose “Hand Writing” and draw the unfamiliar character.
  3. Choose a matching character, insert it into a search field and look up its reading or meaning.
Microsoft guide: using IME Pad ↗

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