To Change Something
To Revise Something, To Correct Something, To Check Something
transitive verb, ichidan verb
This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an う sound, you know this word is a verb.
The kanji itself means renew, and this verb's meaning isn't far off. It's transitive, meaning it is done to something. What do you do if you renew something, usually to make it better? You're going to change something, to revise something, or to correct something. This can also mean to check something, like train tickets, or the change you've been given.
Since this word has okurigana (hiragana attached to the kanji) you know that it's probably going to be the kun'yomi reading, which you didn't learn with the kanji. Here's a mnemonic to help you:
We all want to change something. Probably a lotta (あらた) things! Think about all the things you want to change. Your name? Your habits? Your plans? The rules? The government? I bet you can think of a lotta things you want to change.
日を改めることにしました。
We decided to change the date.
その考え方は改めた方がいいよ。
You should correct that way of thinking.
話し合った通りに計画を一部改めた。
Just as we discussed, we revised a part of the plan.