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KA N J I PICT·O·GRAPHIX
OVER 1/000 JAPANESE KANJI AND KANA MNEMONICS Michael Rowley
Stone Bridge Press Berkeley, California
II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My wife, Kong Hyang Kil, has helped me with every facet of this 'book For the past three years: giving insights into meanings of characters, critiquing my drawings and page designs, and constructing layouts on the computer. I dedicate this book to her for all her socrlfices and inspiration. 'I'd also like to thank my brother Chris Rowley for helping put the manuscript on disk, my parents for their help and encouragement, and my publisher, Peter Goodman, for his patience and skiIL-M.R.
Kanji definitions are taken from A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters by Kenneth G. Hensholl (Tokyo, Japan, and Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. T ultle Co., Inc., 19881 with permission of the publisher.
This book was produced on an Apple Macintosh II computer. Illustrations were drawn by hand, scanned into the computer, and redrawn using Adobe Illustrator, Streamline, and Photoshop. The pages, including the text and illustrations, were laid out in Adobe Illustrator and then imported inlo QuarkXPress. QuarkXPress was also used for the front- and backmatter. Macrons and underlines for Roman characters were made with Altsys Fontographer. The kanji were set on a Toshiba Dynabook laptop computer and output on a Compugraphic phototypesetter in Tokyo, and were placed both electronically in QuarkXPress and by hand. Final output was done on a Llnotronic 330.
Book design by Michael Rowley, Eye Cue Design. Copyright © 1992 by Michael Rowley.
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rowley, Michael.
Kanji pict-o-graphix: over 1,000 Japanese kanji and kana mnemonics / Michael Rowley.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-9628137-0·2
1. Chinese characters-Japan-Glassaries, vocab-
ularies, etc. 2. Japanese language-Glossaries, vocab-
ularies, etc. l. Title.
PL677.6.R69 1991
495.6'82421-dc20 91-23153
CIP
All rig his reserved.
10 9 8 765 4
No part of this book may be reproduced in ony form without written permission from the publisher.
Published by STONE BRIDGE PRESS, P.O. Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707.
Printed in the United States of America.
Contents
iNTRODUCTION ••..........•...•......••••.••••••••.•. ~ 7
KANA .oo • .o,o.ooO.OG .. .a ooooo •• Gt.ooooo .. o 11
CHAPTER 1: WORLD •.•.•...••••.•••.•.•••.• •••••••• 17
The Sun ,,, ,, .. , 18
The Moon , , , , , , 19
The Day .. , 20
Time 22
Wind, Rain, & Clouds 24
Water , , , , 26
Wash ., 28
Fire 30
Ice ,', , , , , ,,31
Soil , , , , , , .. , 32
Metal ., , 33
Bamboo & Grass 34
Trees 36
Timber .. " , , , .. , .. , 40
Mountains & Valleys 42
Stones 44
Cave , .. " , 46
CHAPTER 2: FOOD ,;,.,;, ••• 000 -11 11-11-11-11- •••••• 00. 47
Field & Plant 48
Rice 50
Eat , .. , , 52
Wine 54
Tray 55
Meat , " , 56
CHAPTER 3: ANIMALS ••••••••••••••••••••••.•.•••. 57
Cow, Pig, & Sheep 58
Horse " .. , 60
Bugs " , , , 62
Snakes & Birds 63
Plumage , 64
Heron 66
Dog , , " , 67
Forest Animals " 68
Sea Creatures " 70
CHAPTER 4: PEOPLE ... a-a- .... IIo .. U.O' .... uOO.oou ....... uo 71
People 72
Person 76
Populace " " .. ,.77
People's Burdens .78
Woman & Man 80
Marriage , " 82
Family , , , " ,84
SelF , , , 86
CHAPTER 5: BODY ""'" ...... """4 •••• ' •• ,, •••••••••• 0 •••• 0 87
Body ,., , ,' 88
Flesh & Bone 90
Skin 92
Tooth, Fang, & Claw " , 93
Heart , " " " 94
Love 96
Hate 97
Head, Neck, & Hair 98
Eye 100
Ear 101
Mouth 102
Hand , 104
Hold 107
CONTENT,S
Reach ' 108
Give ., .. " " " , , 109
leg 110
Stand : .. 112
CHAPTER 6: SPIRIT n "' " 113
Spirit , , 114
Pain 116
Dead Bodies 118
Past 120
Temple 122
Shrine 123
Religion 124
CHAPTER 7: POWER •• " .o04lD OO 125
Money 126
Wealth 128
Master 130
King 131
Power 132
Soldier 133
IN ever Budge an} Inch 134
Enclosed 136
Attack 138
Strike with a Stick 140
Bow & Arrow 142
CHAPTER 8: LEARN .. u6uon .. ooo""" u 143
Learn 144
Speak 146
Read 148
The Arts 150
Measure 152
Numbers 154
Sizes 156
Colors 158
Positions 160
Oppose 162
CHAPTER 9: TOOLS .... a. .. 0IIII1Ouoeu .... aIHI .... UIt6l;oU 163
Thread 164
Baskets 168
Needles 169
Cloth 170
Knife 172
Equipment 174
Brooms , 175
Build 176
Ax 178
CHAPTER 1 0: PLACES ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 179
Places 180
Village 182
Hill 183
Gate 184
Door 186
Building & Roof 188
Shelter 190
CHAPTER 11: JOURNEY 191
Move 192
Escape 194
Boat , ; 196
Cart 197
Road 198
Crash! 199
Stop , 200
... & Start Again 201
Come 202
INDEX 1- 207
6
Introduction
How do you study the written Japanese characters known as kanji?- If you are a child in a Japanese school, you write each kanji hundreds of times at your desk. After a while, by sheer persistence, it sticks in your memory. If you are not a Japanese schoolchild, you probably do what I did. You stare at each kanji and make up a story in your head that you can mentally "attach" to the kanji to help you recall its meaning when you meet it again in the future. This kind of mental memory aid is called a "mnemonic" device. In this book I provide mnemonic devices in the form of text and pictures for over 1,000 kanji, or about half of all the kanji in general use in Japanese newspapers and other printed material.
Kanji developed from pictures used by the Chinese several thousand years ago to represent the world around them. Some types of kanji have retained their pictographic forms and look very much like the objects they represent. The group of kanji called pictographs are stylized representations of actual physical objects:
)11
river 55
mountain 167
gale 1101
Symbols use logical designs to indicate more abstract notions:
J:
oyer 9~2
under 943
middle 950
Ideographs put two pictographs or symbols together to create a related idea:
B
+
sun 1
bright 8
moon 14
The above three types of kanji are fairly easy to remember. The group of kanji called phono-ideographs, however, are more chcllenging. These kanji combine an element thai gives a clue to pronunciation with an element that hints at the "subject molter" of the kan j i. Most ken jiperhaps 80%-fall into this category. The theme element, called a radical, may itself be a stand-alone kanji or some graphic variant of one. TREE 126, for example, is a character by itself. Used as a radical it usually indicates something made of wood or relating to trees:
tree 126
willow 128
limber 152
7
I N T RO Due T ION
The right-hand elements here give a clue to pronunciation. The problem is that they may have little or nothing to do with the character's meaning. This makes creating a mnemonic for them much more difficult. But even pictographic forms hove often been simplified and stylized over the centuries. The kanji STOP 1205, for instance, has changed greatly from its original depiction of a footprint:
II HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The organization of this book differs from that used in most kanji-learning books for Westerners, where characters appear in order of frequency or in the order used in Japanese schools. Since the whole point of mnemonics is to create associations, I have grouped my kanji thematically with their cousins and near cousins in sound, meaning, or appearance. There is no formal pedagogical basis for my organization. My goal was simply to discover graphic and mnemonic affinities, thus bringing kanji together that are normally very distant from each other in dictionaries as well as people's minds.
My kanji selections do include several that are not on the list of kanji approved for general use
by the Japanese Ministry of Education. They are here because they were visually interesting to me. By the same token, several common kanji have been excluded because frankly I couldn't come up with a satisfactory visual or textual mnemonic. For a comprehensive, graduated course in kanji, see Kenneth G. Hensholl's very fine book, A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters (Charles E. Tuttle, 1988). I have relied heavily on Henshall's book, which was especially useful for its kanji definitions and its descriptions of kanji elements and origins. for simplicity and economy of space, I have occasionally made modifications to Mr. Henshall's listings.
You may find it easier to learn the complex kanji if you begin with the stand-alone characters and the other elements used as radicals. Many of these basic kanji and kanji elements are presented here alongside the large-format illustrations. Flip through the book and concentrate on these characters first.
The smaller entries on each two-page spread ofte n i nco rporate the ba sic elements presented in the large-format illustrations. A few character entries appear without an illustration. Illustrations of the elements that appear in these characters can be found using the schematics and cross-reference numbers at the bottom of each entry.
8
I N T ROD UC T ION
III GUIDE TO THE ENTRIES association with the visual mnemonic more clear.
The standard kcn]l entries in this book include the This form is commonly encountered in printed
following information: materials. (Kanfi written by hand sometimes look
1 -I DAMP, MOIST, HUMID
61-2
--5tIlJ
SHITSU --- shime!.!!.!§.!!.
~w \)~
-6
7- The sun evaporates water, making the air humid.
..__----10
8- EI water 66 9__../
1. Meaning in English. For the most
[] sun I
[lI wet n-o -11
part the kanji definitions are drawn from Henshall's book. Definitions that treat the whole kanji as a semantic form are somewhat misleading and imprecise, however. The meaning of any kon]i is best gleaned from the many words it is used to represent. When the entry kanji is used in Japanese only as an element within other kanji, Ihe definition is enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Reference number. A sequence number used in the index and in kanji crossreferences.
3. Kanji character. A plain typeset form was selected for each entry character to' make the
very different from their typographic forms.)
4. On (borrowed Chinese) reading.
Always in upper case. These pronunciations [onyomi) derive from those used in China when the kanji was first brought to Japan. The Japanese adapted the Chinese sounds to their own speech. The same character may have been imported several times, each time with a different reading, thus producing the multiple readings in use today.
S. Kun (Japanese) reading. Always in lower case. These pronunciations (kun-yomi) represent native Japanese words "fitted" to the imported kanji. Most Japanese verbs and adjectives are kun readings. Underlined lellers represent verbal or adjectival inflections that are not a part of the kanji's actual reading.
6. Visual mnemonic. I have taken many liberties in creating the pictures that go with the kanji. Sometimes I have tried to' preserve the historical etymology of the character; elsewhere 1 have abandoned it in favor of something that, to my eyes, made more sense. I usually used the identical drawing to represent the same kanji element in different visual mnemonics, but not always. I have,
9
INTRODUCTI'ON
for example, taken creative license with the element MOUTH 566 (also used to express "opening," or "enclosed"), drawing it instead as a tomato in CULTIVATE 246 and a box in DOUBLE 631. 1 have also
D
mouth 566
cultivate 246
double 631
willfully visually "confused" certain elements that Japanese teachers are always insisting must never be confused. One example: the interchanging of SOIL 101 and WARRIOR 753. The schematic of elements (see number 8, below) identifies the correct form.
±
±
50ill01
warrior 753
7. Text mnemonic. Keyed to the visual mnemonic. The keywords are in boldface type.
8. Schematic of elements. Each box indicates the position of one of the main elements in the kanji. The element may be a radical, or it may be another kanji (if it is another kanji, its shape as an element may be compressed or slightly altered). The schematic boxes are not used when the entry kanji is a stand-clone kanji or is a radical or element with no other use except as a combining form. And again, sometimes I have had to concoct and interpret elements when none, according to Henshall
10
and others, may actually exist. While the schematic of elements is a helpful reference aid, keep in mind that it is a guideline only.
9. Element meaning. Refers to the first
/
definition given for the kanji or radical used as an
element in the enlry kanji. I have tried 10 use the meaning of the element in the visual and text mnemonics.
10. Cross-reference number. Refers to the sequential reference number of the element used in the entry kanji.
11. Notes reference number. Some characters have elements whose meanings ore archaic or that correspond to no stand-alone character or radical in Japanese, such as the right side of PLACE 28. Other characters, like COCOON 307, are too complex graphically to describe with a simple schematic:
place 28
cocoon 307
Comments on such complex elements appear in a numbered Notes section at the back of the book. These comments are referenced by "n-oOO" instead of a cross-reference number. Again, much of the information here derives from Henshall's book, which describes the kanji elements in detcil.
THE SYLLABARIES
In addition to kanji, Japanese uses two phonetic syllabaries, hiragano and katakana. Each syllabary of forty-six characters represents the same sounds. The cursive hiragana are used to write words not normally written in kanji and for verb endings and parts of speech. The angular katakana are used for emphasis and to write words and names not of Japanese or Chinese origin.
GOODBYE
~ sa cd:: yo
-:::[ rna
? ku
.~ do
T no
J~ ru
~ do
(katakano) (hiragana)
t. (.
'I
I
A-KA
HIRAGANA
\\ • .. l' 1
I I
Hawaii. Eat with chopsticks.
U
-
?
Uhh! Uhh!
E
~
-
x. .I
Exotic bird. Elevator doors.
0 I
a=o ~
Olive. On and Off Switch. A
Ah! I see the letter" AIJ.
I
KA I
tJ\ ~~ tJ J;
Cut the sausage. Cut the sausage.
KI
~ \, ~ \,
Key. Key.
KU
< c< ? ~
Koo-koo bird. Cocoon.
KE
(t ~ 'r it
Keg. A tilted letter IJKIJ.
KO
- @ :J
L
Coin, A street eerner. Ah! I see the letter" AU.
12
H'I RAG A N A
SA I
~ d~ 17· mft
Sob. Sod.
SHI
L ~ ""- ~
/ ~
She has flowing hair. She has a funny smile.
SU
9 ri A ")
/'
Soon the sprout will bloom. Suit hanger.
SE I
i± t!. -I:! t!.
Say. Say.
SO
-t ~ \) ~
Sew a zigzag stitch. Sew a stitch. SA- TA
TA
tc ta Jy S;
ta Tomahawk.
CHI I
-5 \p T ff
.".~
AMACHIOOOO! Cheer.
TSU
? t? \'J ~
It's a snake. Balls and bats.
TE
-c ~ - .!f
T
Ten . telephone pole.
. TO
C ~ ~ t©~
A thorn in my toe. The "t" in toe.
13 NA-HA
H I RAG AN A
NA I
Knot.
NI I
(~ ~=(
Knee.
NU I
~ ~
Noodle held by chopsticks.
NE I
fa ~
Net a big fish.
NO
0) 0
NO SmokIng.
14 Knot.
-
-
Two needles.
Violence is in the news.
I never go to church.
/
NO Smoking.
HA I
(~ ~
~~
Ha, ha, ha.
I
HI
V' ~
Hee, hee, hee.
I ::
FU
" •
.,;~, ,C,
Who?
HE
~ 6
This way to heaven.
HO
{~ r~=
Half a whole note. Break it in half.
He's sitting down.
7?
•
Who?
This way to heaven. '
Holy cross.
HIRAGANA
IM-YA
MA
A baby cries/Mama."
MI
o y
Me,I'm21.
MU I
A cow says, "Moo."
ME I
Me is Japanese for "eye."
MO
Catch rna' Fish with this.
Mama's breast.
Do, re, mi.
A cow says, "Moo."
Mexico.
Catch rna' fish with this.
YA
Yak.
YU
li]!
Trying to make a U-turn.
YO
ct ~
Yo-yo.
yo II yu II yo
~ ~ ct Yak.
U-turn.
Yak.
You are number one.
3
Yodel.
Yo-yo.
I These kana written small turn ki, shi, chi, ni, hi, mi, ri, into kya, sho, cha, nyo, hya, mya, rya; kyu, shu, chu, nyu, hyu, myu, ryu; and kyo, sho, cho, nyo, hyo, myo, ryo.
I DOUBLERS I The kana U is
used to double the 0 and U vowel sounds of other kana: ko-» ko, ku-»
ka, etc.
--
?
I DOUBLERS I Certain consonants are doubled when
~ preceded by a
.." smaller, silent
tsu, as in: ~."? L
zcsshi
15
RA- WA- 0 - N HIRAGANA
RA I
0 ~ .........
7
Roger the rabbit. Rocket.
R! I
U 1~ I) 1~
Cc ~J <s- ;)J
Reeds. Reeds.
RU
~ ~ )~ >t
Three rubies. Leg and tail of kangaroo. WA I
Wasp.
(WIO
The cowboy said, "Whoa."
N I
The sound of "n".
(Soda) pop sound.
VOICED SOUNDS
Wow, his head's knocked off!
An arrow head.
Nicks and cuts.
This mark changes the pronunciations of ha, hi, fu, he, and ho to popping sounds: pa, pi, pu, pe, and po.
This mark changes the pronunciations of all the kana in the series begin" ning ka, sa, ta, ond ha to vibrating sounds: ga, za, do, and b«.
RE
L
Rain and lightning.
Rain shoe.
RO I
. , . RO
3
D
Three rubies rolled away.
Rotate a nut.
16
Vocal cord vibrations.
KANJI COMPOUNDS
Each kanji has rnenninq by itself. Kanji also can be combined in kanji compounds, or iukugo, to form new meanings, much as root words, prefixes, and suffixes are combined in English. The compound meaning "world," shown at right, is composed of SE 1081, meaning WORLD, and KAI 203, meaning BOUNDARY. Other cornbinations include:
JAPAN FEBRUARY
B * - ~
NI HON NI GATSU
SUIl 1 origin 125 two 898 month 14
FOREIGNER EXIT
*A t±i D
GAl JIN de guchi
outside 13 person 363 emerge 955 opening 566
STUDENT LETTER
~~ =f*lf
GAKU SEI te gami
study 839 gain 214 hand 579 paper 974 1-7
w 0 R t D
The Sun
I PROSPEROUS, GOOD, CLEAR
E3 S
I REflECT, SHINE
EI ulsu!!1/!!!!, ho~
The sun shines outward from its center.
[] sun 1
[J center 955
SHITSU snime!!1/!!!!
... IC_R_YS_T_A ... l,_C_LE_A_R, ... B_R_IG_H_T 31 I DAMP, MOIST, HUMID
I'!'I sun 1
Id sun 1
Ell sun 1
~lffi '\)~
The sun evaporates water, making the air humid.
[!l sun 1
[Jil wet n-6
SHO
As clear as a day with two suns.
f'!I sun 1
IiiI sun 1
13 sa
13 woter 66
1 WARM
~13 IJIIl
ON ala!akai 1!!llUll
The sun warms water in a troy.
13 water 66
[!l sun 1
[Jil dish 265
SHO
As bright as a day with three suns.
B I SUN, DAY 1 I I CLEAR, BRIGHT 41
NICHI, jlTSU :9t ~
hi, -ko
The sun rises each day.
./" <,
KO The sun and a candle shine clear and bright light.
f'!I sun 1
IiiI shine 869
18
T H .E SUN I THE MOO N
8 -14
I CLEAR, BRIGHT
MEI,MYO okoll!l, okeru
As bright as the sun and moon together.
[J sun 1
I MORNING, COURT
CHO
oso
CI moon 14
The morning is shared by the sun and the moon.
[) rise n-v
I DARK, GLOOMY
AN kuro]
CI moon 14
Gloomy people see the dark shadow instead of the sun.
II sun 1
~ stand 627
III sun 1
I EVENING
SEKJ yu
In the evening, the moon rises ...
jNfGHT
YA yo, yoru
... making a nice view at night.
I!I shelter 1147 Ii3 person 362 iii even ing 11
I OUTSIDE, OTHER, UNDO
GAI,GE
solo, hoke, hozu~
He went outside and undid his pants when nature called.
IJ evening 11
CI crack n-13
The Moon
I MOON
GATSU, GETSU tsuki
A crescent moon in the clouds.
19
15 - 20
W 0 R L 0
I MORNING, DAWN
B
TAN
The Day
I DAY OF THE WEEK 181
1"'1 sun 1 Iiil one 697
YO
The days of the week fly by,
From dawn '" II] sun I [II winged bird 0-18
20
'" til noon, we measure the land,
iii dawn 15
We can only escape the sun's heat in late evening,
[II escape 11 &7
1..1 E_A_RL_Y ... , P_R_O ... M .... PT .... , .... FA_S .... T 1 ...... 91 I DAWN, LIGHT, EVENT
!f-~
56 "'-\wMitr.'I\'fu~/1
hoyo] \'1 ,\1p'~""rrl
I NOON, DAYTIME
CHU hiru
11 measure BB4
I EVENING, LATE
BAN
[) sun 1
GYO okotsuki
The sun rises through the grass early in the morning.
Three stars were seen at down.
1"'1 sun 1
[J clear n-20
Iiil gross n-19
IJ sun 1
... - ..... - ..... - ... ~.-.----------------.
THE DAY
21 - 29
[OLD, PAST
IB
KYO
One day is past ...
[] high (1-21
I CHILD
JI, NI ko
01 sun 1
.. , and one more child is born.
E'I post 21
lid kneeling n-22
EKI, I ycsu], ya,ashii
Life is easy in the sunshine.
E'I sun 1
The bright light of the sun glints off the sword.
13 sun 1 [!II sword 1023 ail opening 566
I ILLUMINATE, SHINE
8~
'l\'
SHO !e!:!l/~
The sword is illuminated by the sun above and fire below.
1"3 bright 24
I RAISE, FRY
YO 0~!9Q!.!!
lid lire 32
lid big-eyed lizord 0-23 13 hand 000
Raise your hand in the frying hot sun.
[!II sun 1 rn rays (1-26
On the sunny side of the hill ...
13 hill 1094
[!'! sun 1
rn rays 0-26
I EASY, CHANGE, DIVINATION
I PLACE
JO ba
... is a place in the soil ...
13 soil 102
[!'! sun 1
ell rays 0-26
I HOT WATER, HOT SPRING
TO yu
. .. where hot water springs up.
13 water 66
[!'I sun 1
rn rays n-26
21
30-35 W 0 R L D
I NOON 321
Time If-
GO It's noon-straight up.
l ... y .... EA_R __ ...... __ 31 ... 1 I LONG TIME, lASTING
NEN toshi
We plant rice every year.
... IN_O_W 30_1~
.,
KON, KIN
ima
What time is it now?
KYO,KU hisashii
I've been wailing a long time.
rib I RECITE 341
~~y GIN
I will now recite ...
IJ mouth 566
[I now 30
~ 1 THOUGHT, CONCERN 351
I~' NEN
... my heartfelt thoughts.
!'!'I now 30 IiiiiI heart A99
22
1 I M E
36 - 43
@EASON, YOUNG
KI
A child as young and green as a new season's rice plants,
I"'l rice plan! 231 !iiil child 447
I TEN-DAY PERIOD
JUN
Ten days of sunshine in June.
LJ wrap 949
iii sun I
I PERMIT, FORGIVE
KYO
yuru§l!., mota Permit me to speak at noon.
Il speak 840 [I noon 37
I GRIEF, SADNESS
SHU
urei/eru
I've got the autumn blues.
!iiil heart 499
I SUMMER
KA,GE no!su
Inescapable summer heat.
I"'l mask n-40
I AUTUMN
SHU oki
IiiiI slow progress
Rice stalks turn the fiery colors of autumn.
[] rice plant 231
I WINTER
TO fuyu
[I fire 83
' ...•.......•. ~ .•..........•...... : .
.. " .~
-: .'",
" - , .
. .
.. ~ , ..
. ,
.. ·7 . • ...
.. . ..
Winter snow and ice impede my progress.
1"'1 slow progress 1218
!iiil ice 94
1218
~ ~IS_PR_IN_G 43~1
~ SHUN
haru
Cherry trees bloom in the spring sun.
1"'1 branches n-43 IiiiI sun I
23
44-46
U
arne, orne-
EEi
-
::z:J\
UN kumo
24
WIN,D, RAIN, & CLOUDS
47 -54
... and dim the light of day, !lit cloud 46
[ THUNDER, LIGHTNING
=+= 1:1=·
EB
RAI kornlnori
Lightning flashes and thunder echoes in the field.
~ rain 45
[ ELECTRICITY
DEN
IiiiI field 201
An electrical field travels down the wire,
[DEW, REVEAL, SMALL, RUSSIA 51 I
iS1¥i lEa
RO, RO tsuyu
Dew is on the Russian road.
~ rain AS
!lit rood 1214
[ CONVEY, TRANSMIT
DEN tsutaeru/'1!!JDd.
People transmit clouds of contagious diseases.
IJ person 362
[I cloud SA
'''£lEI [ATMOSPHERE 531
~ FUN
Rain is part of the atmosphere.
1!'1 rain 45 !lit divide n-S3
- ["CLOUD"
A
As an element this means cloud. A/one, it is a rarefy used character meaning N speak. N See 840.
541
~ rain 45
[ SHAKE, TREMBLE
SHIN furu!!/ lllQ
!lit lightning n-49
I shake and tremble at the foot of a cliff.
a rain 45
Iiiil tremble n-50
25
55-60
W O'R L D
Water
[WATER
71<
I RIVER
SUI mizu
J II
Water flows between the narrow banks.
SEN kowa
A flowing river.
[~:~OVINCE, SANDBANK
SHU
$U
Slepping stones lead across the river 10 the sandbank.
I flOW, STREAM
RYU, RU naga!!lll!! g[
A person flows downstream.
113 water 66 [II person n-58 ['il river 55
I FACTION
HA
Rivulets diverge from the mainstream.
II] waler 66
[I river 55
I CALAMITY
«( Y<.
SAl wozowoj
A calamity of flood and fire.
E! river 55
IiiiI fire 83
26
W ATE R
61 -67
[ OPEN SEA, SOAR
CHO oki
I BAY, GULF
I HARBOR, PORT
KO
minato
WAN
[JJ middle 954
Together, two people come to the harbor to see their reflection.
Il water 66 (!'I togelher ssa [Ii' self 450
Sittin' on the dock of the bay.
A ship in the middle of the open sea. IJ water 66
[II red 11-65 Oil pull 817
113 water 66
I DEEP WATER, ABYSS
EN fuchi
621 I "WATER" 661
"
"
I 511;1 ~IS~EA~ ~_: ~67~1
The sea is the mother of life.
13 water 66 [II person 363 Oil mother 446
This is the radical for water.
Deep water engulfs the trees.
IJ water 66
[J plonks n-62
I CAVE, PENETRATE
DO horo
(] water 66
Water penetrates the cave.
!] same 889
27
68-71
W 0 R L 0
I WASH, INVESTIGATE 681
I STEAM, VAPOR
Wash
SEN
aral1
Wash with water.
Il water 66 [II previous n-ea
K!
Swirling steam.
IJ water 66
[II steam n-ev
I DIRT, DISHONOR
Tears cannot wash the dirt of your dishonor.
Il woter 66
[II stagnant n-70
I SATHE
YOKU ohln!
Bathe in a valley of water.
Il water 66
[I volley 168
28
WAS H
@,HALLOW, LIGHT
SEN esc]
Splash in the shallow water.
IJ water 66
(]I halberds 80)
[DRY, DEFENSE
KAN hall[. him
Clothes dry on the line.
I SWEAT
5f
KAN
ose, asebamu
This sweater makes me sweat.
water 66
[I dry 72
I FLOAT, FLEETING
FU uh!lkobu /kaberu
A hand lets a child float in the water.
13 waler 66 111 hand 611 Oil child 447
I DEPEND ON, DUE TO, REASON 761
YU, yO yoshl
Depending on where you place the drill in the field ...
lOll
YU abura
... you may have gushing oil.
[] water 66
[I depend on 76
I BOIL, GUSH
FUTSU wabJ.!kasu
A gushing fountain of boiling water.
IJ water 66
[J emerge n-78
I SOURCE, ORIGIN
GEN minamato
o.~ U;;-"'~·'·W.·· .• · (?L'~"-
(7
The spring is our source of water.
() waler 66
[I origin 81
I SPRING
SEN
80 I
A spring ... I""! white 45
, izumi
IiiiiI water 57
1'i!1. I PLAIN, ORIGIN I/~ GEN
hara
... originates from the plain.
~ cliff 0-81 !iii spring 80
29
W 0 R LD
82 -90
881
I THREATEN, MENACE
IUGH.T, LAMP
Fire
~ugy
KAKU JvlirJ\7L1
odog[/kasu ~ ~
TO hi
Two samurai screamed when threatened by menacing flames.
IJ moeih 566 [] red (X2) n-65
Light the lamp with fire.
() fire 83
[II exact 1089
821
I "FIRE"
; , \, This is a radical for lire.
I VIOLENCE, EXPOSE
I BURN, ROAST
IFIRE 831
BO, BAKU aba@.[!d/hY.
SHO yahY./keru
Exposed to the violent heat of the sun ...
Roast barbeque.
iii offer n-89
[] high n-20
IJ fire 83
~ sun 83
~ ~IF_LA_M_E 86~1
JJ<:
I BURST, EXPLODE
EN
hone The flames of two fj res ...
Iiiij fire 83
~ fire 83
BAKU
~~ I PALE, LIGHT, FAINT 871
131<.. TAN.
awa!
... become faint because of the rain.
... a firecracker explodes in a burst of fire .
[J Rame S6
IJ fire 83
[] burst n-90
II] water 66
30
FIRE I ICE
91 -97
f}AST
TO higashi
The sun rises through the trees in the east.
=: tree 126
Ii!! sun 1
~REEZE
TO
kOl!!, kogo§!.!!.
It's freezing in the east.
[I east 91
it's cold, the shrubs have leaves.
roof 1144 Ii!! plants n--93 Ii.il ice 94
Ice
I ICE
71<
HYO kori
A penguin looks through cracks in the ice.
I "ICE"
( 0·····
"-- .. _
."~ ... .
.
. 0 .. ··
. . .
, . .
It....... ._,'
.'
,_ ..
, .-
. , .
".,. .. ~.
This element means ice.
\ill water 66 !'!J crack n-'l4
I SNOW
SETSU yuki
I FROST
s6 shimo
Snow: rain you can hold in your hand.
El rain 45
Iiiil hand n--597
I con see the frost forming on the tree.
!!'I rain 4S lid tree 126 iii eye 538
31
98- 104
W 0 R L D
I AREA, LIMITS
IKI
Hal draws up the area's boundaries.
IJ soil 101
[J halberd 801
I SLOPE
HAN soko
A man puts his hand against the sloping cliff.
IJ soil 101
[] against 957
Soil
± I EARTH,SOll,GROUND 1011 DO, TO
tsuchl
A plant grows in the soil.
CHI, JI Creatures live in the ground.
1",1 E ... M .... B_A_NK_M ... E ... N_T 10 ..... O I I MINE, PIT, HOlE
1031 I RESIST, OPPOSE
TEl tsutsumi
lEI soil 101
The sun shines on the embankment of soil.
~ leg 617
32
rn sun 1
KO
KO
Miners work in a hole deep in the earth.
The hands oppose management.
lEI soil 101 rn shelter 11.7 ~ desk 157 lEI hond 660 rn shelter 1147 rn desk 157
SOIL / METAL
105-110
Metal
KIN, KON kane, kana
1 fiSH, LURE, CHANGE
A metal fish lure.
(] metal 105 [11 ladle 265
1 NEEDlE, POINTER 1091
~t m~
SHIN -I.
horl
The metal needle points ten degrees north.
IJ metal 105
[11 ten 906
1071 .... 1 C ... O_IN .... 1 .... 10 .... 1
SA kusori
A little metal chain.
n-J06 Il metal 105 []'! Imle 926 III money 70a
Hal flips a melol coin.
(] metal IDS
[11 halberd 80 J
33
lll-119
W 0 R!. D
I TURF, LAWN
SH! shlbo
A path winds through the lawn.
EI gross 126
g poih n-ll1
I STALK, STEM
I I
KEI kuki
A hand cuts the grassy stalks from the soil.
~ grass 124 !!! hand 600 !iiil soil 101
I CHRYSANTHEMUM
KIKU
A chrysanthemum in the grass, with rice-colored petals.
EI grass 124
g rice 217
I WORK, DUTIES
KIN tsutomeru
My duty is to work in the garden.
!'!l grass 124 [] flower 119 81 power 745
I GROW THICKLY
Hal makes the grass grow thickly.
EI grass 124
g halberd 801
I FLOWER
I I
*it.
KA hana
The plants change into flowers.
EI gross 124
g change 374
I ART, SKill, PLANT
I I
-
A
GEl
Planting is a skill and an art.
!"'l grass 124
g speak n-117
I FLOWER, SHOWY, CHINA
I I
$
KA,GE hona
A Chinese flower grows among the grass.
!"'l grass 124
IiiiI flower n-118
I FRAGRANT, SWEET SMELL
HO konboshii
This person takes in the sweet smell of the grass.
EI grass 124
IiiiI person 386
34
~AMBOO & GRASS
120-124
<S9~1 Ba m boo ~ &Grass
tUBE, CYliNDER
TO
tsutsu
Cylindrical bamboo tubes ...
1"'3 bamboo 123
Iiiil some 889
~IPE, CONTROL 121 1 I BAMBOO 1231
~ ~~ t'J
IS fit
KAN CHIKU
kudo toke
... are used as pipes in the officials' Bamboo reeds .
building.
!!'l bamboo 12~ Iiiil official 467 I I
SAN
Two hands count with a bamboo abacus.
~ bomboo 123 I!il eye 538 iii! hands n-122
This is the radical for grass, though a number of other elements have the same shape, such as hands in character 122.
35
125 - 131
W 0 R L, D
Trees
=-*- I ROOT, ORIGIN, BOOK 1251
/+' HON
mote
The roots of a tree are cylindrical.
I'J free 126
Iiiil roots rH25
I TREE, WOOD
BOKU, MOKU, kl, ko-
A tree with spreading branches.
I GLORY, FLOURISH, SHINE
EI sakaw. haw
Blossoms flourish on the tree.
~ shine n-127
IIiil tree 126
I WILLOW, WILLOWY
RYU yanagi
A willow tree.
IJ tree 126
[J flow n-128
I GATHER
SHU atsu!.!!2.!1/.!!lQ!1!.
Birds gather in a tree.
EI bird 319
iii tree 126
I NEST
56
su
Three birds nest in a fruit tree.
EI basket n-J 30
• fruit 126
I BALANCE
KEN, GON
A heron balances in a tree.
IJ tree 126
[J heron 331
Character 125 is also used after numbers to indicated that the things being counted are cylindical.
36
T R E E 5
132 - 138
[TAKE, GATHER
SAl to!:!,!
Hands take acorns from the tree.
13 hand sao []'I hand 611 ffi tree 126
[EXTREME, POLE
KYOKU, GOKU kiwal!!.!!Dd
Magnetic poles are at the extreme ends of earth.
IJ tree 126
[] extreme n-133
~IB_O_D_Y 1_34~1
TAl, TE)
karoda
The body is the "root" of a person.
IJ person 362 [J root 125
I LEAF 1351
YO
ha
Plants and trees generate leaves .
. ~ gross 124 e generation 100 Iiil tree 126
I PLANTING
SHOKU
I PLANT
SAl
Hal plants a tree in the soil.
Plant a tree in the soil.
aJ soil 101 III tree 126 Ell halberd SOl
IJ tree 1,6
IJI upright n-137
~IR_E_ST 1_38~1 J~
KYO YI'
yasumu
A vacationer rests by a tree.
IJ person 362
37
139 - 145
W 0 R L 0
1401
! SHEET, COUNTER
I DIVIDE, ANALYZE
I FIREWOOD, KINDLING
MAl
SEKl
SHIN takigi, maki
I cut the tree into kindling.
Slice the tree into sheets.
Divide a tree to analyze it.
!'I'l gross 124 Ii3 needle 1006 51 ax 1072
(] tree 126
[I strike 802
(] tree 126
[I ax 1072
! FOREST
I END, TIP
jIMMATURE, NOT YET 1441
RIN
hayashi Two trees rna ke a forest.
MATSU, BATSU
sue
MI mado
(] tree 126 [II tree 126
This tree is immature.
This tree has a big tip.
~ IWOOD;"N
~ mod Three trees mean woods.
!'I'l tree 126 Ii3 tree 126 51 tree 126
38
T R E E 5
146- 151
1 DRUM
1 BRANCH, SUPPORT 148 I
[LIMBS
SHI
KO tsuzurnl
SHI
sasaeru
A hand holds up a branch.
The limbs are like branches of flesh.
Beat the drum with a branch.
[J branch 14B
3J soil 101 III miniature 245 ED branch
[) flesh 267
",.1 ( ... TR_E .... EI ... B .... RA_N_C .... H_1_51 .... 1 ~ SHI
edo,e
~JL 1 KILL 149 I
~~ SATSU,SETSU
koro2!,!
A branch from a tree.
IJ free 126 [J branch 148
Kill the trees.
[J hand w/ax 792
IJ free 126
"..,1 B ... R .. A ... N_C .. H .. :_F .. F __ 1_50 .... 1 ~
Mountain trails branch off.
IJ mountain .67
[I branch 148
W 0 R L D
Timber
I TIMBER, RESOURCE 1521
ZA!
People have a talent for making trees
into timber.
IJ tree 126 [I talent 871
~ opening 566
I BUNDLE, SHEAF 1531
SOKU
lobo, tabo!l§!!i, tsuka, tsukaneru
Bundled tree branches.
I:lI tree 126
I WEALTH, ASSETS
ZAI, SAl
[I talent 87\
IJ money 706
! DEVICE
HAN, BAN ita
IJ tree 126
A talent for turning assets into wealth.
Hal made a wooden device.
IJ tree 126 [I command 793
I BOARD, PLATE 1561
Trees are cut into boards.
[I against 957
40
TIMBER
157 - 166
[ DESK, TABLE
KI tsukue
A wooden table.
[J tree 126
[]I desk n-157
[ BOOKSHELF, ARCHIVES
TO
Three books sit atop a wooden bookshelf.
[J tree 126
[]I apply 595
[ SHELF, TRELLIS
tone
It took two months to build these shelves.
[J month IX21 14
[ FENCE
SAKU shigarami
I read a book on making fences.
IJ tree 126
[]I book 668
[ COlUMN, PILLAR
CHO hcshiro
A tree is cut into a pillar for the master's house.
Il tree 126
[]I master 734
[ POlE, BAR, CLUB
SO
A wooden club.
Il tree 126
[J respectful 703
[BOX
hako
A box made of bamboo and wood.
I'l'I bamboo 123 lid tree 126 6l eye 538
J LACQUER, VARNISH
SHITSU urushi
Varnish resins ooze like water from a tree.
13 waler 66 [15 Iree 126 Oil water 57
~ I ARRANGE 1651
~ SEI
totono)l/w!
Correctly arrange the bundle of sticks. 19 bundle 153 ~ strike 802 IiliI correct 826
~w [CUT BRANCHES 1·tLI TOTSU
IJ tree 126
Leave nothing but cut branches.
[]I leove 956
41
167-171
W 0 R L D
Mountains & Valleys
I MOUNTAIN 1671
SAN yama
A three-peaked mountain.
I WORDlY, VULGAR, CUSTOM
J~
vl1:r ZOKU
Having left the valley of vulgar customs, this person became worldly.
IJ person 362 CI volley 168
I!.,.R_IC .... H ... , .... Pl_EN .... T_IF ... U_l 1_7 .... 0 I I GREED, DESIRE
YOKU hoshii
KOKU toni, yo
Enter the valley.
So greedy he could eat the valley.
[I gaping mouth 553
42
yO yutokg
Clothes are plentiful in the rich valley.
IJ clothes n-170 [I volley 168
IJ volley 168
MOUNTAINS & VALLEYS
172 - 180
I DARK, OBSCURE, LONELY 1721 I PEAK, TOP 1751 ~ I CAPE, STEEP 178 r
~ Ill! KI
saki
A steep mountain.
!IJ mountain 167 III strange 179
vO HO
kasukg mine Two dark and lonely paths thread into the mountain.
(;I mountain 167
I!l thread Ix 2) n-172
, PASS, CREST, CRISIS
toge
The pass runs above and below the mountain.
El mountain 167 [fI up 942 [lI down 943
I CRUMBLE, COLLAPSE
HO kuzureru/~
The mountain will crumble in two months.
IiiI month Ix21 14
He made slow progress to the top of the mountain.
!IJ mountain 167
III slow progress n-175
I RAVINE, GORGE
KYO
A ravine between mountain peaks.
IJ mountain 167
[J insert 11-176
I EXTREMITY, EDGE, UPRIGHT
..LLLI
!Lim
TAN hoshi, hcto, he
A person stands upright on the edge of a cliff.
Il stand 627 [1'1 mountain 167 [lI plant n-177
;;!s_ I STRANGE, ODD
PT . KI
How strange to step off the cliff.
E"I big 913 IiiiiI opening 566
'm' I DRAW NEAR, VISIT 180 I KI
YOlJ,!/seru
A visitor approaches our house.
E"I roof 1144 IiiI strange 179
43
181 - 185
W 0 R L D
With a litlle help we can ...
[l cairn 182 []I power 1023
Stones
I ASSIST, HELP 181 I
I FURTHERMORE, BESIDES 1821
SHO, SO katsu
jO tasuk!lli1/karu
. .. pile the stones beside or on top of each other ...
I GROUP, ASSEMBLE
SO kurnl, kU!!!ll
... and assemble them with sIring ...
[l thread 964
SO haba!!l\!
[J cairn IB2
... to obstruct the hill and impede our enemies ....
[l hill 1094 []I cairn 182
I ANCESTOR
so
... who look the lives of our ancestors.
IJ religion 696
[] coirn 182
44
STONES
186 - 193
flQ ~.:.
TAJ<U ~~
A hand reclaims the land by clearing it of stones.
IJ bond 586
[I stone 190
[~ONE, REFINE
The plow is honed on a stone.
IJ stone 190
[J uniformily n-IS7
I MAGNET, PORCELAIN 1881
jl
A magnet is a stone with magical threads of force.
[]I occult (,2) n-1 n
I ROCK, CRAG 1891
GAN iwo
A crag is a stone outcropping on
a mountain.
~ mountain 167 Iiiil stone 190
I STONE, ROCK 190 I
SEKI, SHAKU lshi
A rock at the base of a cliff.
I CHARCOAL, COAL
TAN sum!
I ASHES
KAI
hai Ashes at the foot of the cliff.
C! cliff n-81
Iii fire 6S
L,J' I SAND, GRAVEL
~~ SA,SHA
suna
Charcoal comes from the mountain.
Sand is small stones.
Iiiol fire 83
IJ stone 190
[] linle 926
E'I mountain )67
45
194 - 200
W 0 R L D
Cave
I INVESTIGATE, EXAMINE 1941
~
Examine nine caves.
!""'I hole 194
I SKY, EMPTY
KYO
~ nine 90S
1 HOLE, CAVE 1951
KETSU
ana
The cave sheltered eight people.
!""'I roof 1144
Iii;' eight 904
1961 I KILN, OVEN 1971
:.g
JU'
YO
kama KO
sora, kara, ak!!.
The empty sky, seen through a window in a cave.
Fire fine pottery in the kiln.
Iii;' construction 1054
~ hole 194 Ell fine 290 e fire 82
!""'I hole 194
I SEARCH, PROBE
TAN
sagu[!!, sagaB!
By hand, we probed behind a tree to search for a cave opening.
lEI hand 580 [E hole 194 [Ii tree 126
I THRUST, LUNGE, PROTRUDE
TOTSU tsukJ!
Big John lunged from the cave.
!""'I hole 194
Iii;' big 913
46
A body pulled from the cave ."",,,,,.rl extreme suHering.
~ hole 194 Ii3 body 459 EiiI pull 817
READINGS
A single kanji can hove multiple sounds or readings. Kanji were borrowed from China and used both for their phonetic values (the on-yomi, shown in capital letters), which shifted over time, and for words of native Japanese origin (the kun-yomi, shown in lowercase letters). Which reading to use for a character depends on context and what characters it is grouped with.
FOOD
tClbe mono
eat 232 thing 277
DINE
SHOKU JI
eal 232 acl 590
lONE O'CLOCK I
-
ICHI JI
one 897 lime 691
SIGHTSEEING
KEN BUTSU
see 543 Ihing 277
SPLENDID
mi goto
see 543 Ihing 590
BRIEF I
itt) toki
one 897 lime 691
201 - 206
F 00 D
Field & Plant
I RICE FIELD, PADDY 201 I
EE
DEN to
A rice field.
I WEALTH, RICHES
FU, FO
torni, tomu
Under whose roof will go the riches of the field?
~ roof 1144 e opening 566 IiiiI field 201'
I ABBREVIATE, OUTLINE
I MEDIATE, SHELL 2021
KAI
EEl I AREA, BOUNDARY 203 ,
~t- KAI
A surveyor wa!ks around the outline of each fie!d."
I~
IJ field 201
I FARM, DRY FIELD
hato, hotoke
[I fire 83
[I each 1209
." the boundaries of the field.
The paddy is burned dry and made into a field.
48
Two people mediate over ...
IJ person n-202 [I person n-202
EI field 201
Iii! mediate 202
[I field 201
,FIELD & PLANT
207 - 216
I!IDGE, EDGE .
HAN
aze
The ridges divide the paddy and hold in water.
Seedlings shoot up from the field.
~ grass 124
IiiI field 201
I TATAMI MAT, SIZE, FOLD, REPEAT 2091
JO
tatami, tata!J1!l
are for the field, not the
IiiI besides 182
[POISON
DOKU
Mom ate a poisonous plant!
Check on the growth of the wheat.
f"'I grow 214
IiiI slow progress 121 B
I TILL, PLOW
KO togoya~
A plow tiUs the soil well.
IJ plow n-212
[I weI! 0-212
I BIRTH, PRODUCE 2131
SAN
My garden produces plants.
f"'I stand 627
J.I.- I LIFE, BIRTH, GR~W 2141
::::t::. SEI, SHO
nama, iki!}!, umu, u~, ha~
A life.giving plant.
[) field 201 [I half 907 f"'I grow 214 Iiiil mother <146
[SEEDLING, SAPLING, SHOOT 2081 I BARLEY, WHEAT 211 I
I I A ~
B3
BYO,MYO • BAKU
nee, nawa mugi Jl.J.I- I SACRIFICE
1..:t SEI
A cow's life is sacrificed.
IJ cow 275
CI life 214
_IS_~_R 2_16_1
SEI, SHO
hoshi
The sun: a life-giving star,
f"'I sun 1 IiiI life 214
49
217-224
F OO,D
Rice
* I RICE, AMERICA SEI, MAl kame
Japan won't buy American rice.
,-I G;..:.R.;.;A..;.IN..;., .... P_AR ... T ... IC .... L .... E __ ...... __ 2 .... 1 B .... I 1 MATERIALS, MEASURE, CHARGE 221 Ii
RYO tsubu
In Japan, rice is bought at grain stands.
IJ rice 217
III stand 627
RYO
A ladle is used to measure the rice ..•...
[] rice 217
1",,1 P_RO ... V ... I .... SI_O .... N...;S,_F_O ... O_D .... 2_1 ..... 91 1 POWDER
RYO, RO kate
The town's daily food is rice.
[] rice 217
[ NEIGHBOR, ADJOIN
RIN tonari
III quantity n-219
I'll borrow rice from my neighbor on the adjoining hill.
FUN kana, ka
III measure SS6
Chop the rice into powder,
[] rice 217
III divide 1025
.. '. ::,:::'(: .... : ~
1 WORK, EARN MONEY 223 I it!
KA
koseS!!
Earning money to bring home rice .',
[] rice plant 231 CJl home 2611;
. ':'{
X I FRAGRANC~ INCENSE 2241 .••.•.• • ••• ~ ••
E~ KO,KAi\
kaoC!!/d ...
The fragrant rice dries in the sun.
13 hill 1094 [fl rice 217 [iii stop n-220 E"'I rice plant 23 i
iiiiiI sun 1
50
RIC E 225 - 231
@RAIN, CEREALS 225 ] I PRODUCT, PILE 228 I 1 COURSE, SECTION 2291
-.:elL * f~
*X
KOKU SEKI KA
tsu!!ll!/moru Hands wield axes to harvest the grains from the soil.
al soil 101 iD rice plant 231 fJ hand w/ax 792
[tRom, GAIN, EFFECT
Ri kih!_
We profit by cutting grain ...
IJ rice plant 231 [J knife 1037
01 lose 577
Our rice products earn a pile of money.
13 rice plant 231 rn grow 214 rn money 70B
Sort the grains of rice in a sectioned box.
[) rice plant 23 i
{]I measure 886
.... 1 H_A_RV_E_ST ........ _2 .... 30 ... 1 :fi
KAKU If:
At harvest time we feast on foul.
This rice plant radical repre5ents "grain."
51
232 - 239
FOOD
I LARGE BUILDING, HAll 2331 iJJC ISTARVE 2341 ~ I REAR, SUPPO~T
irg ,~ GA YO
u~ yoshino!!.
A starving body eats itself. I support myself by rearing sheep.
IJ eat 232 III self 450 El sheep 290 Iiiil eat 232
KAN
ilL I STARVE, HUNGER 235) ~
K!
Keep eating and you'll have to keep ueru
your butt in a large building. Food on the lable makes me hungry. Her speech lesson bears fruit.
13 food 323 [1l roof 1144 III buttocks 466 IJ food 232 III table 157 II] speak 840 III fruit 240 Eat
I FOOD, EAT 2321
o
SHOKU taberu, ku!!.
Eat a bowl of food.
52
J DRINK, SWALLOW
IN
nomu
A mouth opens wide to drink.
IJ eat 232
[J gaping mouth 553
HAN meshi
Cooked rice eaten in a cupped hand.
IJ eat 232
III turning hand n-237
EAT 240 - 248
I!RUIT, RESULT, CARRY OUT 240 I I JUICE, SOUP, LIQUID 2431 I CULTIVATE, GROW 2461
~ IT in
c
KA JO BAI
ha~, hotosu shiru Isuchika!,! Fruit from the trees in the field.
Ten parts water makes a good soup.
I grew a mouth-wcterinq tomato.
r!I field 201
~ tree 126
[] ten 906
113 soil 10) [J'l stand 627 Cll mouth 566
IJ waler 66
[VEGETABLE
SAl
no
241 I I SALT 2441 I COMPENSATE 2471
:I:i ~ Htr
;,0
EN SAl
shio I put Earth salt on my dish of eggs.
[was compensated with money ...
Vegetables grow between the grass and the trees.
~ grass 124 §l hand 609 Iii! tree 126
13 soil 101 [11 opening 566 Cll dish 265
13 money 70S [11 stand 627 Cll movth 566
I EGG, ROE
RAN tamago
eggs.
J DIVIDE, CUT UP
A tiny bowl of beans.
. .. when my tomato was cut up.
TQ,ZU
marne
In stand 627 iii] mouth 566 ED knife 1037
I BEANS, MINIATURE
I::.l \1
S3
249 - 256
F 0 0,0
Wine
«
I "WINE" 2491
A wine jar,
I ALCOHOL, SAKE 250 I
SHU sake, sako
Pour out the sake.
II] water 66 [J wine 249
~n I DRUNK, DIZZY
.;..a;.... SUI
. I YOQ
I get drunk after nine or ten bottles. 13 wine 249 [] nine 903 Oil ten 906
I FERMENT, YEAST
KO
I DISTRIBUTE
HAl kuboI;!
I'll distribute the wine personally.
[) wine 249
KOKU
[II me 445
The wine has a severe, harsh taste.
lEI wine 249 [] grow 214 [Q mouth 566
2521 I CURD, DAIRY PRODUCE 2531 I BOTTLE, JUG, JAR
~ M1i
RAKU BIN
kame The young wine needs yeast to ferment.
IJ wine 249
[]I piety 403
Jars of dairy products are left on
each doorstep. .
II] wine 249
[I each 1209
A bottle and a jug.
II] pair n-256
[J vessel n-256
54
WINE I TRAY
257- 265
@AIN, PROFIT, BENEFIT 257]
~ ,\ -.
''',YAKU A
mosu !!J!!h
In a profitable year my dish overflows.
EI water n-257
IIil dish 261
Tray
I DISH, BOWL, PlATE, TRAY 261 I
soroIITl
A bowl on a tray.
1,.;[f§.;.,RA_Y..;.,_BO_N_FE .... S .... TI ... VA .... l_ ........ _ ... 2 ... s .... al "",I S_T .... EA .... L 2 ... 6 ...... 21 I SERVE WINE, lADLE, SCOOP 2641
;~
rm
BON
A tray is used for cutting.
EI divide 1025
IiiI dish 261
TO
nusu!!!!!.
SHAKU ku!!!!!.
2591 I LIQUID MEASURE
iJIi,W I REWARD, TO~ST
1=1111 SHU
Drink a toast to the stale.
[II stote 56
:':--.::_:.":
i .•••. i. \i ~Jl.; I TRAY, BOWL, PLATE 260 I
................... 7'IJ:Jt BAN
..... ...ac.:.
ii Carry the tray. >.. EI corry 1182
IiiI dish 261
I cry over what'li be stolen nextmy dish!
Serve wine with a ladle.
~ next 553
IiiI dish 261
II] wine jor 249
[II lodle 265
2631 I lADLE, MEASURE
SHO
rncsu
SHAKU
Measure ten spoonfuls of liquid.
Measure liquid with a ladle.
[] person 362
[II ten 906
55
266- 274
W'O R L D
Meat
r:t.::l 1 MEAT, flESH
IA"J NIKU
This meaty steak serves !wo people.
1",,1 " ... Fl_ES_H ... , ... M .... EA ... T_" __ 2_67 ... 1 1=1 This radical can mean n either flesh 266 or moon 14 depending on the character it's in.
. I BE LIKE, BE LUCKY
SHO ayaka[!d
You'll be lucky if you get a little meat.
eI linle 926
IiiiI meat 267
I PARE, REDUCE
~IJ
SAKU kezu[!d
Pare the little piece of meat.
~ Httle 926 Ii'] meat 267 EI knife lO37
I EXTINGUISH, VANISH, CONSUME 270 I
5~ <:;;)
<;;)
SHO
ke!',!, kieru A little water extinguishes the burning meat.
11 water 66 []'I lillie 926 [iii meat 267
[ FAT, GREASE
SHI obura, yoni
The fat of the meat ...
II] meat 267
[I tasly 272
I SWEET, PRESUME UPON
KAN
a mall ~!yakasu
... is sweet.
I TASTY, GOOD, GIST
SHI
mune, umo]
I spoon tasty things into my mouth.
eI spoon n-273 IiiiI mouth n-273
BO
IJ meat 267
Trim the fat off the sides of !he
[I side 386
56
INTERESTING WORDS
"Fire-flower" bums a picture in your mind, while "flowering fire" is much more playful than the English "fireworks." Words like "interesting" and "genius" make you wonder how they came to be. Compounds like "adult" and "tomorrow" have assigned readings that can't be guessed at from their kanji. Di5butsu, "animal," at right, literally means "move thinq."
( FIREWORKS I
1t.*
hana bi
flower 116 fire 83
INTERESTING
omo
shire]
face 469 white 936
ADULT
otona
big 913 person 363
I SPARK I
*1t.
hi bona
fire 83 flower 116
GENIUS
KI
SAl
devil 645 talent 871
TOMORROW
asu
bright 8 sun,
275 -280
ANIMALS
Cow, Pig, & Sheep
4 [cow
GYO
ushi This is the cow with the crumpled horn.
I ~ASTURE
BOKU maki
Drive the cow to pasture.
IJ cow 27S
Ell strike 802
I THING
BUTSU, MOTSU
mono
To get milk you pull on the cow's thing.
I] cow 275
II thing n-277
I UNRAVEL, EXPLAIN, SOLVE
KAI,GE toku
A cow's horn explains .0 lot about its life.
13 horn 260 ~ knife 1023 Oil cow 275
I "PIG" 2791
This means pig when used as on element.
I HORN, ANGLE, CORNER
KAKU tsuno, kodo
A horn bends at on angle.
58
COW, PIG, & SHEEP
281 - 290
QlOUSE, SPECIALIST
KA, KE ie, yo
281 ) I PIG,HOG 2851 I CHASE, PURSUE
~ ~
TON CHIKU
buto OQ
We use a pig for its meat. In pursuit of a pig. A sty is a house for pigs.
f'!'l roof 1144
g pig 279
[GROUP, FLOCK
GUN murc, mu@!reru
The lord of the sheep attends his flock.
IJ lord 417
fli¥ I FRESH, VIVID, ClEAR 2831
"'\ SEN
azo~
Fine fresh fish.
IJ fish 354
[] sheep 290
'§'~ I DETAILED
~-1t- SHO
kuwoshii
His was a detailed speech on sheep.
IJ word 640 [] sheep 290
IJ meat 267
[J pig 279
[] pig 279
IJ move 1153
I GOOD FORTUNE, OMEN
I SHEEP, FINE, PRAISEWORTHY 290 I
YO hit$uji
SHO
Sheep are fine assets.
A sheep is sacrificed on the altar to bring good fortune.
[) altar 696
[] sheep 290
~ I BEAUTIFUL, FINE 2871
~._--- ......
."", BI
utsukushii
Big beautiful sheep.
E'l sheep 290 Iii! big 913
~ I ARRIVE, WEAR
~I§§I CHAKU
tsuku, kit\,!
I like to wear wool myself. E'l sheep 290 self 542
291 - 294
ANIMALS
Horse
I HORSE
umo,ma
SA
A horse lies on its side.
This tends to look
more like Q horse, if you picture it on its side.
I STOP, STAY
CHO
A horse stays by his master.
1.1 horse 291
60
[] master 734
2921 I NOISE, DISTURBANCE 2931 I SURPRISE
~I -
s6 KYO
sawagy.!gashii odorobdkasu The horse is disturbed bya snake.
Surprise a horse with a stick and it will respect you.
Il horse 291 11I strike 802 rn snake 31 i
EI respect 295
'iiiij horse 291
H 0 R S E
295 - 303
~ESPECT
KEI
uyamaJd
I'll beat some respect into you.
IJ humility n-295 [II strike 802
[WARN, REPROACH
KEI
He warned me of the hand with the stick.
a respect 295
Iiiil speak 640
I EXAMINE
KEN
j SWORD, BAYONET
~IJ
KEN tsurugi
. .. checks his sword ...
IJ all n-297
[II sword 1023
I INVESTIGATE
KEN
... and investigates behind trees ...
IJ tree 126
[II all n-297
I STEEP, SEVERE, PERILOUS
KEN kewoshil
A good scout examines his horse ... . .. before making camp in the steep and perilous hills.
[J all n-297
IJ hill 1094
[II all n-297
I STATION
EKI
Load the horse at the station .
IJ horse 291
[] measure 884
! RIDER
KI
IJ horse 291
A strange rider mounts ...
[] strange 179
I PACK HORSE, POOR QUALITY
DA
... but the poor pack horse keels under the weight of the fat man.
Il horse 291
[I fat 914
61
ANIMA"S
304 - 310
3051 I BARBARIAN 3081
7JF.
.!:I:l
BAN I FIREFLY
Bugs
KE! holoru
(INSECT, WORM 3041
His barbaric smell is attracting bugs.
Firefly: a radiant insect.
El red 929
E'I fire n-305
Iiiil insect 304
Iiiil insect 304
CHO rnushi
I MOSQUITO
I IMPURE, TURBID, VOICED
A bug.
DAKU nigomhl!.
ko
A textbook case of mosquito bites.
Use a net to rid the impure water of insects.
13 water 66 rn net 987
IJ insect 304
[J text 834
I COCOON 3071
I I ~
miJ lIil
KEN
moyu SHOKU furem, sowam
In the grass, an insect made a cocoon of thread.
I!I grass 124 Iii3 thread 964 Ell insect 304
An insect's hornlike antennae: "feelers."
IJ horn 280
[J insect 304
BUGS / SNAKES & BIRDS
311 - 3J7
Inset:' 304 originally came from a drawing of a snake and in some kanii carries the meaning snake.
[SNAKE, SERPENT
jA, DA hebi
He fell when bit by a snake.
13 sncke 311 [ll roof 1144 at person n-312
Snakes & Birds
IBIRD 3141
,~
CHO tori
A bird in a nest ...
I ... N_O_N_._HU_M_A .... N_C_R ... Y_3 ... 15 .... '1l ~ MEl
nahi.!ill '''~
. .. cries out.
[] mouth 566
[J bird 314
iSTRONG 3131 I ISLAND
~~ A%
KYO, GO TO
tsuyoi shima [I pull $17
A strong snake can pull with its tail.
() snoke 311
A bird Hies above the island mountains.
il mountain 167
LI bird 31A
I CRANE, STORK
KAKU
tsuru
The crane is next to another bird.
IJ heron 331
[J bird 3lA
63
318 -322
A N I M'A L S
I SEPARATE, LEAVE
Plumcqe
RI hanareru/,g;
Only birds can leave from the cliffs that separate us.
III oriole n-31 a
[]I bird 3)9
I "BIRD" 3191
Used only as a part of other characters, this means bird.
I SCORCH
320 I
SHO kog&.!]i/ gQg!, Qse[ll, jireru
Scorched foul.
l""l bird 319
IiiiI fire 82
I BE EXCITED, STIR
FUN furu!,!
A big scarecrow stirs up and excites the bird in the field.
~ big 913 §l bird 319 !iii! field 201
I SNATCH, CAPTIVATE
DATSU ubo!,!
A big bird is snatched by the man with the gun.
~ big 913 §l bird 319 !iii! inch 759
64
PLUMAGE
323 - 330
[WASH, RINSE
TAKU
A bird washing its wings.
lEI wafer 66 [ill wings 330 [II bird 319
[WING
YOKU tsuboso
She wears a strange mask and wings.
~ wings 330
I0Il strange 335
83 I DIFFER, STRANGE
*
katana£!! A strange, masked girl.
~ field 201 I0Il together 383
~!1llEARN' TRAIN_ SHU norog
White wings mean you need training.
IiiiiI white 936
I FLY, JUMP
Birds fly south.
HI tabu
I NEXT (TIME}
YOKU
I FLAP, CHANGE
HON hirugoeI!!.h.!!.
"See you next time, J've gotta fly."
A bird flapping its wings over the rice field.
1'!J rice 231 III field 201 EJ wings 330
I0Il stand 627
65
a wings 330
[ FEATHER, WING
U
ha, hone
Wing feathers.
331 - 334
ANIMALS
Heron
I "HERON"
This element means heron.
66
I WATCH, OBSERVE
KAN
Bird watching.
IIJ heron 331
(]I watch 543
, ENCOURAGE, ADVISE
KAN
SUSUlillilll
Encourage heron preservotion.
I[J heron 331
(]I power 745
I REJOICE, MERRY
KAN yorokobu
Rejoice and sing like a bird.
I[J heron 331
III gaping mouth 553
HERON / DOG
335 - 342
KEN inu
A big, spotted dog.
~ spot n-J35
[B"EAST, ANIMAL
JU kelduJmono
The mask of a beast.
III big 913
[II dog 338
MO
child bravely touches the dog's dish.
[Il child 447 CliI dish 261
Dog
I "DOG" 3381
This element means dog.
I PROTECT 33911 .... H .... U_N_T ........ __ 3_40 ... 1
SHU, SU
SHU kart/!:!!
mamo!:!!
){~I "" H_U .... N ... T_IN_G __ .... 3_4 .... 1 I
1Jf\ RYO
A man protects the house ...
El roof 11M
Iiiil inch 759
.. , and hunts with his dog. IJ dog 338
[II protect 335
They go hunting For birds ... IJ dog 45 [J leap n-34 I
I CATCH, SEIZE, GET 3421
.. , usually catching one in the grass.
113 dog 338
[Il grass 124 + bird 319 CliI hand 580
[ FIERCE, RAGING, BRAVE
67
343 - 346
ANIMALS
I DEER
ROKU shlko
A deer with antlers.
Forest Animals
I BEAUTIFUL
REI uruwoshii
A pair of eyes admires the beautiful deer.
El group 11-344
IiiiI deer 343
I ~EPHANT
zo, SHO
A big-eared elephant.
I DRAMA, INTENSE
GEKI
68
A tiger vs. a pig with swordplay is an intense drama.
I'IJ tiger 353 III pig 279
GYAKU shiita~
The tiger's cruel, oppressive paw ...
[l tiger 353
Iii hand n-347
EQREST ANIMALS
350 I .... 1 S_K ... IN ........ 3_51 ..... 1
GI tawamumt\!
FU hada
The circus tiger plays around the fire. A tiger rips open a man's skin and eats his guts.
In tiger 353 III play 0-350 ED halberd 801 [l tiger 353
Iii stomach 0-351
[SAPTIVE, PRISONER OF WAR 3481 I._T .... IG .... ER 3 .... 52 ... '
RYO toriko
... guards the prisoner of war ...
[l tiger 353
[iii man 419
I fEAR, ANXIETY
GU osore
'" and this gives the prisoner's wife anxiety.
[iii give 834
I "TIGER" 3531
KO tara
This element means tiger.
A tiger with gaping jaws .
[l tiger 353 [iii tiger 0-352
347 - 353
69
354 - 361
ANIMAL$
Sea Creatures
I DRAGON
RYU, RYO rotsu
A roaring dragon.
I ATTACK
SHU
oso!,!
The dragon attacks by burning clothing .
1""1 dragon n-359 \iii' clothing 1021
".:J!z:. I WATERFALL ...
IE@., taki
The waterfall roars like a dragon.
IJ water 66 [)1 dragon 35$
{B-L ..... 1 W .... H_A_L_E _.a
n\'IJl GEl
kujira
The whale is a capital fish!
IJ fish 354 [I capitol 1077
I FISH
GYO
uo, sakana
I caught four fish ...
I FISHING 3551
GYO, RYO
... salt-water fishing. Il water 66 [J fish 354
1 .... :f .... 9 .... RT .... O_IS_E, ... T_UR_T_LE __ ....... _3_56 .... 1 I SHElL, ARMOR, HIGH, 1ST
357 ]
KO, KAN k6ro
KI kame
The turtle wears a shell.
A turtle's shell is its armor.
70
REPEATING KANJI
A word for "peop!e" in Japanese is hitabita, shown at right. The upper kanji is hito 363, PERSON. The lower chorccter is a graphic device similar to ditto marks n in English, indicating that the previous character is repeated. Sometimes, the pronunciation of the second character is changed slightly to make it easier to say.
[ SOMETIMES
~4
toki doki
lime 691 (X2)
VARIOUS
iro iro colors 927 (X2)
INCREASINGly:I
masu masu
gain 257 (X2)
GRAND
DO DO
hall 1130 (X2)
WE
ware ware
self 794 (X2)
[ A LITTLE BIT
~4
SHO SHO
few 925 (X2)
362 - 367
People
I MEET
I PERSON
A
KAI, E OQ
JIN, NIN hito
I "PERSON" 362
A person toki ng 0 step.
I'll meet a personal friend on a cloudy day.
This is the radical for person.
a person 363
Iii' cloud 54
I EXPATRIATE
The expatriate ...
IJ person 157 [J tower n-366
I BRIDGE 3671
ft
I SCARCE, DESTITUTE 365 I
BO toboshii
KYO hoshi
.. , crossed the wooden bridge.
IJ tree 157
[J lower n-366
The destitute person stands alone.
!!'!! person 362 Iii' pcth n-365
72
PEOPLE 368 - 373
~ENEVOLENT, HUMANITY 3681 I SUBMIT, FOLLOW, LIE DOWN 3691 I RANK, EXTENT 370 I
i= 1~ 11L
JIN, NI FUKU
fUi\!/~ kuroi This benevolent person cares for two people.
The dog lies down before its master.
A person of lower rank bows to a person of higher standing.
II person 362
(J two S9S
CI dog 335
(] person 362
[I stand 627
(] person 362
I SERVE, WORK, DO 372 I
I REACH, EXTEND 373 I "&
KYO
oyoQI/bu /bosu
Reach out and extend an open hand.
(] person 362 [J hand n-373
{±
SHI, JI tsuko!!IQ
Th is person serves the samurai.
(] person 362 [] samurai 753
I LOAD, BURDEN
371 I
KA ni
[] what? n-371
73
374 - 378 P E OP L E
I CHANGE 3741 [ PRINCIPLES, ETHICS
1t ~ 1iia
KA,KE R!N
bakeru DAI, TAl kaytQ[jd/eru, yo
A young person changes into a seated old man.
People in Washington have big principles and few ethics.
Every generation must pay its dues.
II] person 362
(J fallen person n-374
[]I order n-375
II] person 362
(J halberd 80 I
[) person 362
[ HERMIT, WIZARD 3771
SEN
I SEAT, SIT, GATHER
A hermit lives in the mountains.
ZA
[) person 362 []I mountain 167
suwom Two people sit on the ground floor. IJ bUilding 1143 (J soil + person (x21 101
PEOPLE
379 - 385
CHO naka
I'm in the middle of a personal relationship.
(J middle 954
KYO, KU
tome, sonaeru
The attendant greets ...
(J together 383
I ASSIST, ASSISTANT
SA
"Lefty" here is my assistant.
II] person 362
[]I left 601
J EQUIP, PREPARE 3841
BI sona~/Yl'2!:\!
I am prepared for the cliff dwellers.
IJ person 362 []
I .... T_O_G_ET ... H ... ER 3 ... 83 .... 1 :I±.
KYO ; "-
tomo .,.
... the couple traveling together.
I ATTEND (UPON)
JI samurai, hobeDl
The samurai attends this temple.
IJ person 362
[] temple 685
USE
YO
!'II use this fence to keep them out,
machiiru
75
PEOPLE
386- 391
I RELEASE, EMIT
Person
HO hana§.!1/tsu
This person was released after being beaten.
[I strike 802
IJ person 386
PERSON, SIDE, WAY, DIRECTION, SQUARE 386
I SIDE, BESIDES
HO keto
BO
katowora
The person points in that direction.
Put it beside that standing person.
13 person 362 []'I stand 627 [liI person
I FLAG
I PERfORM, CHARITY
HO
olozu@.!1!. tozuneru
SHit SE hadaka§.!1
KI hoto
A drama is performed for charity.
I asked him directions during my visit.
A person waves a flag.
rl flag n-387
rl flag n-387
II) speak 840
[j device n-387
[] person 366
[j creature n-102
76
PERSON / POPULACE
392 - 399
1ff
TEl hikuj
A person comforts a family member who is low.
13 person 362 CIl family 396 III one 897
[TO REACH, RESIST, OPPOSE
TEl
A hand reaches out for a resistant family member.
CIl lam ily 396 [II one 897
tt
HI kurall!lli!
are always compared.
siHing person n-374 [J sitting person 0-374
Populace
PEOPLE, POPULACE
395
MIN lami
There are no people with big heads ...
I ClAN, fAMILY, MR 3961
SHI uji
. .. in my family.
J+.r7 I RESIDENCE, MANSION 398 I
!:\IJ TEl
My family resides in a mansion.
!rJ family 396 Ii[] one 697 EI hill 1094
tit I CRIT"',., SJR~~, PASS 3991
A hand strikes out at the sit-in.
A multitude of descendants sit under the sun.
~ sun 394
IiiiI compare 394
IJ hand 580
[J compare 394
77
400-404
PEOPLE
I "BURDENS" 4021 If you're not industrious, I'll beat
you with a stick.
:;tL (] child 447 [I strike 801
~ ITEACH 4041
This elemenf
means KYO
burdens. oshieru
I'll teach piety to you with this stick.
IJ piety 403 [II strike 802 Peop'le's Burdens
~ ! FILIAL PIETY _ ~ KO
The burden a child bears: filial piety.
EI burden 402 iii! child 447
78
!INDUSTRIOUS
. 400 I
! GOVERNMENT OFFICE, SIGN
SHI
The big eye of government watches the ever-burdened people.
EI net 987
iii! person 408
+ y.
o o
PEOPLE'S 8 U it DEN S 405 - 410
4051 I COOK, SOil 4061 I TORTURE, HIT 4071
~ ~ t~
;\',
SHO SHA GO
otsuj ni@/2f.!!/~ Carrying a heavy burden in the sun makes you hot.
A burdensome bag of victuals is cooked in the fire.
~ sun 1
liiil person 408
e person 4()B
Ii2l fire 82
I PERSON
SHA
mono
Every person has burdens to carry.
1""'1 burden 402 Iiil sun 1
He is beaten and tortured for being inconsiderate.
() hand 580
CI consider 409
~ I CONSIDER _ ~ KO
kongo2f.!!
I sometimes stop to consider ...
I AGED MAN, TO GROW OLD 410 I
RO oi,oi[!J
... if these burdens will crush me as 1 grow old.
79
(;: ,)
: ,:::_::;:
411-415
PI:iOPLE
Woman &Man
I NOISY t IMMORAL
~ I_W_O_M_A_N 4_11~1
~ JO,NYO,NYO
onnc, me
KAN
knshimoshil
." tends to be noisy in groups.
This woman '"
!!I woman 411 i3 woman 411 Eil woman 411
80
GO
She takes pleasure in giving advice ...
IJ woman 411
[J give 835
I BEGIN, FIRST
SHI
he ji!M.!1!./!UQ!1!
... but is the first to open her mouth ...
13 woman 4 Jl []I self 4 Jl
I FIGURE, SHAPE
~~~
SHI ~.
sugata ~
. " and cry over her figure.
I!""I next 555
Iiiil woman 411
,WOMAN & MAN
416 - 421
[tAAKE FUN OF, TEASE, RIDICULE 416)
is
nabu!:,!
Two women tease a man from both sides.
D woman (X1, 411 [I) man Jl9
I LORD, YOU, MR. 4171
A tycoon with a cigar.
1:1 hand w/stick n-417 [iii mouth 566
Many characters containing the elements for "woman" and "man" reflectthe
times in which they
were created.
j MAN, MALE 4191
DAN,NAN otoko
A man works in the field.
I"'l field 201 IiIl power 745
I MALE, POWERFUL 4181 I MANLY, STRONG 420 I I VILLA, MANOR, MAJESTIC 4211
~i tt I I
1±
yO so SO, SHO
osu, 0- Falconry is a sport for powerful males.
[] bird 319
The samurai shows his strength.
The samurai strikes a majestic pose on the [awn of his villa.
[] big n- 420
[] sam ura i 753
I"'l grass 124
IiIl manly 420
81
82
422 - 427
PEOPLE
Marriage
I MARRIAGE 4221
!N
If you're too dependent, marriage will box you in.
II] woman 66
1JI depend n-422
I WOMAN, WIFE 4231
FU
A wife is a woman holding a broom.
[) woman 411
1JI hand w /broom 1052
I WIFE
SA!
tsuma
The wife is handed a broom.
15 woman 411
I CONTACT, JOIN
SETSU tsugy
IiiiI hand w/broom 1052
His hand reaches out to join hers.
13 hand 1052 rn stand 627 {] woman 411
.::::(z:. I MISTRESS
-:!f;1::: mekake
A man slands by his mistress.
15 stand 627
SHO
IiiiI woman 411
-hlj' I EXQUISITE, O~D
~~ MYO
This woman is a little odd.
Il woman 411 [J lime 924
MARRIAGE
KA yorne, totsu9J,!
The house of the bride looks like a pigsty.
(] wOman 411
[J house 281
[ RESTFUL, EASE, CHEAP
AN yasui/.!.!l9I!!
A woman under the roof makes for cheap labor.
IiiiI woman 411
I BANQUET
EN utoge
The woman gave us everything under the sun at the banquet.
1!3 sun 1 Iiil woman 411
I PEACE, SETTLED
DA
A woman's hand brings peace.
E'l hand 580
Iiil woman 411
I AUTHORITY, THREATEN
odo~
CI halberd 801
The woman threatens Hal's authority.
iii woman 411
I MARRIAGE
A person sits on a hopechest next
to a woman, waiting for marriage. 13 woman 411 ce family 396 rn sun I
428-436
I HUSBAND, MAN
FU, FO
otto
Her husband wears a hairpin.
f* I HelP, SUP~:T
A husband lends a helping hand.
IJ hand 580 [] husband 434
m. I STANDARD, ~EASURE 4361 look to the husband as the standard.
IJ husband 434
[] watch 543
83
437 -442
P E 0 P L E,
Family
I FATHER
FU chichi
A father picks up his child.
I ELDER BROTHER
[ YOUNGER BROTHER
KEI, KYO ani
TEl, DAI, DE ot5to
An elder brother is a mouth on two legs.
My snot-nosed younger brother.
1""1 mouth 566
IiiiI legs 0-436
84
My older sister lives in the city.
My immature younger sister lives in the country.
A family's coat of arms is displayed on a flag.
I ELDER SISTER
SHI
one
IJ woman 4ll
I YOUNGER SISTER
MAl im5to
IJ woman 411
I CLAN, FAMILY
ZOKU
[] flog n-387
[J city IOB4
[J immature 144
[i arrow SIS
FAMILY
443 - 449
[EACH, EVERY
MAl ·goto
Every person has a mother.
1""1 person 363
Ii!I mother 446
The grandchild is my descendant.
[I child 363
[I lineage 977
II, ME, SELF,YOU
KO, KI
onore
I, myself, knee! before you.
I MOTHER
BO haha
A woman's nipples become dark during motherhood.
I CHILD
SHI, SU ko
A child ...
I LIKE, GOOD, FINE
KG
suht, konaffiQ/mashii
... likes to be held by a woman.
IJ woman 411
[J child 447
':¥L I BREASTS, MIL~ NYU chichi, chi
A woman holds a child to her breast. I!l hand 609 1[1 en ild 447 EI breast fl-449
PEOPLE,
I STAND, PLATFORM
I "SElF"
Self ""',\,\
tA
In Japan, a person indicates him- or herself by pointing to the nose the way Westerners point to the chest.
R~ ._IW_OM_B 45 ...... 1 I
n...... TAl
§"I:\ I ACCUSE, SUE 4531
riA SHO
Wombs are flesh-launching platforms.
[] flesh 267 [I platform 455
I sued him for his public accusation.
[] speak 840 [I public 457
=~ I DISCUSSION 452 )
ii~ GI
+ I ! I, PRIVATE, PERSONAL 4541
'rA SHI
wala{ku)$hi
I keep a personal supply of rice.
We had a righteous discussion.
[] speak 849
IJ rice plant 231
[I righteou$ness 794
[I self 450
DAI, TAl
He's sitting on the platform by himself.
I"'l self 450
IIiI mouth 566
I SPlIT
This element means splitting or dividing.
~"} I PUBLIC, FAIR, LORD KO oyoke
Split open the self and make it public_
I"'l split 456 IIiI self 450
SHO
rnotsu
The pine tree is in public perks.
IJ tree 126 [I public 457
LOOK-ALIKE KANJI
In a writing sys~em that uses more than 2,000 characters it is not surprising that some character~ look very similar. (Imagine the difficulty of Chinese: one dictionary lists more than 48,000 characters.) The kanji karada 134, BODY, at right can easily be mistaken for yasumi 138, REST. Note the horizontal line within the riqhf-hond element of BODY.
1 BODY 13411 REST 1381 I SUBMIT 3691
karada
yasumi
fu~
I COME 1219 I .. I T_IP __ 14 ... 5 ... 1 I NOT YET 144 I
***
kuru
sue
mada
... 1 B_IG __ 9_13..,.1 ... 1 F_AT __ 9_14..,.11 DOG 335 I
okii
futoi
inu
BODY
459-462
Body
I "BODY"
F
I BODY
This element can mean body, and sometimes appears as a miscopying of DOOR 1113.
SHIN mi
I URINE
A corpulent body.
NYO
Urine drops from a bent-over body.
Cl body 460
[j water 57
NO
An evil brain thinks only of the
13 flesh 267 I1l hand 611 [jjj evil 647
88
BODY
463 - 471
CBUTTOCKS"
This element means buttocks.
I "BUTTOCKS"
I FACE, ASPECT, MASK
MEN
ornate, orno, tsura
A mask covers his face.
4641 I GOVERNMENT, OFFICIAL 4671 I NOSE 470 I
rg ~
§II!
KAN BI
hona [TAKE, GRASP, BUNDLE
HA
to[!!, ·wa
() hand S80
A hand grasps a buttocks.
[J bUllocks 463
I FATTEN, ENRICH
HI kO~!)::!lliI
A fattened, fleshy buttocks.
IJ flesh 267
[J buttocks 463
This element also means buttocks.
Government officials in the House are asses.
I!'l roof 1144
• buttocks 466
A pig sticks its nose in a field of gross.
~ self 542 8 field 201 Iil grass 124
I LAUGH, SMILE 471 I
~ .~fw
w,,~:<:.. 'ft.._
A moustache and a big smile.
I!'l bamboo 123
\lit big 913
I ARM, ABILITY, ELBOW
KO hiji
A fleshy arm.
IJ flesh 267
[J elbow rl-418
89
472 - 477
BOD Y
Flesh & Bone
I BONE
KOTSU hone
A bone protrudes from the flesh.
I!'I vertebrae 474 [iii flesh 267
I SKIN, TEXTURE, GRAIN 4731
~n
KI hodo
The skin covers the flesh.
IJ flesh 267 [] desk n-157
I "VERTEBRA" 4741 This element means vertebra.
I TORSO, TRUNK, BODY
DO
-:lf~
t ~ ~ J ~ ,
· .. , .......
· ..
· ... ~.
IJ flesh 267
He has the same fleshy torso as always.
I INTESTINE
CHO
horawato
KATSU stJbeGl, nameraka
A wet, slippery bone.
IJ waler 66
[I same 689
The meat I ate wasn't easy on my intestines.
13 flesh 267 1.l'I sun 1
[Jl bone 472
90
F L E S H & BON E 478 -484
478J I VEIN, PULSE 4821 I BACK, STATURE, DEFY 4831
Jlm ::I1::t
F9
MYAKU HAl
se, sei, somubi.!~ @:lEST, BREAST, HEART
KYO
mune, muna
A cross-your-heart bra supports fleshy breasts.
IJ flesh 267 [J lungs n-478
[P"LACENT A, WOMB
HO
The flesh of the womb protects the child.
Il flesh 267
[J protect 944
kJr I MUSClE, SINEW 480 J
JlfJ :
Muscles as sinewy as bamboo.
/!, bamboo ,23 lii3 flesh 267 @ power 745
I SWELL, BULGE
eHO
fukuramu!~ long, bulging muscles.
(] flesh 267 [J long 9)5
Veins are little streams in the flesh.
Two professors sit back to back and defy each other.
IJ flesh 267
El north n-483
IiiiI' flesh 267
ClI river 55
I SHOULDER
KEN Koto
like a door on a hinge, the arm swings from the shoulder.
[j door 1113 Iii flesh 267
91
485 - 490
BOD Y
Skin
, SKIN, LEATHER
HI kawa
A hand scrapes the skin.
[LEATHER, REFORM 4851
KAKU kawa
A leather hide.
I OPEN, DISCLOSE
HI
A hand pulls back the skin to disclose the innards.
II] hand 580
[) skin 486
iSHOE
KA kutsu
Change your old leather shoes.
(] leather 485
[J change 374
I BREAK, TEAR
HA
yabu!Q/!:.@!!!.
I broke open my skin on a rock.
II] rock 190 [) skin 486
tsuka!:.@!!!.
So tired, only skin holds me together,
[j sick 655 Iii ski n 486
92
SKJN /,TOOTH, FANG, & CLAW
491 - 496
I "FANG" 492 ,
This element means fang.
SHI ho
Bits of rice get stuck in your teeth.
a stop 1205 IiiiI rice 217
tsume
Tooth, Fa n 9, & C I aw'W'WHh,hOCPnaU,
IAGE 4941 I ELEGANCE, TASTE 4951 I PINCH, GRASP 4961
~ ft flIt
REI GA s6
tsumo!'I1!i,
tsunelJ,! The aged ma n ordered some new teeth.
Sink your fangs into a tasty bird.
Hands that pinch, claws that grasp.
[] tooth 491
IIJ fang 492
[] bird 319
IIJ hond 580
[J order n-494
[I dow 493
93
497 - 502
~ 0 D v.
Heart
~,i'J. I FLOW, SECRETE
,!r,\ HITSU, HI
Blood flows from a stabbed heart.
[] water 66
(J necessarily n-497
I "HEART" 4981
SHIN kokoro
This form of the heart radical looks like bood rushing through one's veins. It often suggests feelings.
My feelings come from the core of my heart.
94
I started out on a pleasant hike.
I DECIDE, SETTLE, COLLAPSE
After a while I decided to settle down before I collapsed.
I SUDDEN, EMERGENCY, HURRY 5021
§
Il!,,'
Suddenly, I grasped my heart. It was an emergency.
~ crouch n-502 8 ha nd 597 ~ heart 499
I PLEASANT, CHEERFUL
KAI kokoroyo]
[] heart 498
KETSU kimaru/J:lliill!
IJ water 66
KYO iso9!1, seh!
[] pull apart n-500
[] pull a part n-500
KA!, KE ayashii /shimu
H EAR T
It's a mystery who stabbed the
13 heart 499 [] hand 600 ail soil 101
HI kanashi i! shimu
I BLOOD 5061
KETSU chi
He's bloody.
5041 I GRIEVE, MOURN 5071 I ENDURE, STEALTH 510 I
'I~ ~
IG\
TO NIN
ilamu shinobu My heart is not happy, but sad.
fU kowo]
Iiil heart 498
5051
Fear spread through our hearts.
[I spread 1008
Our hearts will grieve and mourn the deceased.
(] heart 498
Can you endure a blade in your heart?
[J table 508
~ blade 1024
Iiil heart 499
! TABLE, EXCEL, HIGH 5081 TAKU
± I WILL, INTENT 511 I
11'\ " SHI
......, kckorozcshl, kokorozcg;
His heart has the will of a samurai.
503 - 512
~ up 942
Set the table for the wake.
1.5 so murai 753
Iiiil heart 499
'Ii
13 sun 1
~ ten 906
=± I RECORD, JOURNAL 5121
tile, SHI
! SEX, NATURE
SEI, SHO
saga
It's his nature to express his feelings.
IJ heart 499 (J life 214
The samurai recorded his speech.
13 speak 840 [] samurai 753 III heart 499
95
513-518
Love
BO D Y ,
E'l red 65
His heart's filled with love.
IiOiI heart 498
I LOVE, BELOVED 513 )
REN koi, koishii
KAN
wozurog
I LOVE
AI
Unless you uncover your heart, love'S progress is slow.
t;'J hand 609 el heart 499 fiil progress n-516 •.•.....
I THINK
5171ii
SHI
ornoj,
E"! field 201
Thinking involves both the heart and brain.
'~
ETSU
Shout for joy.
[] heart 498
Iiii' heart 499
[J brother 438
I ANXIOUS, DISEASE, BE ILL
I LOYALTY, DEVOTION
CHU
He is so anxious his heart is tied in knots.
E'l pierce n-514
My loyalty comes straight from the middle of my heart.
iiil heart 499
E'l middle 954
iiil heart 499
96
DO iko!]!, okolJ!
LOVE / HATE
519- 524
His heart filled with rage ...
DO yclsu, yokko
IiiiI heart 499
... he beats the slave woman.
fl hand 600
I COMPOSED, DISTANT
yO
Composed, a person behind a wall watches the beating from a distance. IS person 362 E!! strike 802 '* heart .99
Hat
I BAD, HATE
AKU, 0 woru]
A bad heart, full of hatred.
E'I Asia 1082 IiiiI hea rt 491
I INDIGNANT, ANGRY
! ANGRY, IN ILL HUMOR
FUTSU
FUN ikido@
The crowd becomes angry about money.
13 heart 498 111 ten (X3) 906 III money 70B
The blood of his heart boils and gushes with anger.
IJ heart 498
[I boil 0-78
97
525 -529
Had, Neck, & Hair
BOD Y
1 "HEAD" (PAGE] 5251
KETSU
peii
As an element, this means heael, It is a rarely used character meaning page.
1 TROUBLE, PAIN TORMENT
HAN, BON wazurag/washii
I am tormented by a fire in my head,
[] fire 83
[] head 525
I SEQUENCE, COMPLIANCE
Iii ~j(
16" 'I R-E-CE-IV-E-, -TO-P---S2---'sliF.ii 8 CHO
., " itadoki, itadak\!
I got a nail in the top of my head.
[] exact lOS9 CI head 525
JUN
The sequence: shampoo head, rinse in river,
[] river 55
[I head 525
fji!i I HEAD, TO~~~::RT 529 'iii .
~.R alamo, kashira'i .••....•• That's using your bean, er, head!
[J bean 245 [II head 525
98
GAKU ago
His jaw hangs from his head.
[) head 530
~ ~IN_E_CK 5_3~11
a SHU
kubi
A neck X-ray,
HE,AD1 NECK, & HAIR
I HAIR
MO ke
Hair in a comb,
I TAIL
BI
o
530 - 537
A tail is often a tuft of hair.
[j body 460
[iii hair 532
I WAY, ROAD
DO, TO rnichi
Which way in this neck of the woods?
I:J move 1153
[!I!! neck 525
.. ~ I GUIDE, lEAD 5351
~ mic~~ibi
Lead the way, inch by inch. ~ way 53~ IiiiI inch 534
~ l;h~AI~" (DELICATE} h 5~61
,.. IS e ement means arr,
delicate, or attractive.
I HAIR (OF THE HEAD)
HATSU komi
long hair is a girl's best friend.
1!3 long 915 ~ hair 536 Iilil friend 599
99
538 ~ 544
8 OD Y
Eye
I EYE
MOKU, BOKU
me, rno-
An eye looks through a keyhole.
100
KAN . miL\!.
I shade my eye to look.
a hand 579
Iiiiiii eye 538
I SLEEP, FALL ASLEEP, SLEEPY 540 I
MIN nemul/ct/!J1
The eyes of the people are sleepy.
IJ eye 538
[J people 395
I MINISTRY, OMIT, EXAMINE 541 I
SEI, SHO habu@, kaerimiru
E"l few 924
The ministry's examination will omit a few things.
Iiiiiii eye 538
JI, SHI mizukor.g
The eye is the window to your self.
a nose n~542
g eye 538
KEN miL\!./~/!l.Q1
Looking on your hands and knees.
EI eye S3e
g bent legs n-543
SHI miD!
Get on your hands and knees when looking upon the altar.
IJ altar 696
[J look 543