Japanese Core 1000 Flashcards
行く
Going, journey, walk, enclosure.
五段 Verb - Intransitive
6 Strokes
On-Yomi: コウ、ギョウ、アン —
Kun-Yomi: い.く、ゆ.く、-ゆ.き、-ゆき、-い.き、-いき、おこな.う、おこ.なう
By joining the top four strokes, you should get a picture of the front current of a river, the stream trailing behind. Hence the character for going.
い·き い·っ·て い·か·な·く·て い·か·な·い い·っ·た
見る
To see; to look; to watch; to view
一段 - Verb
7 Strokes
On-Yomi: ケン —
Kun-Yomi: み.る、み.える、み.せる
The elements that compose the character for see are the eye firmly fixed to a pair of human legs. Surely, somewhere in your experience, there is a vivid image just waiting to be dragged up to help you remember this character….
多い
Many, Numerous, A lot
i-adjective
6 Strokes
On-Yomi: タ — Kun-Yomi: おお.い、まさ.に、まさ.る
“Many moons ago,” begins much of Amerindian folklore - a colorful way of saying “Once upon a time” and a great deal of help for remembering this kanji. Here we have two moons (three of them would take us back to the beginning of time, which is further than we want to go), lacking the final stroke because they are partially hidden behind the clouds of time.
家
House, residence, dwelling
Noun
10 Strokes
On-Yomi: カ、ケ —
Kun-Yomi: いえ、や、うち
This is the full character whose primitive form we learned already. To help a little, this kanji recalls the times when the “domestic” animals were, as the word itself suggests, really kept in the house. Hence: house . . . sow.
これ (此れ)
This …
Kore
それ (其れ)
That (near the listener)
Sore
私
I (feminine, with a connotation of privacy)
Pronoun
7 Strokes
On-Yomi: シ —
Kun-Yomi: わたくし、わたし
Wheat . . . elbow. Like the characters for I (Frame 17) and ego (Frame 690), this kanji is also representative of the subject, with the special connotation of privacy.
仕事
Work
(Shigoto)
Noun
12 Strokes
仕 - attend, doing, official, serve
On-Yomi: シ、ジ —
Kun-Yomi: つか.える
Person . . . samurai. The key word means to wait on someone or serve them.
事 - Matter, thing, fact, business, reason, possibly
On-Yomi: ジ、ズ —
Kun-Yomi: こと、つか.う、つか.える
This key word here refers to abstract matters. The elements are: one . . . mouth . . . rake. Note how the rake handle reaches out the top and bottom of the character.
何時
When, At What Time, How Soon.
Interrogative
(Itsu, Nanji)
何
what
On-Yomi: カ —
Kun-Yomi: なに、なん、なに-、なん-
Person . . . can.
時
time
On-Yomi: ジ —
Kun-Yomi: とき、-どき
“What is time?” asked St. Augustine in his memoirs. “Ask me not, and I know. Ask me, and I cannot tell you.” Here we have the kanji’s answer to that perennial riddle. Time is a sun rising over a Buddhist temple. It sounds almost like a Zen kōan whose repetition might yield some deep secret to the initiated. At any rate, imagining a monk seated in meditation pondering it might help us remember the character.
する (為る)
To do, to carry out, to perform
Irregular verb.
出る
To leave; to exit; to go out; to come out.
一段 verb
5 Strokes
On-Yomi: シュツ、スイ —
Kun-Yomi: で.る、-で、だ.す、-だ.す、い.でる、い.だす
The kanji for exit pictures a series of mountain peaks coming out of the earth. Learn it together with the following frame.
使う
To use (a thing, method, etc.), to make use of, to put to use.
五段 verb
8 Strokes
On-Yomi: シ —
Kun-Yomi: つか.う、つか.い、-つか.い、-づか.い
Person . . . officer.
所
Place, spot, scene, site
Noun
8 Strokes
On-Yomi: ショ —
Kun-Yomi: ところ、-ところ、どころ、とこ
Door . . . ax.
作る
To make; to produce; to manufacture; to build; to construct.
五段 verb
7 Strokes
On-Yomi: サク、サ —
Kun-Yomi: つく.る、つく.り、-づく.り
Person . . . saw.
思う
To think; to consider; to believe; to reckon; to judge; to imagine.
五段 verb
9 Strokes
On-Yomi: シ —
Kun-Yomi: おも.う、おもえら.く、おぼ.す
Brains . . . heart.
持つ
To hold in one’s hand; to take; to carry; to possess; to have; to own.
五段 Verb
9 Strokes
On-Yomi: ジ —
Kun-Yomi: も.つ、-も.ち、も.てる
Fingers . . . Buddhist temple.
買う
To buy; to purchase; to value; to have a high opinion; to stir; provoke.
五段 Verb
12 Strokes
On-Yomi: バイ —
Kun-Yomi: か.う
Eye . . . shellfish.
時間
Time; hour; period; class; lesson
(Jikan)
Noun
時 -Time
On-Yomi: ジ —
Kun-Yomi: とき、-どき
“What is time?” asked St. Augustine in his memoirs. “Ask me not, and I know. Ask me, and I cannot tell you.” Here we have the kanji’s answer to that perennial riddle. Time is a sun rising over a Buddhist temple. It sounds almost like a Zen kōan whose repetition might yield some deep secret to the initiated. At any rate, imagining a monk seated in meditation pondering it might help us remember the character.
間 - Interval
On-Yomi: カン、ケン —
Kun-Yomi: あいだ、ま、あい
Gates . . . sun/day. This interval applies to time and space alike, but the latter is better for creating an image.
知る
To be aware of; to know; to be conscious of; to cognize; to notice; to feel; to understand.
五段 Verb
8 Strokes
On-Yomi: チ —
Kun-Yomi: し.る、し.らせる
Dart . . . mouth.
同じ
Same; identical; equal; uniform; equivalent; similar; common (origin); changeless; alike.
Noun
6 Strokes
On-Yomi: ドウ —
Kun-Yomi: おな.じ
The primitives in this kanji show us one and mouth under a hood. Let us take the key word to connote the sameness that characterizes the life in community of the monk. They all have the same habits, including the “habit” they wear on their backs. Here we see the monk’s cowl, drawn down over the eyes so that all you can see when you look at him is a mouth. But since monks also speak their prayers in common, it is but a short step to think of one mouth under a hood as the kanji for the sameness of monastic life.
今
Now; the present time; just now; soon; immediately.
Noun
4 Strokes
On-Yomi: コン、キン —
Kun-Yomi: いま
The final stroke of this kanji is a rare shape, which we have not met before and will only meet in this character and others that include it as a primitive. We are more accustomed to seeing it straightened out as part of other shapes - for instance, as the second stroke of mouth. If you need any help at all with this character, you may picture it as two hands of a clock pointing to what time it is now. The element above it, meeting, should easily relate to that image.
- We shall use clock as the primitive meaning of this character, in line with the above explanation.
新しい
New; novel; fresh; recent; latest; up-to-date; modern.
i-adjective
13 Strokes
On-Yomi: シン —
Kun-Yomi: あたら.しい、あら.た、あら-、にい-
Red pepper . . . ax.
なる (成る)
To become; to get; to grow; to be; to reach; to attain.
五段 Verb
まだ (未だ)
Still; as yet; only.
Adverb
後
Behind; back; later; after.
Noun
9 Strokes
On-Yomi: ゴ、コウ —
Kun-Yomi: のち、うし.ろ、うしろ、あと、おく.れる
聞く
To hear; to listen; to ask.
五段 Verb
14 Strokes
On-Yomi: ブン、モン —
Kun-Yomi: き.く、き.こえる
Gates . . . ear. Compare the story you invented for the kanji meaning listen (Frame 890).
言う
To say; utter; or declare; to name; to call.
五段 Verb
7 Strokes
On-Yomi: ゲン、ゴン —
Kun-Yomi: い.う、こと
Of all the things we can do with our mouths, speech is the one that requires the greatest distinctness and clarity. Hence the kanji for say has four little sound-waves, indicating the complexity of the achievement.
- This kanji, which appears often as a primitive, can mean saying, speech, or words, depending on which is most useful.
少ない
Few.
i-adjective
4 Strokes
On-Yomi: ショウ —
Kun-Yomi: すく.ない、すこ.し
First we need to look at the fourth stroke, the drop at the bottom that has been extended into a longer diagonal stroke leaning left. This happens because a single, isolated drop will NEVER appear beneath its relative primitive in its normal size, for fear it would drop off and get lost. As for the meaning, let the tiny drop indicate a further belittling of what is already little - thus making it a few of something little.
1) [raseru] 6-2-2008(129): Only a few people can make an ugly face like that.
