Kanji Flashcards
Contains kanji characters, the elements they are made up from, and example vocables using the kanji. Based on Heisig’s Remembering the Kanji, Duolingo’s Japanese course, and references Linguee and Apple Translate.
晶
crystal, sparkle
multiple “tiny suns”
結晶、けっしょう: crystal, crystallisation
晶光、しょうこう: brilliant light
理
reason, truth, logic
“jewel” + “computer” (“brain” + “soil”)
story: the true jewels of mere computing is computing to reason
examples:
理論、りろん: theory
理由、りゆう: reason, motive
理事、りじ: director, chairman
石
いし
stone
“cliff” + “mouth”
boulders collect at the bottom (the entrance) to a cliff.
石鹸、せっけん: soap
歯石、しせき: (dental) tartar, German: Zahnstein
石灰、せっかい: lime stone, 灰: ash
石炭、せきたん: coal, 炭: “mountains of ash”, charcoal, associated with carbonisation
石油、せきゆ: oil, petrolium
油
あぶら
oil
“water” + “seedling” (sprout)
Liquifying seeds usually gives you oil for cooking
ごま油、ごまあぶら: sesame oil
石油、せきゆ: oil, petrolium
油断、ゆだん: unpreparedness, 断: decision
由
reason, cause, source
a seed sprouting from a “rice field”
理由、りゆう: reason
来由、らいゆ and 由来、ゆらい: source, origin, from 来, come, future
由来書、ゆらいしょ: memoirs, history
炭
すみ
charcoal
“mountain” + “ash”, associated with everything carbon
石炭、せきたん: coal
炭水化物、たんすいかぶつ: carbohydrate
炭化、たんか: carbonisation
炭田、たんでん: coalfield
混
mix
“water” + “sun” + “compare”
story: a (flowing) continuum, in which only the brightest sunlight allows for a separation of the ingredients for a comparison is well-mixed
混合、こんごう: mix, mixture
混乱、こんらん: confusion; chaos, mayhem
零
zero
“rain” + “order” (command)
story: rain nullifies a great deal of military orders
零度、れいど: freezing point, 0°C
凍
freeze
“ice” + “east”
For Europe, freezing cold wave tend to come from the East
烈
fierce, rage, patrionsim
“bone” + “sword” + “fire”
猛烈、もうれつ: violent
烈女、れつじょ: heroine
烈士、れっし: patriot, hero
烈風、れっぷう: gale, violent wind
危
dangerous
“bound up” + “unlucky”
危ない、あぶない: dangerous
危険、きけん: danger, hazard
危機、きき: crisis, 機 is likely more along the lines of chance, opportunity - crisis as an opportunity to change direction
水
みず
water
A walking stick (first stroke) dropping into a body of water and making it splash in all directions
水路、すいろ: channel, waterway, aqueduct
水泳、すいえい: swimming (discipline)
水源、すいげん: spring, origin of a waterway
水銀、すいぎん: mercury
氷
こおり
ice
“water” crystalizing around a “drop”
氷河、ひょうが: “river of ice”: glacier
氷河期、ひょうがき: ice age, glacial period
氷輪、ひょうりん: the moon, “white circle”
永
eternity, long
a drop of water in the ocean as a symbol for eternity
永遠、えいえん: eternity, permanence, from 遠, far, distant
永眠、えいみん: eternal sleep, death
明
clear, bright
“sun” + “moon”
Also mental brightness, cleverness, associated with cheerfulness
明るい、あかるい: bright; cheerful
証明、しょうめい: proof (-> clear up sth, enlighten)
鮮明、せんめい: vivid, clear
明細、めいさい: details, particulars, 細: detail, small, pebble
明記、めいき: specification
説
theory, opinion, hearsay, view
“say” + “convert” (change into sth else)
仮説、かせつ: hypothesis
説明、せつめい: explanation
談
だん
story, talk, conversation, discussion
“say” + “flame” (passion, rarely inflammation)
談話室、だんわしつ: lounge
談義、だんぎ, also 談議、だんぎ: discussion, discourse
話
はなし
story, talk, conversation, tale
“say” + “tongue” (“a thousand mouths”)
話し、はなし: speak (a language)
話芸、わげい: (the art of) storytelling
話者、わしゃ: narrator
言
word; remark, statement, say
“four soundwaves” coming out of a “mouth”
言葉、ことば: word, term, language; with 葉, leaf
言語、げんご: language
葉
は
leaf
bottom to top: “tree” + “generation” + “flowers”
言葉、ことば: language
葉洩れ日、はもれび: sunlight sifting through tree leaves, cf. 木漏れ日、こもれび: sunlight filtering through trees. The latter is known, replacing 木 with 雲 to get the German Gottesfinger is not a phrase a Japanese would use, according to reddit
奪
rob, steal, dispossess
“big” + (St Bernard’s dog) + “turkey” + “glue”
story: The St Bernard’s dog tries to steal the turkey, but since it is glued to the table, the dog needs to exert considerable force
奪う、うばう: steal, rob
奪回、だっかい: recapture, recovery (of something previously lost in battle)
奪還、だっかん: recapture, recovery (of something previously lost in battle)
泉
いずみ
spring, fountain
“white” + “water”
water gushing out of the spring, bubbling white
線: line, route, track; “thread” + “spring”
間欠泉、かんけつせん, also 間歇泉: geyser, from 間: between, among + 欠: lack, vacancy = 間欠: intermittent
温泉、おんせん: onsen, hot spring
泉下、せんか: Hades, the Hereafter
原
はら
original, raw, plain, primary; also tundra, moor, meadow
“cliff” + “spring” (fountain)
原因、げんいん: cause, origin, source
原理、げんり: principle; theory, fundamental truth
地雷原、じらいけん: minefield (“The source of the land rumbling”), 地雷、じらい: land mine
源
げん
source; origin
“water” + “origin, primary, meadow”
specifically the source of water
源泉徴収、げんせんちょうしゅう: tax withholding at the source
