Level 12-1

Question 1

倍

Answer 1

Double
times
On’Yomi:
ばい
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
A leader who hires his own personal clown will likely double his entertainment. Clowns are funny and make people laugh, so the leader decided to hire one. Since that time, the leader’s amount of mirth has doubled.

This also means times, which makes sense when you think about the kind of math you’ll need to double something. What is A * 2? It’s A doubled, first of all, but you’re using multiplication. You’re “timesing” something.
Additional Info:
Picture a clown and all the ridiculous funny things they do. Imagine the clown throwing a pie at someone’s face and how funny that is. Chuckle to yourself and remember this kanji.

Reading Mnemonic
When the clown stop being funny, it’s time to say bye (ばい). At first, the clown doubled the leader’s entertainment, but now the clown is just annoying. It’s time to say bye-bye.
Additional Info:
This clown has served its purpose. Wave your hand in the air and say bye-bye to this worthless clown.

Question 2

動

Answer 2

Move
N/A
On’Yomi:
どう
Kun’Yomi:
うご.*

Meaning Mnemonic
When something is heavy, you need a lot of power to move it. It’s not going to move unless you use a lot of power. That thing is heavy and unless you use all the power you got, it’s not moving.
Additional Info:
Picture a massive 1 ton weight. It’s heavy. You can’t even begin to move it without some sort of powerful machine to help you. Imagine yourself trying to move it with just your bare hands.

Reading Mnemonic
Remember that 1 ton weight? Well, actually it’s a doughnut (どう). A huge, massive, 1 ton doughnut. It’s super heavy and hard to move, but it’s delicious.
Additional Info:
Okay, so you don’t have enough power to move this doughnut as is. In order to move it, you’re going to have to use your superhuman power of eating. Once you eat enough of it, the remainder will be easy to move. Imagine yourself digging into this massive doughnut and taste its fresh baked goodness on your tongue. It’s mighty tasty.

Question 3

員

Answer 3

Member
N/A
On’Yomi:
いん
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
A clam with a mouth is a member of the invertebrate family. Yes, clams do have mouths. They are also proud members of the invertebrate family and are probably the most nationalistic of all invertebrates.
Additional Info:
Imagine a clam opening and closing its mouth, talking to you and telling you what a proud member of his family he is. It’s a strange sight, but picture it in your mind.

Reading Mnemonic
Because this member of the invertebrate family has no eyes, it’s hard to tell if a clam is innocent (いん). Usually, people’s eyes can give them away when they’re lying, but since clams have mouths but no eyes, you just have to listen to its story to tell if it’s innocent or not.
Additional Info:
Now imagine yourself listening to this clam chatter away about how it is innocent of the crime that it’s accused of. I’m a clam and I’m innocent I tell you! Innocent!

Question 4

商

Answer 4

Merchandise
N/A
On’Yomi:
しょう
Kun’Yomi:
あきな.い

Meaning Mnemonic
A mustache with legs has the ability to set up a stand to sell merchandise. Most mustaches can’t stand because they don’t have legs. This mustache, however, does. It also has a keen business sense, which is why it’s selling merchandise.
Additional Info:
Imagine this mustache entrepreneur, at his merchandise stand, selling his wares. He looks quite dignified, legs and all. Imagine your surprise when you see this mustache walking around his stand, advertizing his merchandise.

Reading Mnemonic
In order to advertise his merchandise, the legged mustache pretends that he is actually the shogun (しょう) in disguise, hence the mustache. As if a walking mustache with legs wasn’t enough of a draw, he’s now masquerading as the shogun himself in order to draw attention to his merchandise.
Additional Info:
Picture this mustache pretending to be the shogun. He’s going to get found out and thrown in jail for impersonation or something. It would definitely cause a commotion. Imagine what that would be like.

Question 5

寒

Answer 5

Cold
N/A
On’Yomi:
かん
Kun’Yomi:
さむ

Meaning Mnemonic
If you’re sitting on a train wearing a helmet of ice, you’re gonna be pretty cold. Ice is cold, and you’re wearing a helmet of it on your head, so of course you’re going to be cold too. And you’re also riding on a train for some reason.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself having a helmet made of ice on your head. It would make you so cold. Imagine the worst brain freeze you’ve ever had, but like, times a million. Imagine that feeling happening to your head with this ice helmet on it.

Reading Mnemonic
Imagine an army of ice samurai (さむ), all wearing helmets made of ice. All of their armor is frozen and cold. These ice samurai were raised in the freezing cold mountain tops, so their cold ice armor makes sense.
Additional Info:
Picture this army of icy cold samurai and their ice helmets. The murderous stare of these samurai is nearly as cold as the ice helmets themselves.

Question 6

島

Answer 6

Island
N/A
On’Yomi:
とう
Kun’Yomi:
しま

Meaning Mnemonic
There once was a bird that lived on top of a mountain on an island. This bird loved the mountain air, but also the ocean breeze that comes from living on an island. This bird sure loves its island mountain.
Additional Info:
Picture this bird’s life. It has all the benefits of living by the mountains and by the sea. This island is great! You want to vacation there.

Reading Mnemonic
This bird also happens to be a shemale (しま). Being born a shemale caused the bird to be very confused about life, so it came to live on this mountain island to get away from it all.
Additional Info:
Imagine if this were you. How would you react the being born this way? How would you live your life? Think about how different things would be for you.

Question 7

息

Answer 7

Breath
N/A
On’Yomi:
そく
Kun’Yomi:
いき

Meaning Mnemonic
Imagining one’s self without a heart can make it hard to draw breath. Without a heart, you’d have no blood pumping and you would start to die. This would make it increasingly harder to draw breath and get oxygen to stay alive.
Additional Info:
Imagine trying to live without a heart. You couldn’t. Your blood stops flowing and your body shuts down. You would no longer be able to draw breath.

Reading Mnemonic
You know how when people are unconscious and their breath slows or comes to a stop, they use smelling salts to revive them? Well a smelly sock (そく) can work just as well. Socks get really stinky and their stench is powerful enough to revive someone who isn’t drawing breath.
Additional Info:
Imagine smelling this smelly sock. Imagine the smelly stench of the dirty sock wafting up into your nostrils and filling your lungs with its odor. Gross.

Question 8

族

Answer 8

Tribe
family
On’Yomi:
ぞく
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
If someone with a gun is headed your direction, nock an arrow in your bow and gather your tribe behind you because it’s about to get real! This cretin with a gun is headed your direction and he doesn’t even know what you and your tribe are gonna do to him. If he gets any closer, you’re likely to shoot that arrow right at him.
Additional Info:
This guy headed your direction with his gun doesn’t look friendly at all. Hear the sound of the bowstring as you nock your arrow and prepare your shot to defend yourself. Then imagine the sound of everyone in your tribe doing the same.

Reading Mnemonic
When he starts to get closer, you notice that this guy is a bosozoku (ぞく) bike gang member. Bosozoku means “running tribe” and this guy is running right at you. With a gun. So gather your own tribe behind you and prepare to defend yourself against this bosozoku member.
Additional Info:
You remember what a bosozoku is, right? We wrote about them on Tofugu a while ago. They’re bike gang members and the “zoku” in bosozoku means tribe. Remember that article when you see this kanji.

Question 9

根

Answer 9

Root
N/A
On’Yomi:
こん
Kun’Yomi:
ね

Meaning Mnemonic
A good tree has strong roots. All trees need good strong roots to live long lives. This particular tree has really good roots and is rooted in the ground very good like.
Additional Info:
Imagine this tree rooted in the ground. It’s very sturdy and won’t budge no matter how much you shove it. Imagine yourself straining and struggling at trying to push this tree over. It’s impossible!

Reading Mnemonic
After this good tree took root in the ground, a condor (こん) crafted a nest in it. It’s very high near the top of the tree, so it’s a good place for condors. You trying to shake and move the tree, however, has made the condor angry…
Additional Info:
Angry with you for trying to shove the tree down, the condor dives at you! Imagine how scary it would be to get attacked by a bird of prey like a condor. The condor has a sharp beak and pointy talons. Imagine the condor scratching and pecking at you. It hurts.

Question 10

植

Answer 10

Plant
N/A
On’Yomi:
しょく
Kun’Yomi:
う.*

Meaning Mnemonic
A lion has chased the pope up into a tree, which is a very large plant. Trees are one of the largest plants around, so it’s a good place for a pope to hide from a lion. This particular lion isn’t so good at climbing plants like trees, so the pope should be safe for a while.
Additional Info:
Picture this scene in your mind. The pope is trapped up in a tree and the lion is waiting below, pacing back and forth. Imagine if you were the pope. This would be terrifying!

Reading Mnemonic
Seeing a lion chasing after you out of nowhere would be quite the shock (しょく). Where did this lion even come from? There aren’t even any zoos nearby so this comes as quite the shock. No time to think of how much of a shock it is though, there’s a lion after you – plant one foot after the other and run!
Additional Info:
Imagine being chased by a hungry lion. It’s a shocking thing to imagine. You’ll be running faster than you’ve ever run in your life. If you don’t run faster than that lion, you’re dead meat.

Question 11

歯

Answer 11

Tooth
N/A
On’Yomi:
None
Kun’Yomi:
は

Meaning Mnemonic
If you start to eat a box of uncooked rice, you should stop because you might chip a tooth. Uncooked rice can be very hard and can damage a tooth quite easily, especially if you’re eating a whole box of it. You wouldn’t want to chip a tooth, would you?
Additional Info:
Imagine chipping a tooth from a grain of rice. Chipping a tooth is bad news. First of all, it hurts, and second of all, it makes you look silly. Imagine the pain and shame you feel from this chipped tooth of yours. Why would you ever try to eat a whole box of it?

Reading Mnemonic
How can this rice chip your tooth? Because it’s so hard (は). Uncooked rice can be very hard, and something as hard as uncooked rice is just enough to chip your poor weak tooth.
Additional Info:
Imagine trying to bite into the hardest kernel of rice you’ve ever encountered. Biting into this hard piece of rice sends shockwaves throughout your entire body and the force with which you chomped on the hard piece of rice is enough to chip your tooth. How awful.

Question 12

泉

Answer 12

Spring
fountain
On’Yomi:
せん
Kun’Yomi:
いずみ

Meaning Mnemonic
White water shoots out from a spring in the ground. Due to the force the water shoots from the spring, the water looks white with all the air bubbles.
Additional Info:
Imagine these geysers and the white water shooting from the springs under the ground. Now imagine yourself standing over one when the water shoots out. You’d get super wet and probably knocked over due to the force of the spring water. Imagine this happening to yourself.

Reading Mnemonic
The only creature powerful enough to withstand the force of these white water springs is the mythical centaur (せん). His horse body allows him to be stable and withstand the white water shooting up from the spring. Centaurs are pretty impressive creatures.
Additional Info:
Imagine this centaur standing over the white water. It’s just like a shower for him! Hear him laughing with mirth as the whoosh of the spring water washes him down.

Question 13

流

Answer 13

Stream
N/A
On’Yomi:
りゅう
Kun’Yomi:
なが.*

Meaning Mnemonic
You’d look like a boob in tsunami weather if you went out and played in a river or a stream. There’s a tsunami on the way, you boob! Why would you play in a stream of water!?
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself playing in a stream. It’s nice and cool. Imagine how nice the water sounds running over the pebbles in the stream. And then a tsunami wave crests over you and you drown. Not so nice anymore, now is it?

Reading Mnemonic
There is one way you can save yourself from this tsunami stream of death, however. And that is if you are Ryu (りゅう) from Street Fighter! You’re Ryu and you can shoot a hadoken at the tsunami and blow all of the stream water away with your mighty technique.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself as Ryu. I’m sure you’ve seen him from the Street Fighter games and may have even pretended to do a hadoken once or twice. Imagine yourself as Ryu doing this hadoken to save yourself from the tsunami stream.

Question 14

消

Answer 14

Extinguish
N/A
On’Yomi:
しょう
Kun’Yomi:
き.*, け.*

Meaning Mnemonic
A shift of the moon causes a tsunami that hits an unsuspecting triceratops and extinguishes its life. The moon controls tides, so it controls tsunamis too. This poor triceratops didn’t know this information and was unprepared for the tsunami. Since the triceratops was hit by the tsunami in full force, the triceratops’ life energy was extinguished.
Additional Info:
I’m sure you’ve heard many theories on how dinosaurs went extinct. Well, this is the real story. Imagine this poor triceratops and all his friends being extinguished by this powerful tsunami of doom.

Reading Mnemonic
I went to an event where they did a reenactment of this scene. The event was being put on for the shogun (しょう), and at the event, the triceratops costume spontaneously combusted so they had to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher. It was the most memorable thing I’ve ever seen.
Additional Info:
Imagine you were the one in charge of extinguishing the flames at this event. Everyone is depending on you, especially the shogun. You’ll get a medal for this. You’re a hero! Way to go.

Question 15

深

Answer 15

Deep
N/A
On’Yomi:
しん
Kun’Yomi:
ふか.*

Meaning Mnemonic
The force of a tsunami is enough to put a gash in a tree about pi (3.14) feet deep. Tsunamis are pretty powerful, so the force of the water alone is enough to cut into a tree several feet deep.
Additional Info:
Picture this tsunami wave hitting the tree. It’s like a lumberjack axe of water, cutting deep into the tree with the force of a thousand lumberjacks.

Reading Mnemonic
Some tsunamis cut so deep that they flat out chop the tree right off its stump. In areas like this, you have to be careful not to bang a shin (しん) on them. These stumps are right about shin height, so you want to be cautious when walking around them as to not injure yourself.
Additional Info:
Imagine being deep in the woods and banging your shin on a stump you didn’t see. It hurts to bang your shin, so imagine this pain and the awful sensation it brings.

Question 16

温

Answer 16

Warm
N/A
On’Yomi:
おん
Kun’Yomi:
あたた.*

Meaning Mnemonic
After a tsunami, any plate left out in the sun will be sure to get warm. The tsunami knocked this plate out of the kitchen, and now it’s just sitting outside in the sun. The sun heats things, so the plate is getting really warm.
Additional Info:
Right after the tsunami, this plate was wet, but the sun is warming and drying the plate. Imagine looking at the plate and seeing the beads of water evaporate off it as it warms up. Feel the warm steam on your face as this happens.

Reading Mnemonic
The plate starts to get so warm that you could fry an onion (おん) on it. Who doesn’t love fried onions? That plate sure is warm enough, so start cookin’ ‘em!
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself frying onions on this plate warmed by the sun. Smell the onion smell as the onion fumes get into your eyes and your sinuses. It makes your eyes water as you are very sensitive to onions.

Question 17

港

Answer 17

Harbor
harbour, port
On’Yomi:
こう
Kun’Yomi:
みなと

Meaning Mnemonic
A wild tsunami made up of blackjack cards, fish fins, and cobras crashes into the harbor. You’re standing there, at the harbor. You look up and see this crazy tsunami coming down on you. Why did you have to take a trip to the harbor on this day?
Additional Info:
Try to create a vivid imagination of the harbor in your head. What does it look like? Then, imagine the weird tsunami washing through it. Really focus on the fact that it’s a harbor, of course.

Reading Mnemonic
Let’s expand the tsunami’s wildness. Upon the tsunami of blackjack cards, fish fins, and cobras is こういち, on a surfboard, riding it in. What a majestic sight that is, too.
Additional Info:
こういち also happens to come crashing down where you are, knocking you off your feet and taking you with him into the cards, fins, and cobras. “Come with me,” he whispers. “This is my harbor now.”

Of course! It was Koichi behind this terror attack!

Question 18

湯

Answer 18

Hot Water
N/A
On’Yomi:
とう
Kun’Yomi:
ゆ

Meaning Mnemonic
If you find yourself under the wave of a tsunami, gravity is going to have its way and you’ll be in hot water. Literally. You’re in the tropics and this tsunami water is hot.
Additional Info:
Gravity makes things fall down. Imagine this tsunami wave of hot water towering over you, just waiting for gravity to pull it back down on top of you. Feel this looming fear and anxious anticipation for the inevitable, drops of hot water sprinkling down onto your face.

Reading Mnemonic
You’re right on the coast of the Yucatán (ゆ) Peninsula. It’s pretty rare to see a tsunami of this size in the Yucatán Peninsula, but regardless, gravity’s about to bring that hot water right down on top of your head. Yucatán Peninsula: worst vacation choice ever.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself vacationing on the Yucatán Peninsula. It seemed great at first, but now you’re about to die from a tsunami of hot water. Imagine the regret you feel for choosing the Yucatán Peninsula as your vacation spot.

Question 19

球

Answer 19

Sphere
ball
On’Yomi:
きゅう
Kun’Yomi:
たま

Meaning Mnemonic
If the water king doesn’t put a lid on that sphere, something could escape from it. The sphere is meant for containing things, and without a lid, things won’t be contained properly. Therefore it is up to the water king to put a lid on that container sphere.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself inside of this sphere. It’s congested and you’re claustrophobic. Now imagine the water king putting a lid on top of the sphere to seal you in for good. It’s scary.

Reading Mnemonic
The next creature the water king wants to seal in a sphere is a cute (きゅう) rabbit. He has a transparent sphere for viewing his captured creatures, and he wants a cute rabbit to go in this sphere so he can admire the rabbit and its cuteness.
Additional Info:
Picture this cute rabbit in this display sphere. While it is cute, you feel bad for it because it has no room to move. It might even die from these conditions inside of the sphere. Feel sad for this cute rabbit.

Question 20

登

Answer 20

Climb
N/A
On’Yomi:
とう, と
Kun’Yomi:
の.ぼる

Meaning Mnemonic
Eating beans and then getting in a tent is a surefire way to get everyone else to climb right on out of said tent. Beans can make you flatulent, and nobody wants to be around that smelly bean flatulence smell, especially not in a small area like a tent. That being said, anyone else in that tent you went into is gonna climb out pretty quick.
Additional Info:
Imagine the smell of someone’s bean induced fart inside of a small tent. Smell the odor wafting up into your nostrils as it almost chokes you. Imagine yourself climbing out of the tent as you start to dry heave.

Reading Mnemonic
To get revenge on this bean induced fart man, you climb back into the tent after he’s fallen asleep. You then stick your toe (と) in his open mouth and wait for him to wake up and realize what has happened. Waking up with a toe in your mouth is never pleasant. To make matters worse, before you stuck your toe in his mouth, you walked all around Tokyo (とう), barefoot. The Tokyo streets have made your toe particularly foul
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself waking up to a Tokyo soiled toe in your mouth. It’s stinky and tastes terrible. Taste the footy taste on your tongue as the smell of feet fills your nostrils.

Question 21

着

Answer 21

Wear
arrive
On’Yomi:
ちゃく
Kun’Yomi:
き, つ

Meaning Mnemonic
A cyclops king with one eye and great big horns slides down a slide because he wanted to wear special slide pants. Even though this horned one eyed king is royalty, he still has to wear the proper safety equipment while on a slide. Luckily, the king enjoys wearing them, so all is well.

This word also means arrive, too (for who knows what reason). Just imagine the king from the mnemonic arriving in his weird clothes to court, and everyone thinking “why did he arrive dressed like that??”
Additional Info:
Imagine this one eyed king sliding down the slide wearing all this safety equipment. He’s wearing padded pants, elbow guards, the whole shebang. He looks ridiculous wearing all these things.

Reading Mnemonic
Another thing the king wears is a key (き) on a chain around his neck. This key unlocks the two (つ) treasure chests under his bed. Since the chests are very precious to the king with one eye, he keeps the key for the chests around his neck at all times.
Additional Info:
Imagine what wonderful things the king has in these two chests. If only you had the key, you could see for yourself. Imagine what could be inside them.

Question 22

短

Answer 22

Short
N/A
On’Yomi:
たん
Kun’Yomi:
みじか.い

Meaning Mnemonic
If you shoot a tall stalk of beans with an arrow, the bean plant will go from tall to short. When the beans are hit with that arrow, it severs the plant in two, and you are left with a stalk of beans that is much shorter than before.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself shooting this arrow. Imagine yourself nocking the arrow to the bow, and pulling the string back. That bean plant is not short enough, and you’re going to do something about it.

Reading Mnemonic
All this shooting of arrows to make the bean plants more short is taking a long time. Since you’re out in the sun, you’re starting to get a tan (たん). After the day is finally over, your tan is really, really dark.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself being out in the sun for so long that you get an amazing tan. Your skin feels warm all over from all the sun you were getting throughout the day. Feel the warmth coming off of your tanned skin.

Question 23

章

Answer 23

Chapter
N/A
On’Yomi:
しょう
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
You have arrived early to the podium where you stand and practice reading the chapter from your latest book. You’re a bestselling author and you’re reading a chapter to an audience, but you got to the stand earlier so you could practice and rehearse.
Additional Info:
Imagine this happening to you. The chapter isn’t short so you better practice it. Picture yourself reading this chapter over and over until you’ve got your speech down pat.

Reading Mnemonic
Your reading of this chapter is actually part of an event with the shogun (しょう) about rising authors. The performance is being put on to inspire others to pursue the literary arts and such, and everyone wants the shogun to donate money to the Rising Author’s Foundation. Your chapter is a big part of the event, so you’d better not screw it up.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself being such a famous author that people come from all over to see you speak, even the shogun. They all want to hear you speak and show them what it really means to be an author in today’s world. Feel pride with how important you are.

Question 24

童

Answer 24

Juvenile
N/A
On’Yomi:
どう
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
If you just stand there with a sunflower in your hair, you’re gonna look pretty juvenile. Flowers are for kids, especially sunflowers. So don’t just stand there with a sunflower in your hair, looking all juvenile and such – grow up and get a job, you sunflower child, you.
Additional Info:
Imagine being a juvenile little kid, playing with sunflowers. Imagine holding one and smelling its fragrance with your nose.

Reading Mnemonic
So you’ve graduated from the whole sunflower thing. Great. You’re no longer a juvenile. Now you’re a cop overlooking a juvenile detention center. Since you’re a police officer, you now love doughnuts (どう). They’re great. You eat doughnuts every day now.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself as a doughnut dunking police officer. Imagine having the power of the law in your hands as you bite into a big tasty doughnut. It tastes like freedom.

Question 25

陽

Answer 25

Sunshine
sunlight
On’Yomi:
よう
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
A butcher uses gravity to help swing his knife down as he carves meat out in the sunshine. Gravity pulls everything down, so it makes work easier for the butcher. The butcher also likes to carve meat out in the sunshine, because being indoors makes him feel constrained.
Additional Info:
Imagine watching this butcher out in the sunshine. As gravity pulls his blade down, the sunshine glints off the knife and blinds you. It’s really bright and hurts your eyes. You have to squint to watch.

Reading Mnemonic
After being in the sunshine for so long, the butcher has really worked up an appetite. So before getting back to work, he has some yogurt (よう). The butcher really likes yogurt, and it really gives him energy.
Additional Info:
Imagine you are the butcher now and you’re eating this yogurt out in the sunshine. The yogurt is nice and cool, so imagine its refreshing taste on your tongue.

Question 26

階

Answer 26

Floor
story, storey
On’Yomi:
かい
Kun’Yomi:
None

Meaning Mnemonic
If you want to compare the skills of a white butcher with an Asian one, you’ll have to make the entire floor available to them. They need a ton of space to work, flinging their knives around, and such.
Additional Info:
Imagine being at this butcher competition. Hear everyone on the floor cheering as the competition to compare their butcher styles commences.

Reading Mnemonic
In a strange twist of events, the meat they must butcher is coyote (かい) meat. As the coyote meat is wheeled out onto the floor for the butchers to prepare, everyone gasps in surprise.
Additional Info:
If you’ve ever seen Iron Chef, you know what it’s like when they wheel out the special secret ingredient. Imagine that same scene, but this time, it’s coyote!