Level 12-2 Flashcards
勉
Exertion
N/A
On’Yomi:
べん
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
You’ll have to excuse me, having all this power puts a lot of strain and exertion on my body. My power comes from exertion of muscle, so please excuse me if I start to perspire.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself under great exertion. You’re attempting to use your power to move something and it’s really requiring a lot of exertion to move. Picture yourself doing this action and imagine how difficult it is.
Reading Mnemonic
Excuse me, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet. My name is Ben (べん) and I use powerful muscle exertion to accomplish every task. Ben knows what Ben wants and how to get it. Remember that, kids.
Additional Info:
Picture this Ben in your head. Ben always uses lots of exertion to do tasks. Imagine him using an unnecessary amount of power and exertion in carrying out normal everyday tasks.
庭
Garden
N/A
On’Yomi:
てい
Kun’Yomi:
にわ
Meaning Mnemonic
If Big Bird had a mullet, he’d be king of the garden. Right now, no one in the garden respects Big Bird because he lacks a manly mullet. If only Big Bird had such a mullet, everyone in the garden would adore him and make Big Bird their king.
Additional Info:
Picture Big Bird. Now picture Big Bird with a mullet and a kingly crown sitting atop a lavish throne in a garden. Picture yourself in King Big Bird’s presence, bowing before him in respect.
Reading Mnemonic
And of course the best way to celebrate Big Bird’s ascension to the garden throne is with a huge and awesome party (てい). Ever since he acquired that mullet, King Big Bird has loved to party. He wants to party every day of the week!
Additional Info:
Picture this version of Big Bird out in the club getting his party rock on. Imagine King Big Bird partying hard ‘til the break of dawn, dancing, drinking, and rocking out royally.
悪
Bad
evil
On’Yomi:
あく
Kun’Yomi:
わる.い
Meaning Mnemonic
Having a tie fighter where your heart should be is a bad thing. A tie fighter can’t perform the same functions as a heart! Tie fighters are meant for battle, not pumping blood through bodies. Tie fighters are good for fighting, bad for sustaining blood flow.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself with a tie fighter where you heart should be. You’d be in a lot of pain and you’d slowly die. Imagine this happening to you. What a bad way to go.
Reading Mnemonic
To try and get your blood moving properly again, you decide to try acupuncture (あく). You’ve heard things about acupuncture being good for the blood flow and the heart and such, so you decide to give it a go. Bad choice.
Additional Info:
The acupuncture doesn’t help at all. It’s bad news. The needles just hurt. Imagine not having a heart and then someone stabs you with a bunch of little needles. You’re in a world of pain and your whole body is on fire.
悲
Sad
N/A
On’Yomi:
ひ
Kun’Yomi:
かな
Meaning Mnemonic
When you experience injustice, it makes your heart sad. Your heart has no tolerance for injustice, so you get really sad when you see injustices in the world.
Additional Info:
Imagine all the injustices in the world and how they make you feel. Hunger, famine, oppression. They all probably make you feel sad and have a heavy heart. Remember these feelings.
Reading Mnemonic
You’re learning kanji right now, right? What makes you the most sad about kanji? It’s the use of kana (かな). Don’t use kana if you’re learning kanji, what’s the point, right? Also, if there’s kana attached to a kanji, you know it’s probably some weird reading. Once again, sad. Everything about kana makes me sad, what about you?
Additional Info:
Imagine feeling ridiculously sad about kana. Look at some kana and sigh, making yourself feel a little depressed about it and what it stands for. Kanji is so beautiful, why muck it up with ugly easy to read kana? SAD.
旅
Trip
travel
On’Yomi:
りょ
Kun’Yomi:
たび
Meaning Mnemonic
If your friendly neighborhood tofu takes a gun and points it in your direction, you might want to take a trip. This tofu obviously has something wrong with it. If it’s taking a gun and pointing it in your direction, now’s probably a good time to get away and take that trip you’d been talking about.
Additional Info:
Imagine this menacing block of tofu threatening you with a gun. Guns are scary so you want to get away. Use images of your trip to make the thoughts of the big bad tofu and his gun fade away.
Reading Mnemonic
Upon closer inspection, you notice some salmon roe (りょ) atop the tofu’s head. It looks like the roe is actually controlling the tofu and making it act like this. Well, either way, you’re still taking that trip. Roe or not, you need to get out of here.
Additional Info:
While departing on your trip, wonder about what the salmon roe could be hoping to accomplish by controlling the tofu? Roe rights? Anarchy? Reform? Who knows what motivates roe?
暑
Hot
hot weather
On’Yomi:
しょ
Kun’Yomi:
あつ
Meaning Mnemonic
When someone goes out in the sun, they get hot. That’s just how it is. Someone standing out in the sun for a long time will inevitably get hot. The sun is hot, and it makes you get hot too.
Additional Info:
Imagine you are this someone, standing out in the hot sun. Feel the sun’s hot rays beating down on you as you stand outside. The hot sun makes you start to sweat and you get all sweaty and sticky from the heat. Note that this usually refers to the hot weather or the heat of an area you’re in and doesn’t refer to a hot “thing.”
Reading Mnemonic
You need to get out of this hot sun and into some air conditioning. Then you remember there’s a great air conditioning unit at Suzie’s (あつ) house. Ah, Suzie – our savior! If you need me, I’ll be at Suzie’s place.
Additional Info:
Imagine that great feeling when you go from hot and sticky outside to nice and air conditioned outside. Feel the heat transition on your skin as you step into an air conditioned room at Suzie’s. It gives you goose bumps.
期
Period Of Time
time period
On’Yomi:
き
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A crab left on the moon for a period of time will surely die. Crabs aren’t meant for the moon, let alone outer space. Why would you take a crab to the moon? You take it outside the spaceship for any period of time and it will surely die.
Additional Info:
I’m sure you’ve seen movies where people go out in space with no spacesuit. Now imagine this happening to the poor crab. It only takes a small period of time for the dark reaches of space to kill him.
Reading Mnemonic
In order for this crab to live on the moon for any period of time, you’re going to need to put him in a special moon aquarium and lock the lid with a key (き). This crab is crafty, so after you lock it, take the key with you and don’t let it out of your sight for any period of time. This crab knows how to use a key.
Additional Info:
Imagine this crab floating around in an aquarium half filled with water in little to no gravity. The water is floating all about and the crab is confused as can be. He just wants the key so he can get out of this crazy moon box and back to the real ocean where he belongs.
祭
Festival
N/A
On’Yomi:
さい
Kun’Yomi:
まつり
Meaning Mnemonic
If you try to use a jackhammer outside of a tent at a festival, you’re gonna have a bad time. Those people in the tent are camping overnight in preparation for the festival and trying to sleep. You turn on that jackhammer of yours and they are not going to be happy with you.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself sleeping peacefully in a tent. Now imagine being rudely awakened by the sound of a jackhammer. Feel the vibrations and the noise pounding in your ears. It’s super annoying.
Reading Mnemonic
While at the festival, a guy named Matt has to go to the bathroom. Matt’s urine (まつり) has been filling up his bladder ever since he began drinking that 64oz cup of soda. Matt’s urine is ready to bust out at any moment. He really has to go to the bathroom.
Additional Info:
Imagine this is you. You are Matt and you’re trying to keep Matt’s urine from spilling out and getting Matt’s pants all wet and creating a very embarrassing moment for Matt. Picture yourself doing the bathroom dance and doing all you can to hold it in.
第
Ordinal Number Prefix
ordinal prefix, number
On’Yomi:
だい
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
The younger bamboo comes 2nd in line, no ordinal number prefix needed. In English, there is no ordinal number prefix with numbers like this 1st, 2nd, 3rd. So the younger bamboo comes 2nd after the older bamboo and that’s that.
Additional Info:
Imagine a line of bamboo shoots arranged from oldest to youngest. They look like pipe organ pipes, or a xylophone or something.
Reading Mnemonic
When you roll die (だい), you’ll end up with a number, 2 through 12. Normal numbers like these (the kind obtained from rolling die) aren’t ordinal numbers, so there’s no need for an ordinal number prefix.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself throwing die on top of these bamboo shoots. Hear the plop and scatter of the die as they roll about.
都
Metropolis
N/A
On’Yomi:
と
Kun’Yomi:
みやこ
Meaning Mnemonic
Someone has to be a butcher in this metropolis. The metropolis is really big, so someone amongst the inhabitants must hold the profession of butcher, right?
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself looking for a butcher in a sprawling metropolis. What qualities would you look for in someone that might lead you to believe they were a butcher?
Reading Mnemonic
You find a butcher in this metropolis (after looking around FOREVER) and you go inside his shop. You fall to the floor. In every fridge and hanging from the ceiling are rows and rows of toes (と). Then the butcher offers you one as a sample.
Additional Info:
You put the toe in your mouth. Oh my, the nail is still on. What kind of metropolis is this? You’re never coming here again, if this is how they eat meat in this part of the world.
野
Field
N/A
On’Yomi:
や
Kun’Yomi:
の
Meaning Mnemonic
You’re at a game but you picked a sunflower beforehand to give to a player on the field. The player on the field is your favorite, so you think he deserves a sunflower.
Additional Info:
Imagine the look on this guy’s face when you give him the sunflower you picked beforehand. He’s so happy that he starts running all over the field cheering!
Reading Mnemonic
This field is where the Yankees (や) play! The player you game the sunflower to is a famous Yankees baseball player.
Additional Info:
Imagine being on the field and handing the sunflower to this guy wearing a Yankees uniform. As you see him running around the field, listen to all of the Yankees fans cheering.
