Level 14-1 Flashcards
例
Example
N/A
On’Yomi:
れい
Kun’Yomi:
たと
Meaning Mnemonic
A leader with bad ribs sets a poor example for his men to follow. The men, wanting to be like their leader, follow his example and also acquire bad ribs. Now everyone has bad ribs. Way to go, Mr. Leader.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself following this bad leader’s example. Break your own ribs and make them bad like his. Feel your bones crack as you inflict this injury upon yourself.
Reading Mnemonic
Another example of something this bad leader does is use his death ray (れい) to kill innocent people. This leader is a bad guy. He has a death ray that he uses for murder. The ray kills all it touches.
Additional Info:
Picture this ray, for example. Imagine a scene of all these innocents being wiped out by this death ray. So many lives wiped out in an instant. It’s very sad.
卒
Graduate
N/A
On’Yomi:
そつ
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A person puts a lid on their cross after they graduate. It’s a symbolic gesture, putting the lid over the cross, but it’s just what you do when you graduate around these parts.
Additional Info:
Imagine a wooden cross and picture yourself putting a lid over it. Visualize this motion in your mind and imagine having to do something like this at your graduation.
Reading Mnemonic
Oops, looks like you forgot your lid. Without the lid, you’ll be held back. So two (そつ) more years now until you can graduate. So two more years, eh? Just for forgetting a lid? Nonsense!
Additional Info:
Imagine being held back two more years from graduation. You’d lose all your motivation. Imagine how lousy this would be.
協
Cooperation
N/A
On’Yomi:
きょう
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
Under the cross we combine our power into one so that we may have cooperation with each other to defeat our mutual enemy!
Additional Info:
Probably some kind of crusade thing going on here. Just imagine the powers combining together to become a greater power. A power of cooperation!
Reading Mnemonic
The source of this lack of cooperation is Kyoto (きょう), Japan. Someone rebelled against those in power and crossed the government. This Kyoto man believes that cooperation will be the downfall of mankind!
Additional Info:
Imagine you are this person in Kyoto and picture yourself trying to convince everyone to cooperate with you in not cooperating with those in power. Imagine yourself talking to everyone else in Kyoto and trying to spread the word.
参
Participate
N/A
On’Yomi:
さん
Kun’Yomi:
まい.る
Meaning Mnemonic
If you have a pile of big hair atop your head, you can participate in the big hair competition.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself as one of the guys from a hair metal band. They have big hair. If you participated in a big hair contest like this, you’d certainly win. Picture yourself winning the big hair contest with your big hair. Feel it move as the air blows through it.
Reading Mnemonic
You know, under that red hat of his, Santa (さん) has a pile of big hair. He could participate in a big hair contest and easily win, but Santa thinks that would be unfair to the rest of the participants.
Additional Info:
Imagine Santa with a big pile of hair metal hair atop his head. Now imagine Santa shredding the guitar, waving his big hair around and shouting, “Ho, ho hooOoooOOOOo~!” like the hardcore metalist he is.
周
Circumference
N/A
On’Yomi:
しゅう
Kun’Yomi:
まわ.り
Meaning Mnemonic
A ghost can fit through anything, regardless of its circumference. Ghosts pass through all objects so it doesn’t really matter what the circumference is since the ghost will just pass through it anyway.
Additional Info:
Picture a ghost pouring in through a window with a small circumference. You wouldn’t be able to squeeze through that window, but the ghost passes through just fine. It’s creepy.
Reading Mnemonic
While this ghost can pass through anything regardless of the circumference, there is one place it cannot access. The afterlife. This ghost can’t access the afterlife because it was a shooter (しゅう), and killed many people for money. The ghost needs to pay for these sins, so it must wander the earth for many years until it has been forgiven for all of its violent shootings.
Additional Info:
Now see this ghost passing through things, only this time it’s carrying a gun and crying. It has to carry the gun to remind it of its old ways and it is crying because it just wants to move on. The ghost is very sorry for shooting so many people, and it just wants forgiveness. How sad this ghost is. Feel sorry for it.
固
Hard
N/A
On’Yomi:
こ
Kun’Yomi:
かた.い
Meaning Mnemonic
Your mouth is old. Give it a feel. You touch it and it’s so hard, like stone.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself touching your stone hard mouth. You try to move it, but it crackles and doesn’t budge. This is what happens when you get old: A hard mouth.
Reading Mnemonic
You touch your hard mouth and think: Wouldn’t it be great to be a 子 (こ) again and not have this old hard mouth?
Additional Info:
Sigh and think back to your childhood when your mouth was nice and soft. Back when you were a 子…
基
Foundation
N/A
On’Yomi:
き
Kun’Yomi:
もと
Meaning Mnemonic
A crab grave has become the foundation for a seaside hut. It’s right on the seashore, where all the crabs washed up after they died so it’s become a grave. But now that area of the beach is a foundation for a new house.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself living in this house that was founded on an area that used to be a crab grave. Hear the sound of the ocean waves breaking on the beach. You can smell the fresh seaside air. And also the dead bodies of crabs.
Reading Mnemonic
You need a key (き) to get into this house with its foundation on the beach. The beach area is very popular so you are afraid of thieves. You wear the key around your neck so you don’t lose it.
Additional Info:
Imagine having this key around your neck. You can feel it everytime you take a step. Feel the cold metal of the key on your bare skin and know that your beach house is safe and secure.
妥
Gentle
N/A
On’Yomi:
だ
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
If you wear cleats and walk on a woman, you must be very gentle. Cleats are sharp and pointy, and not designed for walking on women, so you need to be especially gentle here.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself as this woman, having cleats on your back as someone walks across you. Repeat to yourself over and over, “Be gentle, be gentle…” Say it aloud for added effect.
Reading Mnemonic
Actually, the person walking across the woman’s back is her daddy (だ). Her dad is not a gentle dad, and whenever the woman annoys him, the dad smacks her up. She cries, “Daddy, no - be gentle!” but it’s no use. This dad is not a gentle dad.
Additional Info:
Picture this poor gentle girl getting beat up by her not at all gentle daddy. It’s a terrible thing to think about, but the strong emotions will help you remember this kanji.
季
Seasons
N/A
On’Yomi:
き
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A child watching a pine tree will have trouble observing the seasons change. Through the seasons, pines look largely the same, so it would be hard for a child to tell what season it was by looking at a pine.
Additional Info:
Maybe you have a pine tree in your yard. Remember how it stays the same throughout the seasons? Imagine smelling the pine of a Christmas tree, feeling the pine needles in your hands and stepping on pine needles with your bare feet. You can do this in all the seasons of the year.
Reading Mnemonic
The key (き) to pines staying the same throughout the seasons is their needles. This is key. They have needles instead of leaves, which is key to their survival.
Additional Info:
Imagine looking at one of these needles. The key to the pine’s survival. The needle is jabbed into your finger, you’re bleeding. It hurts. But this dastardly needle is what keeps the pine in shape all season so you respect it. Even though it has damaged you.
完
Perfect
N/A
On’Yomi:
かん
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A helmet is the origin of a perfect soldier. No soldier is perfect without his helmet. The helmet is the origin of all things perfect in a soldier.
Additional Info:
Picture this perfect helmet as the origin of this soldier. See the pristine helmet shining in the sun. It is magnificent.
Reading Mnemonic
This perfect soldier and his helmet will be the perfect weapon to use against Genghis Khan (かん) in the next battle. Genghis Khan is deathly afraid of soldiers with perfect helmets.
Additional Info:
Imagine this perfect helmet soldier getting into a scuffle with Genghis Khan. Hear the grunts of the great Khan as his weapons smash against the helmet and ding off. It’s a fantastic battle.
希
Wish
N/A
On’Yomi:
き
Kun’Yomi:
まれ
Meaning Mnemonic
Two Face and a narwhal find a treasure with a genie that will grant them one wish between the two of them. Having a wish granted is certainly something to treasure, but will Two Face and the narwhal be able to agree on a wish?
Additional Info:
Imagine what sort of things Two Face and a narwhal would wish for. What would you wish for if you only had one wish?
Reading Mnemonic
To open this treasure box where the wish granting genie was, the narwhal and Two Face used a key (き). The treasure was locked, so a key was necessary to open it.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself using the key to open this chest. Feel the cold metal pressed into your hand as you turn the key in the lock and hear the clicking of gears and the popping of the latch when it’s finally unlocked.
性
Gender
nature
On’Yomi:
せい, しょう
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A fish stick goes through life without gender. Is that fish stick you’re eating made from a fish of the female gender? The male gender? Both genders? You have no idea. Such is the life of a fish stick.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself eating a fish stick. It’s all crunchy and fish like. Taste the fish taste on your tongue. Do fish of different genders taste different? Probably not, but it’s something to think about while you eat your fish stick.
This can also mean nature as well.
Reading Mnemonic
When suddenly, a wild Hard Gay appears! “Sei (せい), sei, sei!” he shouts. “I’m of the male gender and I also like men! Hard Gay desu!” Looks like Hard Gay is hitting on the shogun (しょう). I forgot to mention that you’re sharing the fish sticks with the shogun. Apparently Hard Gay has a thing for the Shogun. Just continue to eat your fish stick and try to ignore Hard Gay.
Additional Info:
Hard Gay says, “Sei, sei, sei.” Hard Gay is male and likes men. Gay people like people of the same gender. This one’s pretty easy to remember!
技
Skill
N/A
On’Yomi:
ぎ
Kun’Yomi:
わざ
Meaning Mnemonic
Becoming proficient at hitting a frog with a nailbat is a skill that doesn’t take much practice to master. Nailbats are deadly weapons, and frogs aren’t very fast. It doesn’t take much skill to hit a frog with a nailbat.
Additional Info:
Pretend your best skill is hitting frogs with a nailbat. Imagine yourself hitting a frog with a nailbat. Using your skill, you smash the frog with your nailbat and guts come flying back, spraying onto your face. It’s disgusting.
Reading Mnemonic
Perhaps a method more effective than a nailbat would be a guillotine (ぎ). Guillotines don’t take much skill to use either, so it would be an effective method of controlling the frog population.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself in charge of dropping the guillotine. Would you be able to do it? Listen to the whistle in the air as the blade comes crashing down.
折
Fold
bend
On’Yomi:
せつ
Kun’Yomi:
お.る
Meaning Mnemonic
If you hit a nailbat enough with an axe, it will fold. It’s entirely possible to use an axe to fold a nailbat in half. You just have to know what you’re doing.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself using this axe to get this nailbat to fold. Feel the axe handle in your hands are you swing it down. Chop, chop, chop.
Reading Mnemonic
Once the person hitting the nailbat believes enough of a fold has been achieved, he sets (せつ) it onto a table for further inspection. He sets it on the table because the lighting is best in that area.
Additional Info:
Picture yourself as the one picking up the nailbat to set it on the table. Feel the wood grain on the bat as you be sure to avoid the nails sticking out. You get a splinter from the wood. It hurts your hand, so you set it back on the ground. Should have been more careful.
望
Hope
N/A
On’Yomi:
ぼう
Kun’Yomi:
のぞ.む
Meaning Mnemonic
Causing death at every turn, the moon king sits inside his moon, getting ready to cause death on anything in his sights. Sounds a lot like the death star from a certain movie. One of which is “Star Wars: A New Hope.”
Additional Info:
Now picture the death moon king as the Emperor, sitting in his death star. There is no hope, except for that little opening you can shoot through to destroy the whole thing. That’s hope, I guess!
Reading Mnemonic
The odd thing about this version of Star Wars: A New Hope, though, is that instead of shooting a laser, the death star (moon) uses a huge bow (ぼう) and arrow. Arms come out of the death moon and out it draws its bow.
Additional Info:
Imagine the moon unfurling to shoot its bow. Watch out, Endor!
