Level 17-1 Flashcards
側
Side
N/A
On’Yomi:
そく
Kun’Yomi:
がわ
Meaning Mnemonic
The clam leader has ribs on each side of his body. The other clams don’t have any ribs because they are clams. This is why the clam leader was made leader – his superior ribs.
Additional Info:
Picture this clam leader and his impressive ribs, leading the other clams to victory. It’s quite the sight.
Reading Mnemonic
This clam leader got his side ribs by being shocked with 1.21 gigawatts (がわ). One gigawatt is plenty of juice for a clam, let alone 1.21 gigawatts.
Additional Info:
Imagine this poor little clam getting jolted with 1.21 gigawatts. It’s a real shock he wasn’t electrocuted to death.
兵
Soldier
N/A
On’Yomi:
へい
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
If you set a fish on the ground and chop its fins off with an axe, you’re probably a soldier. Only soldiers have access to axes, and you like to eat fish, but first you have to set it on the ground to chop its fins off.
Additional Info:
Imagine trying to carve a fish with an axe. Probably not an easy thing to do. If you’re a trained axe soldier, you’d probably have an easier time with it. Picture yourself chopping off fins as an expert axe soldier.
Reading Mnemonic
Uh-oh, it looks like this axe soldier is actually a Nazi axe soldier. He’s raising his axe in a Nazi salute and shouting, “Heil (へい)!” But who is he heiling? The fish on the ground? What a strange soldier.
Additional Info:
Imagine a Nazi. Nobody likes Nazis. Imagine how much you dislike this Nazi soldier as he goosesteps around in a circle shouting, “Heil!”
原
Original
fundamental, plain, field
On’Yomi:
げん
Kun’Yomi:
はら
Meaning Mnemonic
A diamond is the original fundamental of a dramatic movie. They just aren’t the same without a diamond proposal scene. It’s pretty fundamental.
Additional Info:
Picture this fundamental scene in your head. It’s not so original anymore since everyone does it, but proposals happen in movies and always with diamonds. Visualize it in your mind. Are you the one receiving or presenting the diamond?
Reading Mnemonic
The current generation (げん) of moviegoers doesn’t appreciate the fundamentals like these diamond ring proposals. They were so original and awesome back in the day, but this generation just sees them as old and lame.
Additional Info:
Picture your generation. Can you see your generation getting excited over a diamond ring proposal scene in a movie? Even if it was the original one? Maybe. Imagine the indifference your generation feels towards these sorts of things.
因
Cause
N/A
On’Yomi:
いん
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
Your big mouth is the cause of all your problems. If you kept your big mouth shut, you wouldn’t cause so much trouble for yourself.
Additional Info:
Imagine all the dumb things you blabber about with your big mouth. Saying things you shouldn’t say, causing drama and stuff. Shame on you.
Reading Mnemonic
You were the cause of your best friend breaking up with his girlfriend because your big mouth stated a rumor that she was cheating on him when actually she was innocent (いん). And now you’re trying to say that you’re innocent and not to blame because you were only relating a rumor. But you’re not innocent, you’re a big mouth and you ruined their lives.
Additional Info:
Feel bad about the lives you ruin with your big mouth. You’re not innocent, you’re guilty – guilty of being a no good big mouth. Lousy.
塩
Salt
N/A
On’Yomi:
えん
Kun’Yomi:
しお
Meaning Mnemonic
On a grave lies a gun and a plate of mouths. You pick up the plate to eat, but find it quite bland. You add some salt to make it tastier.
Additional Info:
Of course, imagine eating these grave mouths. You’re a soldier lost in enemy territory, so you’ll eat what you can get.
Reading Mnemonic
You can’t believe you’re on this mission, stuck in enemy territory eating mouths with salt on them. Your commander is a lady. You think: “She owes me big time for this!”
Additional Info:
Keep saying it over and over, feeling angry at her as you do.
官
Government
N/A
On’Yomi:
かん
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
Put a helmet on a bear in a room with all the government’s problems and he’d be just about as effective at solving them as the government officials are.
Additional Info:
Imagine this bear, blinded by the helmet, bumbling around the room trying to solve all of the government’s issues. How silly he looks! Roaring and stumbling around, silly bear.
Reading Mnemonic
While the bear bumbles around inside the room, the rest of the government cheers him on shouting, “Yes, we can (かん)! Yes, we can!” I don’t think it’s working.
Additional Info:
You remember the slogan “Yes we can,” don’t you? Obama in the 2008 election - that was one of his catchphrases. Imagine this, but remember it with a blind bear with a helmet this time, trying to solve the government problems it doesn’t understand because it’s a bear.
察
Guess
N/A
On’Yomi:
さつ
Kun’Yomi:
さっ.する
Meaning Mnemonic
If a man in a helmet uses a jackhammer next to a tent of people, guess who’s going to be unhappy. The people in the tent are going to be very upset with the man in the helmet with the jackhammer. It’s not hard to guess – jackhammers are annoying.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself in the tent when the jackhammering starts. You can only guess as to why they are jackhammering so close to you. The jarring rumbling sound reverberates in your ears.
Reading Mnemonic
The gentleman in the helmet with the jackhammer didn’t guess that there’d actually be people in the tent so when he found out he’d disturbed them, he got so sad that he sat (さつ) down and cried his eyes out. The area of ground he sat on was all jagged and pointy from the previous jackhammering so that just made him cry even more.
Additional Info:
Imagine being this sad jackhammerer who just sat down with sad feelings and a sore butt. Your heart hurts, but so does your fanny.
常
Normal
ordinary
On’Yomi:
じょう
Kun’Yomi:
つね
Meaning Mnemonic
If Two Face was a Viking but had no mouth, he’d be an ordinary, normal Viking. Vikings get into a lot of battles, so it wouldn’t be so out of the ordinary for one of them to be missing a mouth or have a mangled face like Two Face. He’d fit right in.
Additional Info:
Picture Two Face as a Viking, gurgling and waving his weapon around, ravaging and pillaging the countryside. This is pretty normal behavior for a Viking, I think.
Reading Mnemonic
Two Face the no-mouth Viking’s favorite historical figure is Joseph (じょう) Stalin. Since Two Face can’t have conversations like a normal, ordinary Viking, he reads a lot and his favorite subject is communist Joe.
Additional Info:
Picture Two Face the no-mouth Viking reading a book about Joseph Stalin. Joe is his hero. It’s kind of strange for someone to idolize Joseph Stalin this much, so use that weirdness to remember this kanji.
干
Dry
dry out
On’Yomi:
かん
Kun’Yomi:
ほ.す
Meaning Mnemonic
One thing you can use antennae for is to dry / dry out your clothes.
Additional Info:
Just drape them on over!
Reading Mnemonic
You also use your antennae to dry out cans (かん). You just stick them on the ends of the wires and let them dry for a while before putting them in recycling.
Additional Info:
Eww, wet cans!
幻
Illusion
N/A
On’Yomi:
げん
Kun’Yomi:
まぼろし
Meaning Mnemonic
You hide poop in a cloak as part of your illusion routine in your magic show. Your acts are kind of gross and this one involves creating the illusion of disappearing poop by hiding it within the folds of your cloak.
Additional Info:
Imagine having poop in your cloak. It would smell bad and anyone close to you would be able to smell right through the illusion. Imagine the foul stench of feces creeping into your nostrils.
Reading Mnemonic
This is the unfortunate new generation (げん) of poop magic. In past generations, people would use bunnies or birds or playing cards and whatnot, but the poop magic generation does all their illusions with poop.
Additional Info:
Try and imagine going to a poop magic show. It would be wretched. What a terrible, smelly generation for magicians.
底
Bottom
N/A
On’Yomi:
てい
Kun’Yomi:
そこ
Meaning Mnemonic
If a duck grows a mullet that goes to the ground, the mullet goes to the bottom of the duck. A duck mullet so long that it reaches the ground is pretty long. The hairs get tangled and stick to the bottom of his duck feet.
Additional Info:
Imagine a duck, waddling around with a mullet, quacking as he waddles. This duck looks ridiculous.
Reading Mnemonic
To combat the mullet from getting tangled on the bottom of its feet, the duck puts a sock (そこ) on each foot. The socks are specially designed to resist mullet hair.
Additional Info:
Picture this duck again, only this time he’s wearing socks. What is wrong with this duck?
恋
Romance
N/A
On’Yomi:
れん
Kun’Yomi:
こい
Meaning Mnemonic
A red heart is the symbol of romance. Red hearts are very romantic and giving a red heart to your sweetheart is a great way to romance them.
Additional Info:
Imagine the joy of having your crush send you a red heart. How romantic!
Reading Mnemonic
A red heart will render (れん) you love struck with romance. Romance will render you useless in other aspects of life because all you can concentrate on is love.
Additional Info:
Imagine being dumbstruck by love and romance. It feels good to feel all the love and stuff, but you’re rendered useless in other areas of life due to your obsession with red hearts and romance stuff.
愛
Love
N/A
On’Yomi:
あい
Kun’Yomi:
あい
Meaning Mnemonic
Putting on cleats in the heart of winter and braving the harsh elements just to plant a kiss on your sweetheart’s forehead – that’s love. Sure, you could see them another day, but you need to plant this smooch on their forehead today, so you get some cleats for better grip on the winter snow and you keep thoughts of your dear in your heart as you travel to see your love.
Additional Info:
Feel the joy of love in your heart as you travel out in the winter. It’s cold outside, but the feeling of love in your heart keeps you warm. Feel this warm love emanating and heating your body.
Reading Mnemonic
Walking through the winter snows with your cleats on, you’ve gotta keep your eye (あい) on the prize. It’s a really hard journey, but you keep your eye on the prize, which is your love and the time you’ll get to spend with them.
Additional Info:
Imagine seeing your love with your own two eyes after a long time away from them. It feels great to be reunited and see eye to eye once again. Imagine this feeling.
敗
Failure
fail
On’Yomi:
はい
Kun’Yomi:
やぶ.れる
Meaning Mnemonic
A clam who doesn’t live in the winter is a failure. Any proper clam would survive through the winter, but these weak clams are failures.
Additional Info:
Imagine you’re a clam in the cold of winter. The water is freezing but you must tough it out as to not be labeled a failure.
Reading Mnemonic
The best way to survive is to not get too high (はい) in the water. Too high and you will surely freeze. Better to stay in the deeper parts where there’s not much ice about. Only a failure would go up too high.
Additional Info:
Imagine floating high atop the water as the ice forms around you, freezing you in place. It’s super cold and you’re stuck there to die. What a failure you are.
是
Absolutely
N/A
On’Yomi:
ぜ
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
The sun is correct, absolutely. The mighty sun is never wrong. It is absolutely correct, always.
Additional Info:
Imagine the sun in the sky. Its rays blind you as it corrects all of the errors you’ve made.
Reading Mnemonic
Then, a zeppelin (ぜ) flies in front of the sun, blocking it out. Absolutely, the sun cannot ignore this transgression. Therefore, the sun corrects the zeppelin’s evil ways by frying it with sunshine and bringing it to the ground.
Additional Info:
Imagine the sun being so absolutely consumed with rage that it catches a zeppelin on fire and crashes it. Feel the heat from the grounded zeppelin as it smolders.
