Level 18 Flashcards
借
Borrow
N/A
On’Yomi:
しゃく
Kun’Yomi:
か.りる
Meaning Mnemonic
Long ago, a great leader thought to borrow something precious from you. This leader did not return the thing he borrowed, and now he will pay.
Additional Info:
Think about what precious thing this leader borrowed from you so long ago. What was it? Think about how angry you are about not having the thing returned to you.
Reading Mnemonic
In your rage, you decide to find this leader, take back what’s yours, and in return, borrow the leader’s life. So you found him, grabbed him, and then threw him into a dirt shack (しゃく) where you shock him and do other terrible things to him.
Additional Info:
Come up with all the terrible things you do to this great leader in his shack. He deserves to pay.
僧
Priest
monk
On’Yomi:
そう
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A religious leader wearing a mask could be either a monk or a priest. You don’t know, their face is covered by a mask!
Additional Info:
Picture this leader in their mask. Listen to them chant prayers that reverberate throughout the building.
Reading Mnemonic
This priest or monk did not make the mask themselves. They had somebody else sew (そう) it for them. It’s a cloth mask, but they can’t sew at all, so they got someone else to take care of it for them.
Additional Info:
You were this person hired to sew the mask. Imagine yourself sewing it, with a thimble on your thumb. You prick your finger every once in a while but you’re doing a fine job. What does the mask you made look like?
句
Paragraph
N/A
On’Yomi:
く
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
The paragraph radical and the paragraph kanji are exactly the same! Yus!
Additional Info:
Reading Mnemonic
You write a paragraph of text on the greatest leader, Kublai Khan.
Additional Info:
If you don’t know who he is you should probably read up and write a paragraph on him to help you to remember this reading.
可
Possible
N/A
On’Yomi:
か
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
With a lip ring, anything is possible. Having a lip ring grants you the power to conquer any obstacle, achieve any goal. Everything becomes possible through the mystical power of a lip ring.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself getting a magical lip ring. First you have to go through the pain of having your lip pierced. Imagine yourself having a hot needle pierce your skin in order to get this lip ring. Feel the pain as the needle slides through your mouth.
Reading Mnemonic
Since anything and everything is possible with your new lip ring, you use it to get a new car (か). You go to the car dealership and ask for a free car. The manager is impressed with your lip ring and gladly hands over the keys to the latest model of your favorite car. Not bad.
Additional Info:
What car is your favorite car? Would you go through the process of having your lip pierced in order to get this car for free? Probably. Imagine driving around and joyriding in this new car. Feel the wind on your face, stinging the not quite healed pierce wound from the lip ring.
告
Announce
N/A
On’Yomi:
こく
Kun’Yomi:
つ.げる
Meaning Mnemonic
With a slide and a grave in your mouth, it’s hard to announce anything. You’re trying to announce that you finally decided on what slide to get for your grandpa before he goes in his grave, but since you’re carrying the slide (and grave) in your mouth, everyone is having trouble understanding you.
Additional Info:
Try and imagine having a slide and a grave in your mouth. You’re trying to make an announcement, but you can’t. Taste the slide and the dirt in your mouth.
Reading Mnemonic
You realize it’s pointless to announce things with dirt and a slide in your mouth. As such, you remove the slide, but the dirt from the grave is harder to get out. You crack open a Coke (こく), and wash out that grave dirt. Coke sure hits the spot.
Additional Info:
You’re super thirsty and the Coke tastes so good. Hear the crack and fizz as you open the can of Coke and taste its sweet liquidy bubbles as you drink it down, washing out that pesky grave dirt.
喫
Consume
N/A
On’Yomi:
きつ
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
A sword eating master with a big mouth can consume lots and lots of swords. This master eats swords as a profession, and he was blessed with a big mouth. This big mouth of his makes it very easy for him to consume copious amounts of swords.
Additional Info:
Picture this sword master. Imagine him eating all of these swords, consuming them into his body. Hear the clank of metal on metal as he crunches them up in his big mouth.
Reading Mnemonic
The way this sword master got his mouth was by using mouth enlarging kits (きつ). These kits stretch your mouth out so that you may consume more with each mouthful. The kits were expensive, but worth it.
Additional Info:
Imagine someone using one of these kits to stretch their mouth. Hear them mumble and try to speak as drool runs down their face. It looks disgusting, but effective.
報
News
report
On’Yomi:
ほう
Kun’Yomi:
むく.いる
Meaning Mnemonic
Sitting on a stool, you learn that the best way to stamp out happiness is by watching the news report. Every report on the news is sad and violent and filled with death which makes you very sad, stamping out your happiness.
Additional Info:
Imagine the saddest news report story you can think of and imagine watching that story while sitting on a stool. What is happening in the news report?
Reading Mnemonic
Because all happiness has been stamped out of you by this miserable news report, you decided to bury yourself in the backyard so you don’t have to ever hear such a sad story ever again. Unfortunately you are Harry Hou-dini (ほう) so you inevitably escape from your underground confinement regardless of whether or not you want to.
Additional Info:
Visualize yourself digging a hole and then throwing yourself in, burying yourself, and then magically appearing above ground again. Darn these Hou-dini genes of yours!
座
Sit
seat
On’Yomi:
ざ
Kun’Yomi:
すわ.る
Meaning Mnemonic
A person with a mullet takes a seat to sit on a grave. This mullet person doesn’t respect the dead much, so he has no qualms taking a seat on this grave.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself sitting on this grave. Feel the cold stone on the seat of your pants as the wind whips through the long locks of your flowing mullet.
Reading Mnemonic
But unexpectedly, this person with a mullet is also a wizard (ざ). The reason the wizard is resting his seat on the grave and taking the time to sit down is because he is using a spell to raise the dead. This wizard is truly nefarious.
Additional Info:
Imagine seeing this wizard in a graveyard. He’s casting magic and raising the dead. Hear the incantations he chants as the bodies rise from the ground.
弓
Bow
N/A
On’Yomi:
きゅう
Kun’Yomi:
ゆみ
Meaning Mnemonic
Take your spring and put an arrow on it. This is your bow that you’ve made. It’s an odd bow, but because there’s a sweet spring there, you can shoot your arrows really far. What a sweet bow it is.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself using a strange bow that includes a spring that you load the arrow onto it. Go ahead and try to use it to shoot something.
Reading Mnemonic
But what are you aiming your bow and arrow at? You are aiming it at a cute (きゅう) rabbit. A cute rabbit you are going to eat for dinner.
Additional Info:
You’re shooting a cute rabbit. Hear the whirr of the arrow through the air as it leaves your bow, striking the rabbit and killing it dead as it squeals in one last gasp of life.
忘
Forget
N/A
On’Yomi:
ぼう
Kun’Yomi:
わす.れる
Meaning Mnemonic
The death of a heart is not something to forget. You may try to forget a death, when the heart fails and the loved one passes away, but you can never really, truly forget.
Additional Info:
Imagine someone close to you experiencing the death of their heart. I know this is not a fun thing to imagine, but use that emotion to help you remember this kanji, not forget it.
Reading Mnemonic
The kanji for forget shares the same reading as 亡, meaning deceased (and read as bow (ぼう) like bow and arrow), which is what someone becomes when their heart dies (because they got shot with a bow) – so you can kind of link these two together. Don’t forget!
Additional Info:
Just remember to forget. Well, don’t forget this kanji – remember that it means forget. You can’t forget it just like you can’t forget the loss of a loved one. Use this to help you remember (to forget).
枚
Flat Objects Counter
flat object, counter for flat objects
On’Yomi:
まい
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
In the winter, one can use a sliced up tree as a flat objects counter. Since it’s winter, all the leaves have fallen off the tree, so it’s easy to cut into slats. These slats can be used as counters for flat objects, such as these slats.
Additional Info:
Imagine yourself counting these flat objects in winter. It’s super cold, but you have to count them. How many are there?
Reading Mnemonic
While trying to count these slats of wood, a whole bunch of mice (まい) show up and start climbing all over the tree. This will not do, so you take two slats and start smashing and flattening all the mice. Now that the mice are flat too, you can also use them as a flat objects counter. Good job, mice.
Additional Info:
Now imagine yourself counting on these mice you just smashed. They’re freshly dead, so there’s not much of a stench yet, but you still feel bad about using dead mice to help you count. Imagine yourself counting on these mice as you try to hold back tears from all the murder you just did.
汽
Steam
N/A
On’Yomi:
き
Kun’Yomi:
None
Meaning Mnemonic
The water from a tsunami can create a lot of energy when made into steam. Steam power used to be all the rage back in the day. Steam comes from water, water comes from tsunamis, so logically, tsunamis are a great source of energy.
Additional Info:
Imagine how much steam a tsunami could create. Hear the steam hissing off of the water and feel the moisture from the steam washing over your body.
Reading Mnemonic
In order to contain this steam energy and store it for later, you lock it up in a box with a key (き). That way the energy can be used at a later time. Provided you don’t lose the key, that is.
Additional Info:
Steam is very light, so carrying this box of steam energy will be no problem. Picture yourself wandering about with a box of steam in one hand and a key in the other.
洗
Wash
N/A
On’Yomi:
せん
Kun’Yomi:
あら.う
Meaning Mnemonic
The previous tsunami gave everything in this town a good wash. There are many Laundromats in this town so when the previous tsunami hit, all of the detergent mixed with the water and gave everything a good wash.
Additional Info:
Imagine this soapy tsunami, washing all the things in town. Hear the soapy waves bubbling with cleanliness as they crash down around you.
Reading Mnemonic
All the Laundromats in town are owned by centaurs (せん), and they got a good wash as well. Being half horse, centaurs have a lot of hair that needs washing. Luckily, the soap tsunami gave them a good wash too.
Additional Info:
Imagine these centaurs frolicking around in the aftermath of the previous tsunami. It’s just like a big bathtub for them. Hear them splashing and neighing in the water.
焼
Bake
cook, burn
On’Yomi:
しょう
Kun’Yomi:
や
Meaning Mnemonic
A gambler sets fire to his home in order to bake some goods and cook a turkey. Setting his house on fire isn’t exactly the brightest idea, but the gambler is taking a gamble that the things he baked and cooked in the fire will offset the cost of a new home.
This kanji also means burn, because when you cook or bake something for too long, that’s exactly what it does.
Additional Info:
Feel the fiery flames around you as you smell the smell of baked goods and cooked meat in your nostrils.
Reading Mnemonic
This gambler used to play for the New York Yankees (や). He had a pitching injury, developed a gambling problem, and also took up some hobbies to bake and cook. Certainly a departure from his time with the Yankees.
Additional Info:
Imagine this guy running around cooking in the fire of his home, only this time with a Yankees hat and jersey on. He doesn’t play for them anymore, but he still loves the team.
煙
Smoke
N/A
On’Yomi:
えん
Kun’Yomi:
けむ.り
Meaning Mnemonic
There’s a fire off to the west creating a lot of new graves (from all the burnings, sad!). To find this place where the fire is burning in the west you can follow the smoke.
Additional Info:
Picture this large plume of smoke billowing out from the west. You can hear the crackle of the fire as the smoke approaches you and gets into your lungs. Imagine breathing in this smoke. It’s making you cough.
Reading Mnemonic
Soon you realize that this westernish fire is coming from the library. A fire spells the end (えん) for a library. All those books are on fire and the paper is burning. No one will ever read these books to their end. It’s the end of this library. The fire has consumed it. All that’s left is smoke.
Additional Info:
Imagine this library on fire with all the smoke pouring out from it. Your favorite book was in there and now you’ll never be able to read it to the end again. Imagine how sad you feel about losing your favorite book as the smoke continues to pour into your lungs, choking you up.
