n3 reading Flashcards
難しい
難 difficult (from China (radical)) + (turkey) ★★★★★ 18 strokes Onyomi NAN Baking NAN bread correctly is difficult.
Mnemonic
Catching turkeys from China is difficult.
顔
立 (stand up) + (cliff) + (hair) + (headright) Same-ON
18 strokes
This is an odd kanji because, although it has a bunch of jukugo, it uses the KUN in all of them!
Onyomi
Mnemonic
You stand on a cliff, the hair from your head blowing into your face.
生
生 life / birth 主 (master/mainly) + (rifle) ★★★★★ 5 strokes DUPEPNSTRONG Onyomi SEI, SHOU If you can SAY something, it SHOWS you're alive.
Mnemonic
The master gave you life, and the master can take your life away with the rifle
懸
懸 suspend / gamble
県 (prefecture) Same-ON + 系 (group, tribe) + (bottomheart)
Onyomi
KEN
Mnemonic
I would bet my heart that we’ll find the lost tribe in this prefecture!
Kunyomi
( を ) か＊ける literally, to hang or suspend something. But since usually Japanese use the 掛 kanji to mean hang, 懸 is more often used figuratively: meaning, to gamble or stake something. One’s life, one’s heart, one’s money, etc.
★★☆☆☆
( が ) か＊かる it is hanging / it depends on xxx. Perhaps more accurately, “XXX is at stake.”
★★☆☆☆
命
令 (command) + 口 (mouth/small box radical)
Onyomi
MEI
You MAY learn kanji if you study your whole life.
Mnemonic
“Your money or your life!” he commanded with his mouth.
険
steep / risky (town) + (risk) Same-ON Onyomi KEN Mnemonic It's risky to build a town on such a steep hill.
Kunyomi
けわ*しい a steep hill, or a very grim situation (but mostly a steep hill).
★★☆☆☆
表
表 express
主 (master/mainly) + (kick in the nuts)
Mnemonic
HE’S YOUR master, and you express that by kicking his nuts (in a respectful manner).
Kunyomi
おもて FRONT surface- used only about things that have a front-and-back. (opposite: 裏 うら） . Usually used about 2-dimensional things (paper, walls) but can also be used with the ol’ tatemae/honne.
★★★☆☆
( を ) あらわ＊す to indicate something intentionally, but through symbols rather than words( he expressed his displeasure by flinging feces at the prison correction officer) (the shadow of the sundial indicates the time) KANA
★★★☆☆
Jukugo
情
情 emotion (leftheart) + 青 (blue) Onyomi JOU Mnemonic Q: What emotion are you feeling ?
A: My heart is blue ever since JOE Stalin left me.
Kunyomi
なさ＊け mercy (usually used in the negative!)
★★☆☆☆
Jukugo
感情かんじょう
a feeling, an emotion ★★★★★
感 (feeling) + 情 (emotion) = 感情 (a feeling, an emotion)
事情じじょう
circumstances ★★☆☆☆
事 (action/ incident) + 情 (emotion) = 事情 (circumstances)
circumstances. A euphemism for ‘bad situation’: crushing debt, mother is a prostitute, etc, in trouble with the mob, etc.
彼女、事情がありそうね。 (She looks like she comes from Circumstances, doesn’t she?)
事情 also differs from other ‘situation’ words because it emphasizes the circumstances behind a person’s actions. (i.e. the boss says, ‘You were late to work again, but if you explain your situation, I might not punish you.’)
愛情あいじょう
affection : more than friendship and less than love. ★☆☆☆☆
愛 (love) + 情 (emotion) = 愛情 (affection : more than friendship and less than love.)
表情ひょうじょう
facial expression ☆☆☆☆☆
表 (express) + 情 (emotion) = 表情 (facial expression)
facial expression - although most people say “XXXの顔をした” （ｘｘｘのかおをした）, meaning “She made an xxx-face.”
感情かんじょう
感情かんじょう
情 emotion
(leftheart) + 青 (blue)
Onyomi
JOU
Mnemonic
Q: What emotion are you feeling ?
A: My heart is blue ever since JOE Stalin left me.
額
半額
月額
額 amount of money / forehead
客 (customer) + (headright)
JERK- literally it means forehead, but as a jukugo it is a SUFFIX which means “amount of money.”
Onyomi
GAKU
I got a fever, so I GOTTA COOL my forehead down with an ice pack.
Mnemonic
Each customer’s Head has a forehead (which we can polish for an amount of money) (forehead polishers Inc. - hot stock tip)
汗
汗 sweat
(waterleft) + 干 (dry out) Same-ON
Onyomi
KAN
you don’t need to learn the onyomi.
Mnemonic
After a long day of pillage, Genghis KHAN sweat so much he lost water and became dried out.
When you sweat your clothes become soaked with water, prompting you to hang them to dry on a clothesline.
Kunyomi
あせ sweat - (to sweat = 汗をかく)
★★★★☆
偉
偉 high-powered, prestigious
(personleft) + (orgy) Same-ON
Onyomi
I
I am very prestigious within the world of Yo Mama Joke-driven educational websites full of basic spelling errors.
Mnemonic
The person who organized this orgy was prestigious.
Kunyomi
えら*い great, outstanding. As in ‘a great painting’ or ‘a great show.’(p> It also means upper-class. Like ‘We can’t park in that parking spot - it’s for erai people.’ A regular doctor is not erai, but the head surgeon of the hospital is erai. That kind of thing.
★★★☆☆
えら＊そう (literally, “Prestigious, isn’t he?”) someone who thinks they’re all that SARC
★★☆☆☆
Jukugo
偉人いじん
great ★☆☆☆☆
偉 (high-powered, prestigious) + 人 (person) = 偉人 (great)
. . .in the sense of ‘historically great’, ‘history-making’, ‘most famous’, rather than the sense of ‘nice’ or ‘wonderful.’ (Recall Louis Farrakhan’s wonderful non-apology for calling Hitler a ‘wickedly great man’: “Hey, White people! You’re the ones who forced me to learn your language, and now I speak it better than you! You can’t even be bothered to open a dictionary and learn your own language, so who are you to judge me?”
面
front surface / face
mask with 100 eyes.
成績
成績, せいせき
results, record, grades, marks
績
績 achievements
糸 (string) + 責 (condemn) Same-ON
Onyomi
SEKI
Mnemonic
The sadist was condemned by the preacher for the SEXY bondage she achieved with string.
Jukugo
功績こうせき
achievement ★☆☆☆☆
功 (success) + 績 (achievements) = 功績 (achievement)
an achievement or good deed
成績せいせき
ranking ★☆☆☆☆
成 (become) + 績 (achievements) = 成績 (ranking)
ranking of the results of a competition （i,e, the results of a test, a race, or when a hostess bar posts the framed pictures of their #1,2,and 3 earners outside the club on the marquee!)
科
科 science
(wheat) + (spice rack)
Onyomi
KA
Mnemonic
Thanks to science, we now have a CAR that runs on wheat and spices!
Jukugo
教科書きょうかしょ
textbook ★★★★☆
教 (teach) + 科 (science) + 書 (write) = 教科書 (textbook)
科学かがく
science ★★★☆☆
科 (science) + 学 (knowledge) = 科学 (science)
科学者かがくしゃ
scientist ★★☆☆☆
科学 (science) + 者 (professional) = 科学者 (scientist)
Meaning Hint Radical
科 science WHEAT
料 ingredients / fees RICE
Scientists study WHEAT, then use RICE ingredients for something to eat.
誰
誰 who??
言 (say) + (turkey)
Onyomi
Mnemonic
Who said that was my turkey?
Kunyomi だれ who??? ★★★★☆ Jukugo 誰かだれか someone ★★★★☆
someone (related word: 誰かさん＝ Old What’s-His-Face)
負
負 lose
(fishhook) + 貝 (shellfish/money)
Onyomi
FU
Mnemonic
That is FUCKED : I bet all my money I could hook a fish today and I lost.
Kunyomi ( ｘｘｘの ) ま＊け that's (Someone's) loss ★★★★★ ( を or に ) ま＊ける lose a game or fight or struggle. This can be used 2 different ways, which I'll elaborate on because I have time: If you lose a game: Game WO maketa If you lose TO Jerry: Jerry NI maketa ★★★★★
議
議 discussion
言 (say) + 義 (righteousness) Same-ON
Onyomi
GI
Mnemonic
I will say something righteous during the discussion
Jukugo
会議かいぎ
a conference ★★★☆☆
会 (big meeting) + 議 (discussion) = 会議 (a conference)
議論ぎろん
argument ★★☆☆☆
議 (discussion) + 論 (make a case for) = 議論 (argument)
not quite an argument, but definitely a spirited loud discussion.
思
思 think 田 (rice field) + (bottomheart) ★★★★★ 9 strokes Onyomi SHI Mnemonic SHE's so into rice, when she thinks about a paddy, her heart starts racing.
際
際 edge (town) + 祭 (festival) Same-ON Onyomi SAI Mnemonic The festival of SIGHs is on the edge of town, over there.
Kunyomi ( xxx ) きわ SUFFIX attatched to a place or thing , meaning 'close to' or 'on the border or edge of' something- usually used with locations: 'I'm standing on the edge of the ocean, where it meets the shore.' It is pronounced GIWA. SUF ★☆☆☆☆ Jukugo 実際じっさい に in fact ★★★★☆ 実 (truth) + 際 (edge) = 実際 (in fact)
in fact. (as in, ‘You think you’re Samoan, but in fact, you’re adopted.’)
Also has the nuance of ‘in practice’, as opposed to ‘in theory.’
ｘｘｘの 際さい にYYY
at the time of xxx ★★☆☆☆
“at the time of XXX, do YYY” .. . As in, ‘As long as you’re going to the kitchen, get me some pretzels, you crazy broad.’
遅
遅 slow / late
(motion) + (corpse) + 羊 (sheep)
Onyomi
CHI
Dinner was ok but our CHEESE fondue was hella late.
Mnemonic
You move slow like a corpse tied to the back of a sheep. And the corpse is hella fat.
Kunyomi おそ*い to be slow moving / to be late ★★★★★ ( が ) おく＊れる to be late ☆☆☆☆☆ Jukugo 遅刻ちこく する arrive late ★★☆☆☆ 遅 (slow / late) + 刻 (engrave) = 遅刻 (arrive late )
to arrive late for school or work.
嫌
嫌 eww!!
女 (woman) + 兼 (double-duty) Same-ON ★★★★★ 13 strokes Onyomi KEN Mnemonic The woman hated doing double-duty. She wanted a monogamous relationship.
Kunyomi
いや ( だ！！ ) Ewww! No way!(what YOU say in conversation) 1/2 KANA KIDS
★★★★☆
いや＊がる Use this word when telling about how SOMEONE ELSE had a bad reaction to something: “He was like, eww!” (彼は嫌がった！）
★★★☆☆
きら＊い the most common word for hate 1/2 KANA
★★★☆☆
Jukugo
機嫌きげん
mood ★★☆☆☆
機 (machine) + 嫌 (eww!!) = 機嫌 (mood)
mood (bad mood: 不機嫌!)
嫌味:いやみ
hurtful speech ★★☆☆☆ KUNKUN
嫌 (eww!!) + 味 (flavor) = 嫌味 (hurtful speech)
a very general term for any kind of hurtful speech - from sarcasm or snarky comments, mean-spirited arguments, to outright belligerence.
兼
兼 double-duty 美 (beauty) + (brush/fork) + ??? (???) ★☆☆☆☆ 10 strokes STRONG Onyomi KEN KENNY does double-duty as a . . . . I got nothing.
Mnemonic
What the hell! This doesn’t look like anything! It kiiiiind of looks like beautiful (美) but split in half, and the two halves are being stabbed with a fork. So the fork does double-duty: it can help you eat salad, or it can help you cut a beautiful person in half.
Kunyomi
( xxx と ｙｙｙ を ) か*ねる to combine ｘｘｘ and ｙｙｙ, to double as (i.e. she’s a maid who doubles as a bodyguard)
★☆☆☆☆
Jukugo
兼業けんぎょう
moonlighting. ★★☆☆☆
兼 (double-duty) + 業 (business) = 兼業 (moonlighting. )
a second-job. moonlighting.
AB 兼用けんよう
use as A and B ☆☆☆☆☆
兼 (double-duty) + 用 (utilize) = 兼用 (use as A and B)
to use something both as A and B.
