Nature, environment, natural science, politics Flashcards
泥
どろ
mud, thief, slush, mire
Primitives: water + flag + spoon (“sitting on the ground”)
汚る
よごる
be stained, get dirty, get polluted
地球温暖化
ちきゅうおんだんか
global warming
地球: planet earth, 温暖: warmth, 化: -ification, the action of making something, first character in the word for chemistry: 化学
覆う
おおう
cover, hide, conceal, disguise
土
つち
soil
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH 士, warrior! Basically a primitive itself, maybe a pictograph of a mound of soil on the ground.
遅刻
ちこく
coming late
遅, late + 刻, time, occasion, opportunity
汚染
おせん
pollution
汚: associated with dirt, pollution; by itself, weirdly, oceanic whitetip shark, 染: associated with dyeing, oozing, seeping into, penetrating, spreading
図書館
としょかん
library
図: figure, diagram, drawing + 書: document, penmanship, calligraphy = 図書: book, 館: building, house
銀行
ぎんこう
bank (financial institute)
銀: silver, metal, money, 行: going, associated with moving and flowing
銀杏
ぎんなん
gingko, maidenhair tree, gingko nut
銀: metal, silver, money, 杏: apricot
地震
じしん
earthquake
地: earth, ground, 震: associated with trembling, shaking
州
しゅう
state, province, continent, county
primitives: “drop” + “river”
story: rivers acting as natural borders between drops of land, i.e. states
政府
せいふ
government, administration
政: government, rule, associated with policy, 府: (government) office, the center or seat of sth.
政
せい
government, rule
primitives: 正, “rectify, make right, correct” + “taskmaster”
政治
せいじ
politics, government
政: government, rule, 治: remedy, mend
政治家
せいじか
politician, statesman
政治: politics, 家: home, family
菌糸
きんし
hyphae (fungus)
菌: bacterium, germ, FUNGUS, note the primitives “flowers” + “encased” + “unfinished”, 糸: thread
海洋物理学
かいようぶつりがく
physical oceanography
海: ocean, sea + 洋: foreign, sea = 海洋: ocean, 物理: physics, 学: the science of
大洋
たいよう
ocean
大: big, 洋: sea
太平洋
たいへいよう
Pacific Ocean
太: grand, fat + 平: normal, average, mean = 太平: tranquil, peace, 洋: sea
大西洋
たいせいよう
Atlantic Ocean
大: large, big + 西: west, Spain = 大西: Atlantic, 洋: sea, ocean
印度洋
いんどよう, often インド洋
Indian Ocean
kanji are for pronounciation, but FWIW: 印: mark, print, seal, sign + 度: times, counter for occurences and fimes = 印度: India, 洋: sea, ocean
幽霊
ゆうれい
ghost, phantom, specter
幽: associated with death, confienement, seclusion, ethereal concepts, darkness, 霊: ghost, spirit, (departed) soul; associated with spiritual, miraculous concepts
台風
たいふう
typhoon, hurricane, tropical cyclone
台: possible that this is only used for the sound たい; associated with elevating things, table, pedestal, tower; 風: wind, air
風
かぜ
wind, air
primitives: “wind” + “droplet” + “insect”
story: a swarm lf insects that is magically turned into a great wind
嵐
あらし
storm, tempest
primitives: “mountain” + “wind”
story: a storm is the wind whipped up into a mountain
川
かわ
river, stream
this is a primitive
泉
いずみ
spring, fountain
elements: “white” + “water”
繭
まゆ
cocoon (of an insect)
elements: “flowers” (leaves) + “enclosure” (coffin) + “thread” + “insect”
story: the little insect feasts on flowers, then spins itself into an enclosure.
池
いけ
pond
primitives: “water” + “scorpion” (might be a sum of something as well, more helpful here)
雷
かみ、かみなり
thunder, lightning
elements: “rain” (weather) + “rice field”
note that 電 can also mean flash of lightning. I like this kanji better, because it is “rain” + “eel”, but it does not seem to be common. More often, 雷光, らいこう, is used, literally thunder light.
霧
きり
fog, mist
primitives: “rain” (weather), “task”
雪
ゆき
snow
primitives: “weather” (rain) + “broom”
story: this rain can be swept aside with a broom!
霜
しも
frost
primitives: “rain” (weather) + “tree” + “eye”
story: frost lets you see every detail of a barren tree
電
unclear
flash of lightning; associsted with everything electric
primitives: “weather/rain” + “eel”
雷光
らい、らいこう
lightning
also 電光, でんこう
雷/電: thunder, lightning, 光: light