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Duo 日本語 > Nature, environment, natural science, politics > Flashcards

Nature, environment, natural science, politics Flashcards

1
Q

泥

A

どろ

mud, thief, slush, mire

Primitives: water + flag + spoon (“sitting on the ground”)

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2
Q

汚る

A

よごる

be stained, get dirty, get polluted

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3
Q

地球温暖化

A

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

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4
Q

覆う

A

おおう

cover, hide, conceal, disguise

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5
Q

土

A

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.

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6
Q

遅刻

A

ちこく

coming late

遅, late + 刻, time, occasion, opportunity

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7
Q

汚染

A

おせん

pollution

汚: associated with dirt, pollution; by itself, weirdly, oceanic whitetip shark, 染: associated with dyeing, oozing, seeping into, penetrating, spreading

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8
Q

図書館

A

としょかん

library

図: figure, diagram, drawing + 書: document, penmanship, calligraphy = 図書: book, 館: building, house

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9
Q

銀行

A

ぎんこう

bank (financial institute)

銀: silver, metal, money, 行: going, associated with moving and flowing

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10
Q

銀杏

A

ぎんなん

gingko, maidenhair tree, gingko nut

銀: metal, silver, money, 杏: apricot

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11
Q

地震

A

じしん

earthquake

地: earth, ground, 震: associated with trembling, shaking

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12
Q

州

A

しゅう

state, province, continent, county

primitives: “drop” + “river”

story: rivers acting as natural borders between drops of land, i.e. states

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13
Q

政府

A

せいふ

government, administration

政: government, rule, associated with policy, 府: (government) office, the center or seat of sth.

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14
Q

政

A

せい

government, rule

primitives: 正, “rectify, make right, correct” + “taskmaster”

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15
Q

政治

A

せいじ

politics, government

政: government, rule, 治: remedy, mend

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16
Q

政治家

A

せいじか

politician, statesman

政治: politics, 家: home, family

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17
Q

菌糸

A

きんし

hyphae (fungus)

菌: bacterium, germ, FUNGUS, note the primitives “flowers” + “encased” + “unfinished”, 糸: thread

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18
Q

海洋物理学

A

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

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19
Q

大洋

A

たいよう

ocean

大: big, 洋: sea

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20
Q

太平洋

A

たいへいよう

Pacific Ocean

太: grand, fat + 平: normal, average, mean = 太平: tranquil, peace, 洋: sea

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21
Q

大西洋

A

たいせいよう

Atlantic Ocean

大: large, big + 西: west, Spain = 大西: Atlantic, 洋: sea, ocean

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22
Q

印度洋

A

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

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23
Q

幽霊

A

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

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24
Q

台風

A

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

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25
Q

風

A

かぜ

wind, air

primitives: “wind” + “droplet” + “insect”

story: a swarm lf insects that is magically turned into a great wind

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26
Q

嵐

A

あらし

storm, tempest

primitives: “mountain” + “wind”

story: a storm is the wind whipped up into a mountain

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27
Q

川

A

かわ

river, stream

this is a primitive

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28
Q

泉

A

いずみ

spring, fountain

elements: “white” + “water”

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29
Q

繭

A

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.

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30
Q

池

A

いけ

pond

primitives: “water” + “scorpion” (might be a sum of something as well, more helpful here)

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31
Q

雷

A

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.

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32
Q

霧

A

きり

fog, mist

primitives: “rain” (weather), “task”

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33
Q

雪

A

ゆき

snow

primitives: “weather” (rain) + “broom”

story: this rain can be swept aside with a broom!

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34
Q

霜

A

しも

frost

primitives: “rain” (weather) + “tree” + “eye”

story: frost lets you see every detail of a barren tree

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35
Q

電

A

unclear

flash of lightning; associsted with everything electric

primitives: “weather/rain” + “eel”

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36
Q

雷光

A

らい、らいこう

lightning

also 電光, でんこう

雷/電: thunder, lightning, 光: light

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37
Q

雨

A

あめ

rain

primitives: this is a pictograph of rain drops in a cloud, topped by a single line for the sky

38
Q

雲

A

くも

cloud

primitives: “weather/rain” + “rising cloud”

story: vapour rises up from the surface to form clouds

39
Q

滅菌

A

めっきん

sterilisation

滅: associated with desctruction, downfall, ruination, 菌: germ, bacterium, fungus

40
Q

南部

A

なんぶ

southern part, south of a region

南: south, 部: part, division, part

41
Q

北

A

きた

north

primitives: two people sitting on the ground (the left is the typical “person on the ground”)

story: … huddled together against the northern cold

42
Q

東

A

ひがし

east

primitives: a “sun” piercing through a “tree” (as it rises in the east)

43
Q

南

A

みなみ

south

primitives: “belt” + “happiness”

story: southern climes are well-suited to leisurely lifes, causing you to losen your belts as you get fat and happy

44
Q

西

A

にし

west

primitives: “one” + “four”

story: west is the foruth of the four points of the compass, so we take onky one out of four.

45
Q

春

A

はる

spring (season)

primitives: “bonsai” + “sun”

46
Q

夏

A

なつ

summer

primitives: “head” + “walking legs”

story: the heat makes you hang your head nearly as low as you walking legs

47
Q

秋

A

あき

autumn

primitives: “wheat” (crop) + “fire”

story: autumn is the time of year when fires burn on the harvested fields, burning forgotton crop

48
Q

冬

A

ふゆ

winter

primitives: “walking legs” + “ice”

49
Q

北東

A

ほくとう

northeast

50
Q

南東

A

なんとう

southeast

51
Q

南西

A

なんせい

southwest

52
Q

北西

A

ほくせい

northwest

53
Q

戦争

A

せんそう

war

戦: war; battle, competition, troops,; associated with fighting and strategy, 争: associated with competing, fighting, quarreling (physical and verbal), struggling

54
Q

石灰

A

せっかい

lime (stone)

石: stone, 灰: “cliff” + “fire”, ash

55
Q

石炭

A

せきたん

coal

石: stone, 炭: “mountain” + “ash”, charcoal, associated with everything carbon

56
Q

石油

A

せきゆ

oil, petrolium

石: stone, 油: oil (also for cooking)

note that if you swap the kanji, you get 油石、あぶらいし: charcoal

57
Q

炭

A

すみ

charcoal

primitives: “mountain” + “ash”

58
Q

油石

A

あぶらいし

charcoal, coal

油: oil, 石: stone

59
Q

炭水化物

A

たんすいかぶつ

carbohydrate

炭: charcoal, 水: water, 化: -ification, 物: thing, object

60
Q

炭化

A

たんか

carbonisation

炭: charcoal, 化: -ification

61
Q

氷

A

こおり

ice

“water” crystalizing around a drop of a crystalization seed

62
Q

氷河

A

ひょうが

glacier

氷: ice, 河: river

63
Q

氷河期

A

ひょうがき

ice age, glacial period

氷河: glacier, 期: period, era

64
Q

木漏れ日

A

こもれび

sunlight filtering through trees

木: tree, 漏れ: leak out; leak out, ommission, 日: sun(light). cf. 葉洩日, sunlight filtering through tree leaves. Note that 漏れ might be replaced with 洩れ, which also means leak, filter out

65
Q

葉

A

は

leaf

primitives, bottom to top: “tree” + “generation” + “flowers”

66
Q

間欠泉

A

かんけつせん

geyser

間: between, among + 欠: lack, vacancy = 間欠: intermittent, 泉: spring, fountain

67
Q

海鳥

A

かいちょう

seabird, marine bird

海: sea, 鳥: bird

68
Q

水星

A

すいせい

Mercury (planet)

水: water, 星: planet

69
Q

水銀

A

すいぎん

mercury (substance)

水: water, 銀: metal

note that the planet is 水星、すいせい, not 水銀の惑星

70
Q

金星

A

きんせい

Venus (planet)

金: gold, money, 星: planet

71
Q

火星

A

かせい

Mars (planet)

火: fire, 星: planet

72
Q

木星

A

もくせい

Jupiter (planet)

木: tree, 星: planet

73
Q

土星

A

どせい

Saturn (planet)

土: soil, 星: planet

74
Q

天王星

A

てんのうせい

Uranus (planet)

天王: heavenly ruler, 星: planet

75
Q

海王星

A

かいようせい

Neptune (planet)

海王: “Ocean ruler”, 星: planet

Note that 海王 is a homonym of 海洋, ocean, but that the planet is indeed written as “planet of the ocean ruler”, not “Ocean planet”.

Note that the gods Neptune and Poseidon are usually written in their katakana forms (ネプチューン and ポセイドン, respectively). The kanji-version 海神、かいしん (海: sea, 神: god, deity) exists, but is rarely used.

76
Q

冥王星

A

めいようせい

Pluto (dwarf planet)

冥: associated with gods snd divinity, but also with Hades, the underworld, + 王: king, ruler, = 冥王: “Ruler of the underworld”, 星: planet

77
Q

太陽系

A

たいようけい

solar system

太陽: the sun, 系: system, group

78
Q

地球

A

ちきゅう

the earth

地: the land, land; place; earth, 球: ball, sphere; orb, globe

79
Q

石

A

いし

stone, rock

primitives: “cliff” + “opening” (mouth)

80
Q

もうもう

A

rampant growth; endless, dense, thick

81
Q

煙

A

けむり

smoke

primitives: “fire” + “west” + “soil, ground”

82
Q

煙突

A

えんとつ

chimney, smokestack

煙: smoke, 突: associated with protrusion, breaking through, sudden (cf. 突然、とつぜん), rarely arousal, stimulation

83
Q

独裁

A

どくさい

dictatorship; despotism

独: associated with self-contained, on your own; originality, creativity; independence. On it’s own: Germany. 裁: judge; also associated with ruling

独裁者、どくさいしゃ: dictator

84
Q

支配

A

しはい

control; rule, direction / direct

支: associated with support, payments, 配: associated with distribution, deployment, installation, cf. 配達、はいたつ: delivery, 配管、はいかん: plumbing

85
Q

環境

A

かんきょう

environment; rarely circumstances

環: ring, circle, (in the sense of surroundings?), 境: environment; also associated with border, demarcation

86
Q

花火

A

はなび

fireworks

花: flower; bloom, blossom, 火: fire

Note the pronounciation here!

87
Q

烈風

A

れっぷう

gale; violent wind

烈: fierce, rage, 風: wind

note the sound changes of れつ and ふう

88
Q

乱流, 乱気流

A

らんりゅう、らんきりゅう

(air) turbulence

乱: riot, war; rebellion, revolt, 気: air, 流: method of; also associatef with fluency, flowing, streaming, cf. 流れる、ながれる: streaming, flowing

89
Q

民主主義

A

みんしゅしゅぎ

democracy

民: people, nation + 主: master, lord, proprietor, owner = 民主: democratic, 主 + 義: righteousness, duty, justice, teachings, morality = 主義: principle, rule, doctrine

90
Q

刺さる

A

ささる

prick; get stuck in, pierce, lodge in

ハチに刺される: get stung by a bee

primitives: thorn, sword. Note that 刺 means to stab or prick

91
Q

夕方

A

ゆうがた

evening, dusk

夕: last night, dip, associated with sunset and evening, 方: ubiquitous kanji associated with direction, some outcome, things becoming.

92
Q

影

A

かげ

shadow, image; reflection, silhouette

primitives: scenery, 景 + “shape”. Note that “scenery” is made up of sun, 日 and capital, 京.

Duo 日本語 (8 decks)

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