Whew! After sweating profusely and playing with fire, you'd think we'd be done with the hot stuff, but no! We've got the あつい trifecta of confusion coming up, 暑, 熱, and 厚. One of the あついs has nothing to do with heat! The pressure's on (圧). After I finish these, will there be anything left (跡)? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
当 - Hit the Top So Hard Sparks Fly
Readings & Meanings:
あ（−たる）
あ（−てる）
トウ
to hit, to win, to guess
Common Usage:
弁当
本当
Examples:
このお弁当は本当にうまそう！
宝くじに当たればうれしいなぁ。
Translations:
This bento really looks good!
Wouldn't it be nice to win the lottery...
Bonus:
当たり is the word you say in the board game 囲碁 when you are about to take your opponent's stones. It's like "Check" in English.
(Don't know what I'm talking about? You're obviously not familiar with the great old anime, Hikaru no Go. Wikipedia link. Get acquainted.
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
辺 - This Slice of Land
Readings & Meanings:
あた（−り）
ヘン
ベ
vicinity, neighborhood
Common Usage:
この辺/この辺り (either reading, へん or あたり, is used)
海辺
一辺倒
Examples:
この辺りには公衆電話がありますか？
海辺でカモメが舞っている。
彼はこのごろ、漢字の練習に一辺倒だ。
Translations:
Is there a pay phone around here?
At the beach the seagulls dance.
At this moment he is completely focused on practicing kanji.
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
頭 - Beans, Beans, They're Good for Your Head
Readings & Meanings:
あたま
トウ
ズ
head, top
Common Usage:
頭がいい
頭部
頭脳
Examples:
彼は頭がいい。
階段から落ちて頭部にケガをした。
東大生は他の人とは頭脳が違う。
Translations:
He's smart. (lit., As for him, his head is good.)
He fell down the stairs and injured his head/suffered an injury to his skull.
- 頭 is the entire head region: skull, face, neck.
- 頭部 is just the skull part, not including the face/neck.
Mnemonic:
My titles for these posts usually are my attempt to make a mnemonic for the kanji. Today, I just realized that part of the kanji for 頭 is 豆, or bean! I know the old rhyme goes
Beans, Beans, they're good for your heartbut beans are probably good for your head, too. Just remember, 豆 is on the left.
The more you eat 'em, the more you fart.
Bonus:
赤頭巾 is the Japanese name for Little Red Riding Hood!
http://www.geocities.jp/fujimoto_yasuhisa/bunsho/akazukin.htm
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
暖 - The Sun Is on the Left, My Friend Dan Must Be Warm
Readings & Meanings:
あたた（−かい）
ダン
warm (weather), warm (emotion)
Common Usage:
暖房
暖める (trans.)
暖まる (intrans.)
Examples:
暖房を使って、部屋を暖める。
また空気が暖まる。
Translations:
Using the heater, I'll warm up the room.
The air is getting warm again.
Bonus:
地球温暖化 （ちきゅうおんだんか）is a word for global warming, and it uses both 温 and 暖!
地球 means Earth
温暖 means warmth
化 means action, so it's the action of making the Earth warm. Awesome! (but only awesome for studying... not actually awesome in real life)
Important:
Don't get confused with 温!
暖 is for weather and for friends. In the kanji, if you squint, you can see both 天気's 天 and 友達's 友.
References:
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
温 - Onsens Are Warm to the Touch
Readings & Meanings:
あたた（−かい）
オン
warm (to the touch); temperature
Common Usage:
温度
温泉
温める (transitive form)
温まる (intransitive form)
Examples:
この温泉は温くない。 温度が低い。
ぎょうざを温めますか？
温泉に浸かって温まる。
Translations:
This onsen's not warm. The temperature is low.
Shall I warm up your gyoza?
I get warm from soaking in the onsen.
Bonus:
What, you don't know the pleasure of Japanese 温泉／onsens? Brief introduction: They are basically public baths which are filled with natural hot water (which they call by the generic term for hot water, お湯). The baths are smelly with whatever mineral the water has collected (usually sulfur), and you have to be naked in them with other people, unless you find a private one. Sounds terrible? Your loss; onsens are relaxing and reinvigorating, adn they're a big part of Japanese culture.
I recently went to Beppu, in the Kyushu part of Japan. It's a town famous for onsen. They have so many kinds of hot springs there, occasionally they get a little creative. Below is pictured a sign for a "どろ湯". Can you figure out what that is? Click the picture to go to my Flickr account to find out. (You can also check out my Beppu pictures with this link.)
Important:
Try not to get this kanji confused with 暖, the other あたたかい. Remember, 温 has a reading of オン, and it is for TANGIBLE warmth and temperature. 温 is for food, baths, things you can touch. It's even in the kanji: the three splashes of water on the side, and the plate on the bottom, will help you remember this kanji's for water and food.
References:
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
与 - I Had Nothing To Do With It! Gimme Some Candy
Readings & Meanings:
ヨ
あた（−える）
to bestow, participate in, give, impart
Common Usage:
給与
関与
与える
Examples:
今月の給与は思ったより少なかった。
彼はその横領事件には関与していない。
母親が子供にアメを与えた。
Translations:
My salary last month was less than I expected.
He has nothing to do with this embezzlement case.
The mother gave the child some candy.
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
値 - Don't Overbid
Readings & Meanings:
ね
あたい
チ
price, value, worth, deserve
Common Usage:
価値
値段
値する
Examples:
この古い茶碗には価値がある。
値段が高い。
彼の研究はノーベル賞に値する。
Translations:
This old rice bowl is valuable.
The price is high.
His research deserves a Nobel Prize.
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
遊 - Playing with Fire Really Is Dangerous, Especially if Children Are Involved
Readings & Meanings:
あそ（−ぶ）
ユウ
play, hang out
Common Usage:
遊ぶ
遊園地
火遊び
Examples:
昨日子供といっしょに遊んだ。
彼女と遊園地でデートした。
火遊びは危険だ。
Translations:
Yesterday I played with the children.
I went on a date (with a girl) to an amusement park.
Playing with fire is dangerous. (this sentence could be found on a fireworks package as well as in a Japanese version of Cosmo)
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
汗 - Sweaty from All Those Examples
Readings & Meanings:
あせ
カン
sweat
Common Usage:
汗をかく
汗が出る
汗が流れる
発汗する
冷汗 (this has two readings, ひやあせ and れいかん, the former more prevalent)
Examples:
走ったら汗をかいた
重労働をしたら汗が出た
額から汗が流れた
脇の下から発汗する
ハイウェイで鹿をひきそうになって冷汗をかいた。
Translations:
When you run, you sweat.
(汗をかく connotes sweat seeping out of your pores, a lot or a little.)
When you work really hard, a lot of sweat comes out.
(汗が出る connotes more sweat than usual.)
Sweat was flowing down from his forehead.
Sweating under the armpits
(発汗する is formal, even medical.)
I broke out in a cold sweat when it looked like I was about to hit a deer on the highway.
(冷汗 contains the kanji for 冷たい（つめたい）, so it's literally translated as "cold sweat" and has the same fearful connotation.)
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
預 - Hold This Kanji For Me For a While.
ヨ
あず（−かる）
あず（−ける）
to keep, to take charge of, to deposit
Common Usage:
預金
預ける
Examples:
銀行の預金口座にお金を入れる。
銀行にお金を預ける。
友達から書類を預かりました。
Translations:
I put money into the (bank's) savings account.
I deposit money in the bank.
I temporarily held my friend's documents.
References:
http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm
Nintendo DS: Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2
My last day in Tokyo, I had a little yen left on me. Not wanting to get charged for exchanging it back into dollars, I headed to Akihabara to pick up some more used "ソフト" for my DS.
The yen stayed in my wallet, but my credit card made a few appearances.
So basically I have to justify the expense of all these games I bought, in terms of studying Japanese. They're pretty good, but the two standouts are Electroplankton (a music "game") and Ouendan 2. Electroplankton is purely audio/visual, so there's not much studying that can be done with it. Ouendan is a little different.
Ouendan is a rhythm game, in which you tap the stylus in beat with the words and music of a Japanese song. It's much more fun than it sounds. Imagine a crazy Japanese amalgam of Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero for your fingers. It's funny and completely over the top, and I love it.
So how does this fit in with benkyou? Although the songs are hard to hear over the whistling and grunting of the Ouendan dancers, because you must repeat the songs over and over to get through them, the songs stick in your head. And you might as well study what they're saying.
Below are the lyrics to a song I've been stuck on for a while. Interesting lyrics. They're from a band called Kishidan, and the song is called Zoku.
族
OLE ! OLE ! Oretachi OLE ! OLE ! Jônetsu
OLE ! OLE ! Samurai ! OLE ! OLE ! Nihonjin
OLE ! OLE ! Oretachi OLE ! OLE ! Jônetsu
OLE ! OLE ! Samurai ! OLE ! OLE ! Nihonjin
OLE ! OLE ! Taiyô no ko OLE ! OLE ! Tomodachi
OLE ! OLE ! Sukina hito ! OLE ! OLE ! Hitori janai
Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Mô ! !
Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Mô ! !
Atsumare ôkami yo Hokoritaki hi no maru no moto ni
Tatakae ôkami yo Hokoritaki « Zoku » no akashi
Tôsan wakatteru otoko to wa atsuku tsuyoku mamoru tame umareta n darô
Kaasan wakatteru ai su to wa shinji machi yurusu koto to wakachiau koto
Nakama yo ore wa iku ichido kiri mônetsu ni ikitemitai to omowanai ka
Koibito yo jinsei wa sayonara dake sa
Get up and go ! ! Guts on goaaaaaaaaaal ! !
OLE ! OLE ! Oretachi OLE ! OLE ! Jônetsu
OLE ! OLE ! Samurai ! OLE ! OLE ! Nihonjin
OLE ! OLE ! Taiyô no ko OLE ! OLE ! Tomodachi
OLE ! OLE ! Sukina hito ! OLE ! OLE ! Hitori janai
Oretachi wa matteru Kimi ni mo todokeba ii
Oretachi ga motteru Saigo no tokken
Yume miru koto dake Sore shika dekinai
Yume miteyarô janai Inochi o kakeyô janai
Hitori de umarete Shinu toki mo hitori
Sore nara naosara Omae to ikitai
Mijime mo majime mo ijime mo kejime mo
Chikyû no matataki Kujikenu kagayaki
OLE ! OLE ! Oretachi OLE ! OLE ! Jônetsu
OLE ! OLE ! Samurai ! OLE ! OLE ! Nihonjin
OLE ! OLE ! Taiyô no ko OLE ! OLE ! Tomodachi
OLE ! OLE ! Sukina hito ! OLE ! OLE ! Hitori janai
Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Mô ! !
Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Ore ! Mô ! !
« O-re ! ! »
(Romaji lyrics were all I could find, from this site: http://kishidan.free.fr/index2.htm)
浅 - The Shallow Side of the Pool Is Always 3 Feet Deep
Readings & Meanings:
あさ (−い）
せん
shallow, superficial
Common Usage:
adj: 浅い
Examples:
眠りが浅い
経験が浅い
Translations:
shallow sleep/light sleep
having little experience
My thanks to http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm for great JLPT sites with better navigation than I can manage here.
商 - Traders Seem To Have Four Mouths
Readings & Meanings:
あきな （-う）
しょう
To sell, trade
Common Usage:
verb: 商う
noun: 商い
商業
Examples:
活発な商いで
(copied from http://eow.alc.co.jp/%e5%95%86%e3%81%84/UTF-8/)
中国で大規模な商業が営まれるようになったのは、唐王朝後期のことである。
(from http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%95%86%E6%A5%AD)
Translations:
in brisk trading
It was in the last years of the T'ang Dynasty in China that large-scale commerce came about.
My thanks to http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm for great JLPT sites with better navigation than I can manage here. Also to http://www.alc.co.jp/ for the translation of 活発な商いで.
合 - Fit Together Like Two... Kanji?
Readings & Meanings:
あう
ゴウ
カッ
To fit, to be together
Compounds:
合 is used in pretty much everything. Here are just a few:
場合 ばあい
具合 ぐあい
意気投合 いきとうごう
Examples:
採用が決定した場合は、後日電話でお知らせします。
お腹の具合が悪い。
飲み屋で隣り会わせた奴と意気投合しちゃってさ、朝まで飲んじゃったよ。
Translations:
If we decide to hire you, we will let you know via phone in a few days.
I feel sick to my stomach. (lit., my stomach's condition is bad)
I got along so well with the guy sitting next to me at the pub that we ended up drinking together till dawn.
(copied directly from http://home.alc.co.jp/db/owa/s_kaydic?num_in=8&ctg_in=2)
Important:
If you want to say to your friend "Let's meet," this is not the あうyou're looking for.
My thanks to http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm for great JLPT sites with better navigation than I can manage here. Also to http://www.alc.co.jp/ for a great translation of that 4-kanji idiom example.
愛 - I Love You
Readings:
あい - love
いと - love
Common Usage:
愛している
愛しい
Examples:
愛していると言ってくれ
愛しい猫
Translations:
(Please) Tell Me That You Love Me
(a TV series: Amazon.co.jp link)
darling cat
(although it could be a pet name for a girlfriend, I guess, one look at the page where it comes from and you know it's not: http://leonchan.exblog.jp/7275367/)
My thanks to http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm for great JLPT sites with better navigation than I can manage here.
Monday, January 28, 2008
相 - Ministers of Sumo Make an Appearance Together
Readings:
あい - each other, mutual, together
そう - appearance, aspect
しょう - minister of state, councilor
Compounds:
相変わらず あいかわらず
血相 けっそう
首相 しゅしょう
Sentences:
相変わらず、東大生は、難しく考えるねぇ
(from http://revilog.com/2008/01/011108.html)
血相を変える
首相の正式名称は各国で異なるが、それが首相に相当する官職であれば、日本では一律に「首相」と呼ぶ慣習になっている。
(from http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A6%96%E7%9B%B8)
Translations:
As usual, Tokyo-U students make simple things difficult for themselves
Change his/her expression
The formal title of a "prime minister" is different in each country, but in Japan the media is in the custom of calling all of them "Shushou" if their positions are equivalent to prime ministers.
(Did you see the other compound in this sentence? 相当, そうとう, means suitable, fair, tolerable.)
Bonus:
Sumo contains 相 as well! In 相撲 it takes on an uncommon す sound.
My thanks to http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html and http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm for kanji compounds.
Plans
This year, the JLPT2 test is mine. Last year was a warm-up.
There are about 750 new kanji on the 2-kyuu. I'm a little shaky on the 181 JLPT3 kanji, so together that's 931. I want to learn these by September, so I can focus on review and grammar by then. I don't want to learn new ones on the weekend, though. There are 185 weeknights left until 9/1.
931/185 = just over 5 kanji a day.
I can DO that.
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