洗 - Before Doing Anything, WASH

Readings & Meanings:

あら（−う）

セン

wash

Common Usage:

洗い物

洗濯

洗脳

水洗便所

Examples:

洗い物は洗濯機に入れておきなさい。

彼は新興宗教に洗脳され、高価な壷を買わされた。

水洗便所が普及して、ドボちょん式の便所が減った。

Translations:

Please put the laundry in the washing machine (for later).

He was brainwashed by the new religion, so he's compelled to buy expensive pottery.

Since flush toilets have spread, the old hole-in-the-ground toilets have become scarce.

Bonus:

San-zui again on the left, so you know it has to do with water. But this kanji comes with a helpful pronunciation guide: on the right of the san-zui is 先, which we know is pronounced like せん. 洗 also has an on-yomi of せん. Convenient.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/i.htm

荒 -We ROUGHhoused between the Grass and the River and Lost Our Lives

Readings & Meanings:

あら（−い）

コウ

あ（−れる）

violent, rude, wild, become rough

Common Usage:

荒野　（こうや）

荒れる

荒い

Examples:

小さい頃、「荒野に猫は生き抜いて」という本の読書感想文を書いた事がある。

親が離婚して以来、彼の態度は荒れる一方だ。

私は不器用なので荒い縫い方しかできない。

Translations:

When I was little, I wrote a reflection essay on a book called "The Cat Who Survived the Desert."

Since his parents got divorced, his attitude's been completely stormy.

Because I'm kind of clumsy, I can only sew things roughly.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/i.htm

Solicitation...

That was much easier, since I'd finished the examples the night before. If anyone has any suggestions for the upcoming kanji (such as compounds they like, or sentences for me to translate), please feel invited to comment with your ideas.

Next:

荒
洗
争
改
表

誤 - Don't Give Away Too Much in Talk, or You'll Make a MISTAKE

Readings & Meanings:

あやま（−る）

ゴ

mistake

Common Usage:

誤解

誤り

Examples:

ロミオはジュリエットが死んだと誤解して自殺してしまった。

次の文章から誤りを見つけなさい。

Translations:

Romeo commited suicide due to mistakenly thinking Juliet was dead.

Please find the mistakes in the following sentence.

Bonus:

A frequent radical is 言. We see it in 読む, 話す, and other kanji relating to words, language, speech.

Here, it's paired with 呉 from 呉れる, which means "to give."

But if you think that 言 + 呉 = 誤, you'd be MISTAKEN. At least, if you look at the Japanese meanings.

For this etymology, let's go back to the Chinese. 呉 in China can refer to "boisterous verbal exchange." If you add the radical for talking in there, let's all take the semantic leap with me and say that 言 + 呉 = too much talking, and too much talking → mistakes.

Important:

Although we feel there's a strong semantic connection between making mistakes and making apologies, 誤る (ayamaru) is NOT the same kanji as to apologize (謝る, also ayamaru).

References:

http://www.kanjinetworks.com/knetwork/KAG.html
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

過 - It's My FAULT, I Put TOO MANY Boxes in the Road

Readings & Meanings:

過（−ち） a fault, error

カ to pass, elapse

す（−ぎる） to exceed

す（−ごす） to go to excess

Common Usage:

過去

過ち

過ぎる

Examples:

過去の過ちを二度と繰り返さないよう心に誓う。

過ぎた事は忘れた方がよい。

Translations:

I swear to myself never to repeat my past mistakes.

It's better to forget past events.

Bonus:

Yes, this 過ぎる is the same grammar that we all know in sentences such as 飲み過ぎた. And yes, in this case, you CAN use the kanji when you want to say you did something too much. Japanese people use both kanji and hiragana when they add すぎる to the -masu stem of a verb. For more information on using this grammar, please see JapanesePod101.com's free podcast on this subject:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/2007/05/10/lower-intermediate-lesson-23-reunion-i/

References:

JapanesePod101.com
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

編 - Weaving Threads Together Over and Over: KNITTING and EDITING Are Indeed Similar

Readings & Meanings:

あ（−む）

ヘン

to knit, to compile

Common Usage:

編む

編集

Examples:

彼の誕生日のプレゼントにセーターを編んだ。

私は新聞社で編集の仕事をしている。

Translations:

I knitted him a sweater as his birthday present.

I do editing for a newspaper company.

Bonus:

You should all be familiar with 糸 by now. It's the kanji for thread.

So it makes perfect sense that the 糸 radical should be found in the kanji for knitting.

Some of the other kanji that 糸 stitches together doesn't always make literal sense, but mostly you can see some way the idea of a thread works:

• 組 - to unite (a common thread unites us)
• 紙 - paper (paper is fibrous, made of threads)
• 絞 - to strangle (with a thread)
• 続 - to continue (the thread continues)

References:

Easy Kanji, by Fujihiko Kaneda (Amazon Link)
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

余 - A Ho under a Roof? Must Be LEFT OVER from Last Night

Readings & Meanings:

あま（−る、−り、−す）

ヨ

to leave over
the remainder
to remain
to be beyond (one's power)

Common Usage:

余裕

余る

持て余す

Examples:

心に余裕がないと何事も失敗しがちだ。

スープが余ったので、残りを冷蔵庫に入れておいた。

彼女のわがままには持て余している。

Translations:

People tend to fail if they do things hastily/if they don't allow enough time for things.

Because there was soup left over, I put the rest in the fridge.

I can't handle her selfishness/She's too selfish for me.

Bonus:

Yes, 余 is related to the grammatical あまり that we already know in such sentences as やる気があまりないねぇ. But remember these two things:

• Japanese people won't believe you that あまり and 余 are related
• don't ever use this kanji in place of あまり in this sense--あまり is always in hiragana.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

甘 - A Package of Candy

Readings & Meanings:

あま（−い）

カン

sweet, naive

Common Usage:

甘いもの

人工甘味料

Examples:

その子は甘いものが大好きだった。

アメリカでは、砂糖の代わりにノーカロリーの人工甘味料がはやっている。

Translations:

The child liked sweets very much.

In place of sugar, zero-calorie artificial sweeteners are popular
in the US.

Bonus:

In the US, when you say a person is sweet, it's usually a compliment, meaning nice or kind. There are times, however, when calling someone sweet is a backhanded compliment.

"I want to kill my husband," she said with murder in her eyes.

"You wouldn't do that," her younger brother said. "You're too good of a person."

"You're sweet," she said, patting her brother on the cheek.

This kind of "sweet" still means nice and kind, but the feeling is more like her brother is a sweet child who doesn't know anything. From what I've determined, this is what the Japanese 甘い means when applied to human beings.

If someone calls you 甘い, it means they think you are naive, soft, overly-optimistic.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

One Week Done...

Whew.

I don't know if this is an effective way for me to study kanji. I mean, I'm spending hours concentrating on just five kanji and their compounds and uses. I think it's useful for You, the hypothetical reader, to read my entries every day, or at least one a day, to practice reading and trying to translate my example sentences. (My translations are not usually word-by-word, so it takes some effort from You, dear hypothetical reader, to actually read the Japanese.) But will this pay off for me? I'm really not sure. Perhaps if I made up a test for myself on these kanji every week... if only I wouldn't know the answers!

Anyway, I'm going to continue this way until I've finished the remaining 906.

Next five: 甘,余,編,過,誤.

脂 - Delicious Lard

Readings & Meanings:

あぶら

シ

fat, lard

Common Usage:

脂肪

脂身

Examples:

お腹の周りの脂肪が気になり始めた。

肉の脂身にはコレステロールがたくさん含まれている。

Translations:

I'm beginning to pay attention to the fat around my stomach.

Fatty meat contains a lot of cholesterol.

Bonus:

Here's a new radical for you: 月. In this kanji, this radical is called "Niku-zuki," and it is used to denote parts of the body. For just a few examples of niku-zuki:

• 胸 - bosom, breast, chest
• 胴 - trunk, torso, hull
• 股 - crotch, thigh, groin
• 腹 - stomach (see example above)
  

Back to 脂, know what other kanji is in there next to the radical? 旨い's 旨. So it's the delicious part of the body: the fat.

Important:

脂's あぶら is strictly a thick lipid. Lard, fat, animal fat, any way you want to put it, this 脂 is not a liquid.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

油 - Oil Splashing Out of a Square Pan

Readings & Meanings:

あぶら

ユ

oil

Common Usage:

灯油

油断

油

Examples:

ストーブに灯油を入れる。

油断して、試験に落ちた。

フライパンに油を引く。

Translations:

Put kerosene into the space heater.

Being overconfidently unprepared, I failed the exam.

Spread the oil over the pan.

Bonus:

I'm going to let my inner anime otaku show through here, but...

Why is this man wearing the kanji 油 on his forehead?


Because he's the 蝦蟇仙人 called Jiraiya in the manga/anime series Naruto! Duh. Quick explanation: Jiraiya in Naruto is a ninja who casts toad spells and summons toads. He's based on a Japanese folktale about a toad wizard. Yeah, a toad wizard.

The relation to 油 is this: a long time ago, people in Japan sold toad oil (蝦蟇油) as quack medicine. Similar to snake oil in America, gama-abura was purported to cure everything.

So the 油 on Jiraiya's forehead signifies his ties to toads. Sweet. Hey, anything for another mnemonic.

Important:

Please remember, this kind of あぶら is liquid. Remember it by looking at the water radical on the side. Picture the oil splashing out of the square skillet: 油.

The other あぶら, 脂, is not as liquid as 油.

Extra Bonus:

Although usually in hiragana, the Japanese word for "soy sauce" is 醤油. However, if you write shouyu (しょうゆ) with kanji instead of hiragana, it'll look like foreigner Japanese for sure. It's far too common in Japanese life to write with kanji, especially with that tough first kanji.

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

危 - Danger! Coiled Spring Inside

Readings & Meanings:

あぶ（−ない）

キ

dangerous, unsafe, unsteady

あや（−うい）（−ぶむ）　

to fear, to mistrust

Common Usage:

危ない

危険

危ぶむ

Examples:

気を付けろ！危ない！

危険！近いよるな！

現首相の健康を危ぶむ声もある。

Translations:

Be careful! Danger! (commonly spoken)

Danger! Do not come close! (This is not spoken Japanese; this would be found on a sign in front of a pond or a construction site.)

Some people are skeptical about the current prime minister's health.

Bonus:

I just learned that the "exclamation mark" in Japanese is called "びっくりマーク"!

References:

http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

浴 - Showering in the Valley

Readings & Meanings:

あ（−びる）

ヨク

(rare) ゆ

to shower, to bask in

Common Usage:

浴びる

日光浴

浴衣

Examples:

お風呂に入る代わりに、シャーワーを浴びる。

日光浴で肌を焼きすぎてしまった。

お風呂に入った後に浴衣を着た。

Translations:

Instead of taking a bath, I'll take a shower.

I got too tan sunbathing.

After taking a bath, I put on a yukata.

Bonus:

New radical (maybe not so new for you guys): "San-zui."　It's the water radical, and it's used in too many kanji to count. Three splashes of water on the left, and you know that your kanji is (closely or loosely) associated with water.

I have no idea why 決 of 決まる (to be decided) has to do with water, but it's got the radical, just the same.

So, take another look at 浴. It's got water on the left, but what's on the right? 谷, that's what. The kanji for valley. I like to think of 浴 as referring to mountain runoff.

Important:

Although a lot of dictionaries translate 浴びる as "to bathe," it really means "to shower," pouring something over yourself, or standing in a cascade of something. Remember, think of yourself in the valley, bathing in the overhead runoff. You are below, the water is above.

However, 浴 has a looser meaning　when used in compounds. It can be used with the meaning of "soaking in," as in 海水浴: you are just staying in the shallow seawater up to your neck.

Extra Bonus:

浴衣 was originally what you wore after getting out of the bath. It later became a "summer kimono."

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

暴 - Sun Overhead, Water Below, Rambo's in the Jungle

Readings & Meanings:

あば（−く） to expose, to reveal (implies invasion)

あば（−れる） to act violently

ボウ violence, outburst, cruelty

Common Usage:

乱暴（な）

暴れる

暴く

Examples:

乱暴な運転に注意。

その囚人は暴れるので、壁につなぎ留められた。

その週刊誌のカメラマンは、そのタレントの私生活を暴いた。

Translations:

Be aware of aggressive drivers.

The prisoner was shackled to the wall because he was violent.

That weekly magazine's cameraman revealed the private life of that TV celebrity.

References:

http://www.alc.co.jp/
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

Almost didn't make it...

Those distinctions were hard to make. It took all morning to post those, and I don't even have pictures for them (yet).

Well, onward friends: we venture into the あは's next. Hopefully you will have your "a-ha" moment* with the next 5 kanji:

暴
浴
危
油
脂

*(like a sokasoka moment?)

跡 - He Left Behind Red Footprints

Readings & Meanings:

あと

セキ

traces, marks, remains

Common Usage:

足跡

遺跡

Examples:

この辺りには時々熊の足跡が残っている。

この遺跡には昔の人が食べた貝の殻がたくさん残っている。

Translations:

In this area, sometimes bear footprints are left.

In these ruins are the shells from shellfish eaten by people long ago.

Bonus:

Guess what? There's a radical here, too! 足 appears in many kanji. Check out Jim Breen for a complete list. http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1S

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

厚 - Thick, Warm, Gentle, Rude, MAKE UP YOUR MIND, SUNROOM KID!

Readings & Meanings:

あつ（−い）

コウ

thick, heavy, kind, impudent

Common Usage:

温厚（な）

厚かましい

厚紙

Examples:

普段は温厚な私ですが。。。
http://you-are.greatman.jp/?eid=572344

彼は性格が温厚で人からの評価も高い。

お茶を出したら、彼女は厚かましくも饅頭を所望した。

今日の工作の時間では厚紙を使って立体像を作ります。

Translations:

I'm usually quite gentle, but...
(In most of my google searches, it seems that 温厚 is juxtaposed with something opposite. Interesting...)

His character is gentle (calm/mature), and people think highly of him.

When I served her tea, she impudently (rudely) asked for sweets.

In today's art class, we are going to create a 3D sculpture by using thick paper (or cardboard).

Bonus:

What's that radical? C'mon, we just learned it.

References:

http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html
Easy Kanji, by Fujihiko Kaneda (Amazon Link)
JapanesePod101.com
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

熱 - Four Little Flames Means It's Too Hot To Touch

Readings & Meanings:

あつ（−い） heat, hot (TO THE TOUCH)

ねつ fever, heat, hot, craze

Common Usage:

熱

熱心

Examples:

熱が高いときは消化が悪くなるので、食べ物は無理に食べさせないでください。
(From a PDF on children's fevers, can't link to it: www.kcif.or.jp/jp/benri/medhical-PDF/10-3.pdf)

野口英世はアフリカで熱心に黄熱病の研究し、それが為に命を落とした。

Translations:

Because digestion is hard when the fever is high, do not uselessly force (the child) to eat.

Hideyo Noguchi passionately studied yellow fever; due to that, however, he lost his life.

Bonus:

Wait a minute, there's a bunch of other kanji in this kanji! There's 土, there's 丸, and there's 火.

What, you don't see 火? Well... you're right. It's not exactly 火. It's called "rekka" and it's the little dots of flame under the rest of 熱. It's a radical, and it belongs to the "hi" or flame group.

Other kanji with rekka: 点　、然

Important:

Remember that radical I discussed above? Use it to remember that this 熱い has to do with hot things, like water and food. Think of this 熱い as a result of using a gas stove to heat up your dinner.

Also, think of touching the four flames under 熱. Ouch! That's hot to the touch, right?

References:

http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html
Easy Kanji, by Fujihiko Kaneda (Amazon Link)
JapanesePod101.com
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

暑 - Weather's So Hot, Sun Feels Like It's Right On Top Of Me

Readings & Meanings:

あつ（−い）

しょ

heat, summer heat, hot, HOT WEATHER

Common Usage:

書中

蒸し暑い

Examples:

暑中お見舞い申し上げます。

関西の夏は蒸し暑い

Translations:

I hope you're doing well this summer. (Traditional phrase for the beginning of a "mid-summer card".

Kansai summers are hot and humid (sticky/wet/steamy/etc.).

Important:

Again, as in the case of 暖 and 温, the difference between 暑 and 熱 comes down to weather vs. touch.

暑 is for weather and intangible hotness. Just look at the kanji: there's a 日 (sun) bearing down over a 者 (person). The other kanji doesn't even have a 日 component! Easy!

References:

http://www.jlptstudy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?=&p=1110
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm

圧 - Pressed Clay Makes a Good House

Readings & Meanings:

あつ

pressure

Common Usage:

気圧

圧政

Examples:

またまた、悩ましい低気圧がやってきます。。。
yahoo JP weather blog

圧制は革命の種子である。
JP trans. of a Daniel Webster quote.

Translations:

Yet again, a low pressure zone has turned up...

Repression is the seed of revolution. - Daniel Webster
(圧政 also means oppression, despotism, and power politics)

Bonus:

There's something familiar about 圧. Sure, we all know 土, but what's it doing in that half-box? That half-box is the radical.

Radicals will make your kanji-studying life a lot more pleasant. If you can learn to recognize them, suddenly you'll be familiar with a lot more kanji.

This radical, of the first top horizonatl stroke followed by a left-leaning downward stroke on the left, is called "Gan-dare" 厂. It looks like a roof and the left wing of a house, or a cliff if you like.

Others with this radical include 反 of 反対,　原 of 秋葉原, and 灰 of 灰皿.

References:

http://www.jlptstudy.com/2/index.html
Easy Kanji, by Fujihiko Kaneda (Amazon Link)
JapanesePod101.com
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm