A Place Where Boats Gather
tsu, shin
Tsunami begins with today’s character. In this word, tsu means overflowing. Another meaning of this character is a place where boats gather. It is sometimes used of the names of cities places.
Tsu city is in Mie prefecture. Yaizu city is in Shizuoka prefecture. Settsu city is in Osaka prefecture.
Built Over
ka-keru, ka-karu, ka
The verb kakeru means ‘to build over’ or ‘to hang across.’ The verb kakaru means ‘to be built over.’
Kakyō means bridge-building. Shoka is a bookshelf.
Both words are used professionals such as civil engineers or librarians.
Regrettable
oshi-i, oshi-mu, seki
Oshii is an adjective meaning ‘regrettable.’ Oshimu is a verb meaning ‘to be frugal’ or ‘to regret.’ Sekihai is a defeat by a narrow margin.
Rubbed or Daubed Powdery Material
matsu
Maccha is green tea made from tea powder.
omaccha
You can make maccha ice-cream, mixing vanilla ice-cream with maccha powder.
This character (抹) means ‘to rub,’ ‘to daub,’ or ‘powdery material.’
Masshō implies ‘deletion.’ Ichimatsu is ‘a tinge of something.’ “Ichimatsu no fu an”, for example, means ‘a tinge of anxiety.’
To Increase Your Assets or to Breed
fu-eru, fu-yasu, shoku
The left part of the character looks like the character meaning death. The right part means straight. Knowing them, it might be easier to understand this character means ‘to go bad’ or ‘to rot.’ A straightened dead body implies something that becomes long or something that extends. The meanings of today’s character extend to increasing something or breeding. The verb fuyasu means ‘to increase your assets’ or ‘to breed.’ The propagation of animals or plants is zōshoku or hanshoku.
To Collapse
kuzu-reru, kuzu-su, hō
Kuzureru is a verb meaning ‘to collapse.’ Walls, cliffs, tunnels etc. can collapse.
Kuzusu is another verb which means ‘to tear down something.’ Cursive writing styles such as sōsho are known as kuzushiji or kuzushigaki.
A Daughter
musume
Musume is someone’s daughter. You can introduce your daughter as “watashi no musume desu,” meaning “This is my daughter.” But someone else’s daughter should be called musumesan, adding a polite suffix.
To Stop, to Cease, or to Discontinue
tei
This character means ‘to stop,’ ‘to cease,’ or ‘to discontinue.’ It is always used with other characters.
To Disdain
anado-ru, bu
The verb anadoru means ‘to disdain’ or ‘to underestimate the capacity of somebody or something.’
Bubetsu is a noun meaning contempt. The betsu of bubetsu also means contempt.
Bujoku is an insult. The joku of bujoku means ‘to humiliate.’
A Rope Tying Two Things to Support Something
i
The character means ‘a rope tying two things to support something,’ or ‘to tie’ or ‘to support.’
Iji means keeping or maintaining something.
Sen’i is a fiber. The sen of sen’i means very thin thread.
