ara-i, ara, so Ara-i is an adjective meaning rough, and coarse. With this reading and meaning, there are some compounds. Arajio is unrefined salt. Arabiki is used to describe coarsely ground food, such as coffee, pepper, meat, and so on. The single character, ara, means a fault, and a flaw. This kind of fault is [...]
Basic Japanese Characters
Japanese Calligraphy Art by Japanese Calligrapher Nao
Browsing the blog archives for September, 2009
29 Sep 09
Peaceful
yasu-raka, yasu-ragi, yasu-ragu, yasu-i, an Yasu-rakana means peaceful. Yasu-rakana ni means peacefully. The noun, Yasu-ragi, means peacefulness, and calmness. The verb, Yasu-ragu, means to have peace of mind. These words are the same kind as for the meanings, while the adjective, yasu-i, means easy or cheap. So, there are two kinds of words including this [...]
28 Sep 09
Time
toki, ji When we ask the time, we say, “ima nanji?” Ima is now, and nan is what. Time can be translated as jikan, toki, or jikoku. Adding numbers to jikan, we express the numbers of hours: 1 (ichi) jikan, 2 (ni) jikan, and so on. A timetable is jikokuhyō, of which hyō means a [...]
27 Sep 09
Event or Thing
koto, goto, ji I should mention that all the meanings I am presenting here are not precisely from the dictionary. Please notice that the usages may be biased. I am focusing on how this character has been used, particularly in my life. My first translation of this character was a thing, because I thought koto [...]
26 Sep 09
To Move
ugo-ku, ugo-kasu, ugo-ki, dō, dō-jiru Ugo-ku is an action when somebody or something moves, period. Ugo-kasu is an action when you move something. In this case, we need an object like a transitive verb. For example, if you move a chair, we say isu wo ugo-kasu. Ugo-ki is the noun, movement. Ku, kasu, and ki [...]
25 Sep 09
Color
iro, shoku, shiki Iro means color. Iroiro (twice iro) means many kinds. Jūnin toiro literally expresses 10 people and 10 colors and therefore it means each individual has a different taste or everyone is different. How many colors does the rainbow have? The answer in Japanese is nanairo (seven colors). Nanairo also means many kinds. [...]
24 Sep 09
To Make
tsuku-ru, saku, sa The activity of making something is the verb, tsuku-ru, or the noun, sakusei. The suffix ru of tsuku-ru is okurigana. The sei of sakusei means either to form or to produce. The activities of making something specific have names with this character. For example, writing is sakubun, of which the bun means [...]
23 Sep 09
Winter
fuyu, tō We call winter fuyu. Fuyubi is a cold day in winter. The Korean drama, Winter Sonata, was popular among Japanese women several years ago. The Japanese title of the drama is Fuyu no Sonata, which is called Fuyusona for short. The drama triggered Korean wave, which spread throughout East Asia. Some of my [...]
22 Sep 09
Autumn
aki, shū Today’s season is autumn. Late autumn is banshū. The ban means an ending. Shūbun is the autumnal equinox. The bun is to divide or split. Senshū is a thousand years or extremely long time. Ichi nichi senshū, or ichi nichi senshū no omoi is used when you are waiting for something and feeling [...]
21 Sep 09
Summer
natsu, ka, ge The next season is natsu. It’s summer. The summer holidays are natsuyasumi. The yasumi is holiday. Natsubi is a hot day in summer. Natsumatsuri is a summer festival. The matsuri means a festival. Early summer is shoka. The middle of the summer is seika or manatsu. The sei of seika means full, [...]
After Blossom Viewing
Snow Moon
