by Nao
toshi, doshi, nen
This character 年 means year. Year 2009 is 2009 (nisenkyū) nen. Year 2010 is 2010 (nisenjū) nen.
Sakunen or kyonen means last year. Kotoshi means this year. Rainen means next year. The end of the year is nenmatsu and the beginning of the year is nenshi. Year by year is nennen.
Talking about longevity, here is an important word: nenkin. It’s pension.
All the horizontal lines are parallel.
- Draw the sweeping stroke.
- Draw the horizontal stroke touching the first stroke.
- Draw the horizontal stroke in the middle.
- Draw the short sweeping stroke between the previous stroke and the longest horizontal line.
- Draw the longest horizontal line.
- Draw the vertical stroke from the top to the bottom. Make it narrower in the end.
Thank you so much Nao-san and Alice-san for your website/blog. It is truly shinjirarenai (wonderful)!
I apologize for even mentioning this as I am learning so much even though I have been studying shodou for several years. My question is, would it be possible for you to show the stroke order and direction with arrows alongside each stroke of the character? Everyone learns in a personal manner. I learn better visually rather than with written directions in English. You have wonderful written directions. Might you add the arrows? It is only a suggestion.
When I began to study, I could speak no Japanese. Kobayashi Sensei (in Gunma) and I communicated from the heart. I watched her in order to learn. With her arrows on my kadai, especially because I was a foreigner who did not read or write Japanese, I would not make a mistake in stroke order and the dance of the brush.
We still speak from the heart but now in Japanese. Thank you again for your fine and successful efforts to share the wonderful world of Shodou.
Rona Conti san,
Thank you for the encouraging comments and practical suggestion. I’ll try adding the stroke order and direction to pictures.