"To Daclare or the Monkey" by Nao

mō-su, shin

When you say something, your action is expressed as “iu.” It is a verb meaning to say something. Like the English verb “say,” there are a lot of substitutes for “iu.” The verb mōsu means to say something with politeness and humility. We never use this in casual conversations. We sometimes hear this in historical dramas. When we make a business call, we give our names by saying, “[our name] to mōshimasu.” In formal letters and greetings, we use the phrase “… mōshi agemasu,”* meaning that I tell you something with politeness and humility.

You can find this character in official reports and forms. The first character of mōshikomisho is this character. It is an application form. The noun mōshikomi means application or a request. The verb mōshikomu means to apply or to request.**

Shinkoku is a statement in which you officially give information such as your income. Shinkoku-suru is a verb meaning to submit one’s tax return. “Shinkoku sho” is a report or a tax return.

This character also means the Monkey, the ninth symbol of the oriental zodiac. We read “saru” as the Monkey but there is another character for ordinary monkeys. The recent years of the Monkey are 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, and 2016.

* If you want to see the phrases in Japanese, click the sign *.

** If you want to see the italicized words in Japanese, click the sign **.

1. Draw the left side of the rectangle.
2. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
3. Draw the horizontal stroke in the rectangle.
4. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
5. Draw the vertical stroke from top to bottom.