tada-shi, tadashi, tada Tadashi or tadashi is either a conjunction or an adverb. It means “except” or “but.” Put this before the sentence implying that the rules you have just said or written do not apply to cases that you are about to say or write. Tada, which is usually used with nomi, shika or [...]

tsuka-u, shi Tsukau and mochiiru are verbs. Both mean “to use” but tsukau is used (tsukawareru) more. Shiyōsuru is another verb meaning “to use.” It is used in formal occasions such as documents and signs. Shiyō means use. If you find something that has a sign saying, “shiyō chū,” it is being used now. Things [...]

haku When you introduce your uncle to others, tell them that he is your “oji.” When you call your uncle politely, address him as “ojisan.” Two characters are used for the word “oji.” If he is your parent’s elder brother, it consists of today’s character and kanji that means father. Some compounds have special readings [...]

  fu-seru, fu-su, fuku Imagine a dog lying on the ground beside you, a human being. The left-hand side of the character is the man radical. The right-hand side is a dog. When you turn over something, the action you take is expressed by the verb “fuseru.” If you lie down, you can use both [...]

hiku-i, hiku-meru, hiku-maru, tei Hikui is opposite to takai. The adjective hikui means low. The height of something, the price of some goods, sound, voice, or somebody’s status can be expressed as “hikui” as well as “takai.” A low price is “tei kakaku.” Kakaku means a price. The opposite of teikakaku is “kō ka” or [...]

tomona-u, han, ban The character implies somebody you accompany. They may be your friends or your followers. One of the basic words accompanying this character is tomonau, which is a verb meaning “to accompany.” One of the most interesting compounds accompanying ban is shōban. It’s a kind of luck sociable people can enjoy. We use [...]

ukaga-u, shi The character originally implies “to find out something secretly.” The verb ukagau has two meanings: “to call on somebody” and “to inquire something.” The former is an honorific word. The actor of the verb ukagau meaning “to call on” is always you and you can use it when you visit somebody who outranks you. [...]

batsu Some people use the word “ki-ru (to cut)” as another reading of this character but it’s a special reading. Batsu is a common reading and it always accompanies other characters. Seibatsu, for example, means conquest or subjugation. In this word, batsu means “to attack.” Bassai means timber-felling. The sai of bassai means “to take” [...]

tsu-ku, tsu-keru, fu   The verb tsuku is used when something attaches to something or sticks to something. Tsukeru is also a verb meaning to attach something to another. When I was a child, mother sometimes bought comic magazines for us. Those magazines always came with giveaways called furoku. The roku of furoku means to record. [...]