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Hello from Joy o' Kanji!
Last week I experienced something that always gives me a rush; I learned a kanji and promptly spotted it in the world. The thrill is even greater if I've likely seen that kanji umpteen times but was always "blind" to it when it meant nothing.
This notice at a medical facility is what made me euphoric:
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The last lines are Chinese. I was especially excited that learning a character in a Japanese context gave me sudden insight into Chinese, too.
I'm talking about the non-Joyo 孕 (to become pregnant), which I love because its shape seems to depict a pregnancy. That was just my guess, but now I've confirmed that it's right! Kanjigen says that the 乃 on top represents something soft and sagging—namely, the belly of a pregnant woman! The meaning of the 子 is clear enough.
I learned 孕 thanks to this word in essay 2094 on 箸 (chopsticks):
孕み箸 (はらみばし: thick chopsticks with both ends tapered)
to become pregnant + chopsticks
I thought 孕 must be in the term to convey that this chopstick (like 乃) resembles a pregnant body, but no! To my surprise, one end of the tapered chopstick is supposedly for the person using it, whereas the other end is for a god. The design represents the idea that 神人共食 (しんじんきょうしょく: gods and people eat together).
What, then, is the connection between a 孕み箸 and pregnancy? That’s the Quick Quiz 3 question in essay 2094, so you won't get the answer here!
You'll find the following in the rest of this newsletter:
- New Essays
- New Radical Note
- Ulrike's Mnemonics
- New Contest
- Taking an Idea to Great Lengths
- Essay Revisions
- On the Move
- Spirited Stone
- Previous Contest
- Special Deal for August
- The Joy o' Kanji Missions
- The Joy o' Kanji Goal
- Progress to Date
- What Joy o' Kanij Offers
- Joy o' Kanji + Kanshudo
- Have You Gone Crazy for Kanji?
- Become a Socialite!
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The following essays came out this month, all from the Shin-Joyo set (that is, the kanji added to the Joyo group after 2010):
July 9: "Barely There" on 僅 (1990: small amount; merely)
July 16: "Irritation from a Prickly Plant" on 苛 (1971: irritation; torment; bullying)
July 23: "Dining with Dexterity" on 箸 (2094: chopsticks)
The links go to Character Home Pages, where you can purchase the PDFs.
Here are sneak previews:
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New Radical Note
Radical Note 10 on the “legs" radical 儿 posted this month. Find out about the names and meanings of the radical of kanji such as 先 (49: ahead), 元 (106: origin), and 光 (116: light), and see how 儿 has nothing to do with legs etymologically.
The Radical Note includes this photo and its caption:
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In Kobe's 元町通 (もとまちどおり) section, the name apparently shortened to 元町 (もとまち), I spotted this movie theater (映画館, えいがかん). I find the font so compelling that I'm not sure I need a film for entertainment! I especially like what has happened to the 儿 in 元 (106: origin). |
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Ulrike is great at creating a compelling story in just a few words, and I admire that quality in the following four mnemonics so much that I couldn't whittle the list down to my usual three: |
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New Contest
A certain four-kanji expression starts with two characters for facial parts. (Hint: one such kanji appears in the list of Ulrike's latest mnemonics!) Then comes a non-Joyo kanji that means "help" and that contains the "vehicle" radical 車. Finally comes another instance of 車 as an autonomous character. The whole compound refers to a relationship from which two people benefit. Which expression do I mean?
Winners will receive $4 credit on Joy o' Kanji, and I'll provide their names in next month's newsletter, along with the answers. Good luck!
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Taking an Idea to Great Lengths
Both in restaurants and at home, the Japanese place the tips of used chopsticks on chopstick rests so that the utensils won’t dirty the table or roll onto the floor.
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I've never seen chopstick rests as cute or as creative as these, but I've never lived in Asia. Being immersed in a certain reality, one is more likely to take an idea to great lengths, envisioning possibilities that wouldn't occur to others elsewhere.
Essay 2094 on 箸 (chopsticks) certainly demonstrates just how far the Japanese have taken their thinking about chopsticks. As a result, the essay is chock-full of material. In fact, when Jonathan of Kanshudo (our partner site) wanted to weave bits of the essay into a "Point of Interest" article, he exclaimed, "There's a ton of good stuff in here! I'm spoilt for choice."
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On the Move
This novel title features one of my favorite words:
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I'm talking about the following term:
苛々 or 苛苛 (いらいら or イライラ: getting irritated; getting annoyed;
being on edge; fretting; losing patience)
It's a word I've often needed when chatting with my Japanese language partner on Skype and inevitably struggling with technical difficulties!
I love how the cover designer turned the 口 components in the title into diamonds! And the 田 of 猫 became a fancy plus sign! I have no idea what all that signifies for the plot, but it looks cool! I'm thrilled, as well, to see 苛々 rendered in kanji; people tend to write it in kana.
Here's how the title translates:
「遠くで猫は苛々している」
The Cat Is Irritated Somewhere Far Away
If he's in such a bad mood, perhaps it's good that he's at a remove.
Find out more about 苛 (irritation; torment; bullying) in essay 1971.
Just as the cat in that book is on the move, so is this cyclist, who is trying to earn money by delivering Uber Eats food:
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The word of interest to us here is 僅か (わずか: (1) a little; a few; slight; small; trifling; meager; (2) only; just; merely). The second meaning applies here. Most people render the term in hiragana, so it's a treat to see the 僅 on the cover.
Some of the Japanese on this book is awkward, but I had an inexplicably good time trying to translate it all. For example, the first phrase in the last section initially wowed me because it seemed quite philosophical, though ultimately it’s practical:
先の見えない不安定なこの時代を自力で生き抜く!
Survive this unexpectedly unstable era through your own efforts!
Yes! That's the best way to live, though perhaps not by delivering food on a bike!
The last section also contains this bit:
チャリのみで
With nothing but a bike
I learned that チャリ is an abbreviation of ちゃりんこ, a colloquial term for “bicycle,” and that there are two theories about why ちゃりんこ means that. One idea is that when a bicycle bell rings, it sounds like チャリン チャリン to a Japanese ear. The other explanation is that the Korean word for “bicycle,” chajeongeo, sounds like チャジョンゴ to a Japanese person.
For more on this image and much more about 僅 (small amount; merely), see essay 1990.
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Spirited Stone
I adore the latest addition to Kanji Kaimono, our auxiliary merchandise site. Chin Music Press has published Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota's Garden, a gorgeous celebration of Fujitaro Kubota, who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and eventually shaped 20 acres of clear-cut forest in southern Seattle into a beautiful Japanese garden.
To Kubota, everything had spirit. Rocks and stones pulsed with life, he said, and that energy is still apparent in his gardens today.
In this elegant volume, novelists, poets, scholars, and garden enthusiasts examine his legacy through fiction, photos, essays, poetry, and more. This book is a co-production with the Kubota Garden Foundation, and most of the proceeds of your purchase go back to the garden.
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Visit Kanji Kaimono to see more images and to snag a copy of this book! |
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Previous Contest
The same three people won the last contest twice in a row! I'm talking about Tilak Bhattacharjee, Gleydson Macedo, and Herwig Egghart. And they actually did research to solve the puzzle, rather than blindly guessing!
Here again was the question, now accompanied by the answer:
The word 煙たい (けむたい) can mean both "smoky" and "feeling awkward." Why would it have the second definition? Choose one answer:
a. Smoking is unnatural and feels awkward.
b. Smoke is hard to see through, just as a conversation without clarity feels awkward.
c. It's awkward to ask someone to put out a cigarette.
d. People want to stay away from smoky places. Similarly, if one feels awkward with a certain person, one wants to avoid him or her.
The answer is d.
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The Joy o' Kanji Missions
• Helping you learn and love kanji through fun, photo-filled essays
• Giving you access to the deepest parts of the script, language, and culture
• Revealing the character of characters and the kanji (感じ) of kanji (漢字)
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The Joy o' Kanji Goal
Writing 1 essay about each of
the 2,136 Joyo kanji
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Progress to Date
413 essays posted
on the site
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What Joy o' Kanji Offers
• Essays to buy individually (just $1.99), in bundles (from $9.45 to $39.99), or with a subscription ($85 for all content created to date!)
• JOKIA photo albums (just $.50) that bring characters to life through pictures
• Free JOK Notebook entries, which are blogs about my kanji discoveries
• Free Radical Notes about each radical, supplemented by Radical Terms
• More free writing about kanji, such as Thematic Explorations and a Glossary
• Ulrike's Mnemonics, which are free memory tricks for each Joyo kanji
• Kanji Kaimono, a store chock-full of beautiful items with kanji on the surface, supplied by vendors from around the world
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Our partner Kanshudo sells joint subscriptions to Joy o' Kanji and Kanshudo. If you subscribe to both sites in one fell swoop instead of buying two separate subscriptions, it will save you considerable money. Monthly, annual, and lifetime subscriptions are all available. To learn more, check out subscription options. |
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Have You Gone Crazy for Kanji? |
Signed copies of my book are available
exclusively on Kanji Kaimono!
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Become a Socialite!
If you contribute just $5 a month on the crowdfunding site Patreon, I'll email you each new essay! What convenience! Any level of giving will help keep Joy o' Kanji running!
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Connect with Joy o' Kanji on these social media sites:
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Have a wonderful, kanji-full August!
JOYOusly yours,
Eve (and the rest of the Joy o' Kanji team)
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