The Kanji Code
Page 17
突然
TOTSUZEN
abrupt, sudden
偶然
GUUZEN coincidence
全然
ZENZEN
not at all, no way!
(with negative verb),
wholly (with positive verb)
新鮮
SHINSEN fresh
禅
ZEN
dhyana (profound meditation)
(Buddhism), Zen
禅宗
ZENSHUU
Zen (Buddhism)
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6 Series
In this section, the visual similarities of the characters are easier to see when they are placed side by side. Viewed as a series, one character seems to morph into the next, the elements moving and reshaping while keeping the visual theme going. Since they all have the same or a similar ON
reading, it's a helpful way to remember the readings through association.
V37 The wool series MOU/BOU
毛 耗 網 亡 盲
毛
wool, MOU
fur, hair
耗
wear out MOU
網
net MOU
亡
deceased BOU
盲
blind MOU
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The first two characters in this series contain the wool character 毛 and origin of the katakana mo も. The third one here looks like a variation of that – as if the picture has been cut up into horizontal strips and pushed to the left and right. This truncation results in the dead component 亡, which appears in the final two characters. All of them contain a stroke that moves from the top left to the bottom right and looks like a fish hook.
毛布
MOUFU blanket
消耗
SHOUMOU
consumption, waste
通信網
TSUUSHINMOU
communications network
漁網
GYOMOU
fishing net
亡者
MOUJA
the dead
盲点
MOUTEN
blind spot (lit. blind dot)
文盲
MONMOU illiteracy
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V38 The five series GO/GOU
五 語 互 呉 誤 号
五
five
GO
語
language GO
互
mutual GO
呉
give, GO
Wu
Kingdom
誤
mistake GO
号
number GOU
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All of the characters in this group contain a square (the mouth radical 口) positioned near at least one horizontal line. The first character in this series contains the character for five 五, which is nestled between two horizontal lines. The next contains a miniature five on the top right.
In the third character, the square appears to have lifted up, so it is now suspended halfway between the two horizontal lines. This creates a step-like shape and a symmetrical ideograph that adeptly conveys the concept of mutuality 互. From here, the top line disappears and the square again appears to lift up. The step shape remains, and in the resulting character the square seems to be hovering over a chair 呉.
This element appears again on the right side of the next character.
Finally, the chair shape seems to sink below the horizontal line, leaving the square hovering above in 号.
五
GO five
五感
GOKAN
the five senses
日本語
NIHONGO
Japanese language
英語
EIGO
English language
互換
GOKAN
interchange, compatible
(e.g. computer operating system)
呉越同舟
GOETSU
bitter enemies (placed by fate)
DOUSHUU
in the same boat
正誤
SEIGO
right or wrong, correction
誤解
GOKAI misunderstanding
番号
BANGOU number
号令
GOUREI
order, command
10号車
JUUGOUSHA
carriage No. 10
(e.g. on a shinkansen ticket)
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V39 The boundary series KON
根 昆 混 婚
根
root
昆
elder brother
混
mix, confuse
婚
marriage
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The characters in this group are linked by a combination of the sun radical 日 and another component either on top or below. The first character contains the boundary radical and KON phonetic 艮, which is composed of a sun with two ‘legs’ below it. The left leg is sturdy and has a short stroke that resembles a foot. The right stroke looks like a slightly skew-whiff spoon radical 匕. In the next character, a short horizontal stroke is added to the left leg and the spoon radical is fully formed, resulting in the compare radical 比. The same combination of sun and compare recurs in the third character with the addition of the water radical 氵.
In the final character, the sun and legs reverse their positions, and compare morphs into the family radical 氏.
根拠
KONKYO
basis, foundation
昆虫
KONCHUU insect
昆布
KONBU kelp
混乱
KONRAN
disorder, chaos
結婚
KEKKON marriage
結婚式
KEKKONSHIKI wedding ceremony
婚約
KONYAKU engagement
婚約者
KONYAKUSHA fiancé
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V40 The nine series KYUU
九 灸 急 級
九
nine
灸
moxibustion
急
urgent
級
level
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This series starts with nine 九 which is KYUU in Japanese and is a character that flouts the standard stroke order rules. Usually the horizontal line goes first, but here the vertical line does. It is crossed by a horizontal line that changes direction midway, creating a zigzag effect. In the next character 灸, a similar shape can be seen on the top, which also looks like a katakana ku ク. In the third character, the same shape is squashed down so it looks like a head – it sits on top of a katakana yo ヨ. In the right part of the final character, the KU shape elongates and not only hooks out to the right, but also doubles back on itself toward the left, creating another zigzag 及 (the KYUU phonetic component).
Connotation: There is a mathematical connotation to the number nine and level. KYUU can also carry a sense of urgency as in the word emergency 救急 (KYUUKYUU).
九百
KYUUHYAKU 900
九州
KYUUSHUU
Kyushu, Southern Japanese island
鍼灸
SHINKYUU
acupuncture and moxibustion
灸治
KYUUJI
treatment with moxa, cupping
急速
KYUUSOKU rapid
緊急
KINKYUU
urgent, emergenc
y
救急
KYUUKYUU
first-aid, emergency
救急車
KYUUKYUUSHA ambulance
上級
JOUKYUU
advanced level
ニ級
NIKYUU
Level 2 (e.g. of the JLPT)
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V41 The good series ROU/RYOU
良 郎 療 寮
良
good RYOU
郎
young man ROU
療
heal RYOU
寮
dormitory, hut RYOU
The first two characters in this series contain the good radical. The first is composed of the sun radical 日 hi, with two strokes below moving downward and to the right – the same ‘feet’ we saw in the KON phonetic 艮. The second character contains a condensed version of the good radical which has only one foot next to the right village radical. The third and fourth characters contain a similar combination of the sun radical 日
with three strokes below it – this time in the form of the small radical 小.
Connotation: All these characters have a positive connotation: good and to heal; a hut would have been a haven in prehistoric times; a young man carries a positive connotation across cultures.
良好
RYOUKOU favourable
良⼼
RYOUSHIN conscience
新郎
SHINROU bridegroom
医療
IRYOU
medical care, treatment
治療
CHIRYOU
cure, medical treatment
寮母
RYOUBO
housemother, dorm mother
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7 Blur your eyes
Kanji that look similar from afar
If you blur your eyes, you will see that these characters all have a similar overall shape, which can be used as a way to remember their ON readings.
V42 Graduate's cap KEI
系
system
渓 valley
契
promise
In a sea of parallel horizontal strokes, the gentle gradient of the top line on the first two characters in this group stands out. It reminds me of a graduate’s cap. The third character also contains a gentle gradient
– the bottom stroke of the top left component 契. In addition, all three characters have a bottom component that flares out, either the big radical 大 or the flanking strokes of 小.
系統
KEITOU
system, lineage
渓流
KEIRYUU
mountain stream
契約
KEIYAKU contract
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V43 Washing SEN先
previous
洗 wash
染
dye/colour
The first two characters in this series share the previous component 先.
The third resembles the others in terms of composition. It has the water radical on the left, a cross in the top section, and the branches of the tree radical 木 flare out in a similar way to the legs in the first two characters. Incidentally, they all come first in these common compounds.
先生
SENSEI teacher
先日
SENJITSU
the other day
洗顔
SENGAN
face washing
洗濯
SENTAKU
washing, laundry
染料
SENRYOU dye
染色
SENSHOKU
dyeing, staining
Significance of the number 3
The number 3 三 is pronounced san in Japanese, sān in Mandarin and sāam in Cantonese. The similarity between the sound for 三
and 生, meaning ‘life’ or ‘give birth’ in the Chinese language has imbued this number with a lucky connotation. It contrasts with the number four, which is unlucky in both Chinese and Japanese, because it shares an ON reading with 死 SHI meaning death. The number three is also significant for Buddhists who go for refuge to the Three Jewels or Three Treasures: the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings) and the Sangha (spiritual community).
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8 Symbolic links
These characters are linked by symbolism, which can be associated with their ON reading to aid with memorisation.
V44 Lucky number three SEN/SAN
三
山
three SAN mountain SAN
千
占
thousand SEN
fortune-telling SEN
川
river SEN
The characters in this group are united by the fact that they each reflect the concept of three. The first character is three 三, which consists of three parallel horizontal lines and in Japanese is SAN. The character 1000
千 is also a number, and is also composed of three strokes – note also the three zeros. The next two kanji are pictographs that feature three parallel vertical lines and represent nature, in river 川 and mountain 山.
The final character in the group 占 has five strokes but can be split into three components: two lines and a square. It is also closely connected to the history of kanji, the earliest records of which were found on bones used for fortune-telling.
三 SAN
three
千円
SEN EN
1000 yen
千人力
SENNINRIKI
strength of a thousand men
千差万別
SENSA BANBETSU extremely varied and wide-ranging 河川
KASEN
river, stream
高山
KOUZAN
high mountain
登山
TOZAN
mountain climbing
八面山
HACHIMENZAN
mountain in Oita
占拠
SENKYO
occupation (of territory)
占星術
SENSEIJUTSU astrology
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V45 The water dragon RYUU
龍
dragon RYUU
竜
dragon RYUU
流
flow, current RYUU
滝
waterfall taki
An association with water and dragons connects the characters in this group. In Japanese mythology, dragons are strongly associated with bodies of water and usually live in an ocean or river. The first two characters 龍 and 竜 both mean dragon. The third character 流 visually resembles the simpler dragon. They both have a ‘head’ element on top and an element on the bottom that flows downward and curves to the right. In dragon it appears to be a tail, in flow it appears to be the curve of a river. The multiple lines of the river radical 川 in 流 seem to embody the idea of water flowing downwards. Teamed with the water radical this character has a strong connotation of water.
I have included the character for waterfall 滝 here, even though it has no ON reading and its kun reading is taki, to emphasise the symbolic connection in the Japanese language between water and dragons.
It is composed of the dragon character 竜 and the water radical氵.
Imagine a waterfall as a long, watery dragon.
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竜
RYUU
dragon, naga
(mythical serpent or cobra
creatures that appear in
Hindu and Buddhist scriptures)
竜頭蛇尾
RYUUTOU DABI anticlimax, strong beginning
but weak ending
(lit. dragon head, snake tail)
龍舟
&
nbsp; RYUUSHUU
dragon boat
龍馬
RYUUME
horse (Dragon Horse) (Shogi)
龍太郎
RYUUTAROU
boy’s name
流行
RYUUKOU
fashion, fad
流動
RYUUDOU flow
電流
DENRYUU
electric current
滝
taki waterfall
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APPENDICES
付
録
APPENDICES
REFERENCES
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013).
Draft F-10 Australian Curriculum: Languages: Japanese.
Baddeley, A. (1992). Working Memory. Science, 255 (50440).
Bentley, J. (2001). The Origin of Manʾyōgana. Bul etin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 64 (1).
Bernhardt, E. (1991). Reading development in a second language: Theoretical, empirical, and classroom perspectives. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Boiko, L. (2013). Testing the power of phonetic components in Japanese kanji.
Retrieved from: http://namakajiri.net
Bourke, B. (1996). Maximising efficiency in the kanji learning task.