CHAPTER 6 (KANJI 101-120)

KANJI 101

美 BEAUTIFUL

MEANING

Used for all things beautiful, this character lives up to its name in a visual sense as well. Take care with the stroke order by writing the components as listed.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

The Zulu, along with several other tribes in southern Africa, equate large size with being BEAUTIFUL. A king, therefore, will make good use of the region’s rabbit population to grow as large as possible, through eating incredible amounts of a filling rabbit stew. Read from the top down, the kanji shows this process clearly: rabbit goes into king…king becomes as large a sumo wrestler… large is BEAUTIFUL.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: BI (ビ)

Common kun reading: utsuku (うつく)

kun-yomi suggestion: “fruits cooling”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

The following is a very common irregular reading.

IRREGULAR READING
美味しい*	beautiful + taste = delicious	oi·shii おい·しい

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
美しい	beautiful	utsuku·shii うつく·しい
美人	beautiful + person = beautiful woman	BI·JIN ビ·ジン
美化	beautiful + change = beautification	BI·KA ビ·カ
美学	beautiful + study = aesthetics	BI·GAKU ビ·ガク

SAMPLE SENTENCE

山 の 木 が 美しい です。

yama no ki ga utsuku·shii desu.

mountain trees beautiful

= The trees on the mountain are beautiful.

COMPONENT 102

DINOSAUR

KANJI 102

島 ISLAND

MEANING

Island.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

OK, so I have this great idea for a movie. It’s set on an ISLAND, but what makes this ISLAND interesting is that some dinosaurs are still living on one of its mountains! It’s a blockbuster concept, and though I’m still working out the details, I’ve already decided on a title: “Jurassic ISLAND”.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: TŌ (トウ)

Common kun reading: shima (しま)

The kun-yomi for this kanji is often voiced when in the final position, as in the second compound below. Note also the voiced reading for 国 in the third example.

kun-yomi suggestion: “she maps”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
島	island	shima しま
小島	small + island = small island	ko·jima こ·じま
島国	island + country = island nation	shima·guni しま·ぐに
半島	half + island = peninsula	HAN·TŌ ハン·トウ
本島	main + island = main island	HON·TŌ ホン·トウ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

オーストラリア と 日本 は 島国 です。

Ōsutoraria to NI·HON wa shima·guni desu.

Australia Japan island nation

= Australia and Japan are island nations.

KANJI 103

寸 TINY

MEANING

Tiny.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

How TINY, you ask? Well, given that the soccer player in this illustration is life-size…pretty TINY. This kanji, as the lack of compounds below makes clear, will be much more important for us as a component than a character on its own; the tiny soccer player will be used to suggest it in all future stories.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SUN (スン)

Common kun reading: none

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi reading in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
一寸	one + tiny = a tiny bit	IS·SUN イッ·スン
寸前	tiny + before = immediately before	SUN·ZEN スン·ゼン

SAMPLE SENTENCE

出かける 寸前 に 高木さん を 見ました。

de·kakeru SUN·ZEN ni Taka·gi-san o mi·mashita.

leave immediately before Takagi-san saw

= I saw Takagi-san just before I left.

KANJI 104

寺 TEMPLE

MEANING

(Buddhist) temple.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Tiny soccer players are always in danger of being pushed around by their opponents. As a result of this, they usually become known as fearless defenders who protect their positions at all costs — treating even the tiniest piece of earth they occupy like a TEMPLE that must not be defiled. A TEMPLE in which it is permitted to wear cleats, of course.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: JI (ジ)

Common kun reading: tera (てら)

The kun-yomi becomes voiced when not in the first position, as it does below in the third example. The final compound can also be read by the respective kun-yomi: furu·dera (ふ る·でら).

kun-yomi suggestion: “tear apples”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
寺	temple	tera てら
寺田さん	temple + rice field = Terada-san	tera·da·san てら·だ·さん
山寺	mountain + temple = mountain temple	yama·dera やま·でら
古寺	old + temple = old temple	KO·JI コ·ジ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

山寺 の 古い 門 の 下 で 休みました。

yama·dera no furu·i MON no shita de yasu·mimashita.

mountain temple old gate under rested

= (We) rested under the old gate of the mountain temple.

KANJI 105

先 PRECEDE

MEANING

This character has a multitude of meanings, all of them derived from the general sense of “preceding”, or the idea of an object “ahead” in a literal or figurative way. Depending on the context in which it appears, this kanji can signify the “tip” or “point” of something, the general future (or the specific past, when used as in the third compound), or a destination. It can also refer to people in the sense of “the other party”.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Most people are unaware that Tchaikovsky deleted a jelly bean character from his ballet “The Nutcracker”. This jelly bean was to always PRECEDE the Sugar Plum Fairy onstage, then be pinned to the earth and devoured by her at the end of the work (she by this time having been driven wild with sugar cravings). It was an edgy scene, but fortunately for ballet lovers everywhere, Tchaikovsky concluded it was incompatible with what PRECEDED, and decided to remove the jelly bean character altogether.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SEN (セン)

Common kun reading: saki (さき)

kun-yomi suggestion: “sack eels”. If using your own idea for this kun-yomi, keep in mind that Japan’s famous rice wine is pronounced sake (さけ), and should not be confused with the reading of this character.

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
先	precede; point; tip	saki さき
先生	precede + life = teacher	SEN·SEI セン·セイ
先月	precede + moon (month) = last month	SEN·GETSU セン·ゲツ
口先	mouth + precede = lip service	kuchi·saki くち·さき

SAMPLE SENTENCE

先生 は 冬休み に 日本アルプス ヘ 行きました。

SEN·SEI wa fuyu yasu·mi ni NI·HON arupusu e i·kimashita.

teacher winter vacation Japanese Alps went

= (Our) teacher went to the Japanese Alps for winter vacation.

COMPONENT 106

PICNIC TABLE

Admittedly, this is not the most comfortable-looking picnic table.

KANJI 106

開 OPEN

MEANING

Open. Secondary meanings include “starting”, and the idea of “developing” things (in the sense of opening or reclaiming land, for example).

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Their picnic thrown into chaos by the sight of Visigoths on the horizon, the partiers ran desperately back to the castle. “OPEN the gates!”, “OPEN the gates!” they yelled to no avail, for nobody on the other side could hear them. It was only when the picnic table was used as a battering ram (thus breaking it) that the gates finally flew OPEN to let them in.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: KAI (カイ)

Common kun readings: a (あ); hira (ひら)

As a glance at the first three examples below suggests, this character can be a little tricky. In the general physical sense of “to open”, however, a·ku (あ·く) and a·keru (あ·ける) function as a normal intransitive/transitive verb pair. The word hira·ku, on the other hand, is more concerned with a metaphorical or non-physical sense of “opening”, and appears primarily in certain expressions (in the “opening”, for example, of a conference, of new lands, or of cherry blossoms). Expressing the sense of a shop’s front door being open would thus call for the verb a·ku, while conveying the idea of opening a business would require hira·ku.

In the first position, this kanji invariably takes the on-yomi.

kun-yomi suggestions: “appetite”; “he rapidly”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
開く (intr)	to be open	a·ku あ·く
開ける(tr)	to open (something)	a·keru あ·ける
開く(intr/tr)	to open; to develop	hira·ku ひら·く
開化	open + change = becoming civilized	KAI·KA カイ·カ
開国	open + country = to open up a country	KAI·KOKU カイ·コク
開会	open + meet = to open a meeting	KAI·KAI カイ·カイ
公開	public + open = open to the public	KŌ·KAI コウ·カイ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

水門 を 開けて 下さい。

SUI·MON o a·kete kuda·sai.

sluice gate open please

= Please open the sluice gate.

COMPONENT 107

GAS STOVE

KANJI 107

鳥 BIRD

MEANING

Bird.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

As recent archaeological evidence has shown, BIRDS were an important part of a dinosaur’s diet. Numerous cave drawings, in fact, show dinosaurs cooking BIRDS over gas stoves. This is interesting, for it has led some scholars to theorize that it was the dinosaurs’ clumsy use of gas stoves that led to their extinction. If this is true, it explains nicely how BIRDS have managed to survive to the present day.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: CHŌ (チョウ)

Common kun reading: tori (とり)

kun-yomi suggestion: “lavatory”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
鳥	bird	tori とり
白鳥	white + bird = swan	HAKU·CHŌ ハク·チョウ
小鳥	small + bird = small bird	ko·tori こ·とり
夜鳥	night + bird = nocturnal bird	YA·CHŌ ヤ·チョウ
愛鳥家	love + bird + house = bird lover	AI·CHŌ·KA アイ·チョウ·カ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

あの 青い 小鳥 の 名前 が 分かります か。

ano ao·i ko·tori no na·mae ga wa·karimasu ka.

that blue little bird name understand

= Do you know the name of that little blue bird?

KANJI 108

夕 EVENING

MEANING

Evening. At this time of day, our friend the moon is not yet entirely visible through the evening mist. No story required.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: none

Common kun reading: yū (ゆう)

kun-yomi suggestion: “ukulele”

Create your sentence to remember the kun-yomi reading in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: SEKI (セキ)

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
夕べ	evening	yū·be ゆう·べ
夕日	evening + sun = setting sun	yū·hi ゆう·ひ
夕立	evening + stand = late afternoon (rain) shower	yū·dachi ゆう·だち

SAMPLE SENTENCE

山 から 見る 夕日 が 美しい。

yama kara mi·ru yū·hi ga utsuku·shii.

river from see setting sun beautiful

= The setting sun is beautiful when seen from the mountain.

KANJI 109

外 OUTSIDE

MEANING

Outside. The idea of “foreign” or “other” is also present, as the third example below makes clear. The less common readings convey some secondary meanings of removal and disconnection.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

There is a very rigid hierarchy in the world of figure skating. When evening arrives, for instance, the arenas are often so full that the poor figure skaters are forced OUTSIDE. Unfortunately, the frozen puddles on the OUTSIDE parking lot do not provide nearly enough room for jumps.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: GAI (ガイ)

Common kun reading: soto (そと)

kun-yomi suggestion: “so toasty”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: GE (ゲ)

Less common kun readings: hoka (ほか); hazu (はず)

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
外	outside	soto そと
外見	outside + see = external appearance	GAI·KEN ガイ·ケン
外国人	outside + country + person = foreigner	GAI·KOKU·JIN ガイ·コク·ジン
外出	outside + exit = going out	GAI·SHUTSU ガイ·シュツ
海外	sea + outside = overseas	KAI·GAI カイ·ガイ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

日本 には 外国人 が 多い。

NI·HON niwa GAI·KOKU·JIN ga ō·i.

Japan foreigners many

= There are many foreigners in Japan.

KANJI 110

舌 TONGUE

MEANING

Tongue.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Interesting fact: a survey showed that Thousand Island dressing was a favorite amongst vampires. “It’s very pleasing to the TONGUE,” said one, “and it doesn’t have any…unfortunate ingredients.” Manufacturers of garlic-based dressings, it seems, need to take the TONGUES of vampires more into account if they want access to this market segment.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: none

Common kun reading: shita (した)

kun-yomi suggestion: “she taps”

Create your sentence to remember the kun-yomi reading in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: ZETSU (ゼツ)

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUND
舌	tongue	shita した

SAMPLE SENTENCE

内田さん は 舌 に ピアス を しました。

Uchi·da-san wa shita ni piasu o shimashita.

Uchida-san tongue piercing did

= Uchida-san got her tongue pierced.

COMPONENT 111

BANANA PEELS

KANJI 111

図 DIAGRAM

MEANING

Diagram/Drawing. By extension comes the idea of “planning”.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

“You have to be sly if you’re going to break out of this prison,” my cellmate told me as I settled in. “The guards won’t allow us any pens so there’s no way to draw up an escape DIAGRAM. That’s why I have these.” He placed a couple of moldy jelly beans and some rotting banana peels on my bunk. “These jelly beans will be us,” he whispered, “and the banana peels will represent the guards. It’s not much, but we can plan our break using these as a DIAGRAM.”

I nodded. My time in prison, it seemed, was not only going to be long, but more boring than I could have possibly imagined.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON readings: ZU (ズ); TO (ト)

Common kun reading: none

ZU is the more common reading. Note in the second example below how effectively Japanese can express complex English words.

Create your on-yomi keywords and enter them in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: haka (はか)

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
図工	diagram + craft = drawing and manual arts	ZU·KŌ ズ·コウ
心電図	heart + electric + diagram = electrocardiogram	SHIN·DEN·ZU シン·デン·ズ
海図	sea + diagram = nautical chart	KAI·ZU カイ·ズ
意図	mind + diagram = (one’s) aim	I·TO イ·ト

SAMPLE SENTENCE

心電図 モニター を 見せて 下さい。

SHIN·DEN·ZU monitā o mi·sete kuda·sai.

electrocardiogram monitor show please

= Please show me the electrocardiogram monitor.

KANJI 112

立 STAND

MEANING

Stand/Rise. No story required.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: RITSU (リツ)

Common kun reading: ta (た)

Consistent with other on-yomi ending in TSU (ツ), RITSU “doubles up” with unvoiced consonant sounds that follow it, as the fifth example below demonstrates. It can also act like 買 (Entry 50) and become voiced in the second position. The final compound shows these aspects of its meaning.

kun-yomi suggestion: “tax”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: RYŪ (リュウ)

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
立つ (intr)	to stand	ta·tsu た·つ
立てる (tr)	to set up	ta·teru た·てる
自立	self + stand = independence	JI·RITSU ジ·リツ
中立	middle + stand = neutrality	CHŪ·RITSU チュウ·リツ
立春	stand + spring = first day of spring	RIS·SHUN リッ·シュン
立ち入る	stand + enter = to go into	ta·chi i·ru た·ち い·る
夕立	evening + stand = late afternoon (rain) shower	yū·dachi ゆう·だち

SAMPLE SENTENCE

女 の 人 が 美しい 月 の 下 に 立っています。

onna no hito ga utsuku·shii tsuki no shita ni tat·te imasu.

woman person beautiful moon under is standing

= The woman is standing under a beautiful moon.

KANJI 113

親 PARENT

MEANING

“Parent”, together with the senses of intimacy and closeness.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

When she was young, her PARENTS would often sing the following ditty:

“Stand on a tree,
And what do you see?
Your PARENTS! Your PARENTS!”

It was cute, of course, but they really should have stopped at some point. After all, it wasn’t easy for her as a university student having to answer the question “What’s up with your PARENTS and that dumb song?”

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SHIN (シン)

Common kun reading: oya (おや)

kun-yomi suggestion: “coy about”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: shita (した)

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
親	parent	oya おや
父親	father + parent = father	chichi·oya ちち·おや
親子	parent + child = parent and child	oya·ko おや·こ
肉親	meat + parent = blood relative	NIKU·SHIN ニク·シン
母親	mother + parent = mother	haha·oya はは·おや
親切	parent + cut = kindhearted	SHIN·SETSU シン·セツ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

中川さん の 父親 は 山 が 大好き です。

Naka·gawa-san no chichi·oya wa yama ga DAI su·ki desu.

Nakagawa-san father mountain really likes

= Nakagawa-san’s father really likes the mountains.

KANJI 114

星 STAR

MEANING

Star.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

When the sun is shining over your life, it’s impossible not to feel like a STAR. A famous STAR like Sirius, mind you, not one of those dim ones nobody cares about.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SEI (セイ)

Common kun reading: hoshi (ほし)

kun-yomi suggestion: “tally ho, Sheeba!”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: SHŌ (ショウ)

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
星	star	hoshi ほし
水星	water + star = Mercury (planet)	SUI·SEI スイ·セイ
金星	gold + star = Venus (planet)	KIN·SEI キン·セイ
火星	fire + star = Mars (planet)	KA·SEI カ·セイ
木星	tree + star = Jupiter (planet)	MOKU·SEI モク·セイ
土星	earth + star = Saturn (planet)	DO·SEI ド·セイ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

あの 明るい 星 は 金星 だ と 思います か。

ano aka·rui hoshi wa KIN·SEI da to omo·imasu ka.

that bright star Venus think

= Do you think that bright “star” is Venus?

COMPONENT 115

CROPS

When this component appears it usually indicates a kanji with some connection to crops and harvesting.

KANJI 115

秋 AUTUMN

MEANING

Autumn.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

No need for a long story here, given that the origin of this graceful character is clearly apparent, AUTUMN being the time when fire was set to the stubble of crops left after harvesting.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SHŪ (シュウ)

Common kun reading: aki (あき)

Note the great four-kanji compound in the third example below.

kun-yomi suggestion: “stack easily”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
秋	autumn	aki あき
立秋	stand + autumn = first day of autumn	RIS·SHŪ リッ·シュウ
春夏 秋冬	spring + summer + autumn + winter = the four seasons; year round	SHUN·KA·SHŪ·TŌ シュン·カ·シュウ·トウ
秋空	autumn + empty (sky) = autumn sky	aki·zora あき·ぞら
秋分	autumn + part = autumnal equinox	SHŪ·BUN シュウ·ブン

SAMPLE SENTENCE

秋 には 日本 の 山 が 美しい。

aki ni wa NI·HON no yama ga utsuku·shii.

autumn Japan mountain beautiful

= Japan’s mountains are beautiful in autumn.

COMPONENT 116

WHISKEY JUG

It’s hard to imagine many whiskey drinkers being happy about the stopper for this jug taking up so much room!

KANJI 116

西 WEST

MEANING

West.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Everyone knows there were a lot of alcohol problems in the wild WEST. Fittingly, a drained whiskey jug is used to show this.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SEI (セイ)

Common kun reading: nishi (にし)

kun-yomi suggestion: “honey shield”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: SAI (サイ)

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
西	west	nishi にし
西口	west + mouth = west exit/entrance	nishi·guchi にし·ぐち
北西	north + west = northwest	HOKU·SEI ホク·セイ
北北西	north + north + west = north-northwest	HOKU·HOKU·SEI ホク·ホク·セイ
南西	south + west = southwest	NAN·SEI ナン·セイ
南南西	south + south + west = south-southwest	NAN·NAN·SEI ナン·ナン·セイ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

西口 から 出て 父 に 会いました。

nishi·guchi kara de·te chichi ni a·imashita.

west exit exit father met

= (She) left by the west exit and met her father.

KANJI 117

刀 SWORD

MEANING

Sword. No story required.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: TŌ (トウ)

Common kun reading: katana (かたな)

kun-yomi suggestion: “make a tan apple”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
刀	sword	katana かたな
刀工	sword + craft = sword maker	TŌ·KŌ トウ·コウ
日本刀	sun + main + sword = Japanese sword	NI·HON·TŌ ニ·ホン·トウ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

先月 東京 で 日本刀 を 買いました。

SEN·GETSU TŌ·KYŌ de NI·HON·TŌ o ka·imashita.

last month Tokyo Japanese sword bought

= Last month I bought a Japanese sword in Tokyo.

KANJI 118

切 CUT

MEANING

Cut. When the kun-yomi is used as a suffix it can impart a sense of completely finishing something, or acting in a decisive manner. The final compound provides an example.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Seven samurai means seven swords, and seven swords can mean trouble on the set:

“For the last time,” said the director, exasperated, “when I yell “CUT”, it does not mean to CUT each other.”

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SETSU (セツ)

Common kun reading: ki (き)

As can be seen in the fourth example, this is another kanji that behaves like 買.

kun-yomi suggestion: “quiche”

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: SAI (サイ)

Less common kun reading: none

As the kun-yomi of 切 “doubles up” with the kanji following it in this next pair of words, these compounds are best learned as irregular readings.

IRREGULAR READINGS
切手	cut + hand = postage stamp	kit·te きっ·て
切符*	cut + symbol = ticket	kip·pu きっ·プ

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
切れる (intr)	to break (by itself)	ki·reru き·れる
切る (tr)	to cut (something)	ki·ru き·る
切り下 げる	cut + lower = to devalue	ki·ri sa·geru き·り さ·げる
切下げ	cut + lower = devaluation	kiri sa·ge きり さ·げ
親切	parent + cut = kindhearted	SHIN·SETSU シン·セツ
大切	large + cut = important	TAI·SETSU タイ·セツ
思い切 る	think + cut = to make up one’s mind	omo·i ki·ru おも·い き·る

SAMPLE SENTENCE

水力 と 火力 は 大切 です ね。

SUI·RYOKU to KA·RYOKU wa TAI·SETSU desu ne.

hydro power thermal power important

= Hydro and thermal power are important, aren’t they?

COMPONENT 119

SQUIRRELS (ON A BRICK WALL)

Why are they hanging out on a brick wall? ’Cause they’re tough, that’s why.

KANJI 119

曜 DAY OF THE WEEK

MEANING

Day of the week.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

Every DAY OF THE WEEK the squirrels sit on their brick wall and wait for the sun to come up. Once it does, it becomes light enough for each to grab a comb and start slicking back his fur in order to look tough. This is always necessary. After all, every DAY OF THE WEEK is a struggle if you’re a squirrel.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: YŌ (ヨウ)

Common kun reading: none

Remember that the final kanji in each compound below is read with its kun-yomi (in voiced form). Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi reading in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
日曜日	sun + day of the week + sun (day) = Sunday	NICHI·YŌ·bi ニチ·ヨウ·び
月曜日	moon + day of the week + sun (day) = Monday	GETSU·YŌ·bi ゲツ·ヨウ·び
火曜日	fire + day of the week + sun (day) = Tuesday	KA·YŌ·bi カ·ヨウ·び
水曜日	water + day of the week + sun (day) = Wednesday	SUI·YŌ·bi スイ·ヨウ·び
木曜日	tree + day of the week + sun (day) = Thursday	MOKU·YŌ·bi モク·ヨウ·び
金曜日	gold + day of the week + sun (day) = Friday	KIN·YŌ·bi キン·ヨウ·び
土曜日	earth + day of the week + sun (day) = Saturday	DO·YŌ·bi ド·ヨウ·び

SAMPLE SENTENCE

土曜日 に パーティー が あります。

DO·YŌ·bi ni pātī ga arimasu.

Saturday party is

= There’s a party on Saturday.

KANJI 120

周 AROUND

MEANING

“Around”, as in the sense of a lap or circuit.

REMEMBERING THIS KANJI

If a gorilla and vampire show up at your local square dance, you’d best be gettin’ outta their way. Reason being that they’ll spin AROUND and AROUND, tramplin’ the earth and anything else that gets between ’em. Yup, there’s no gettin’ AROUND it: they ain’t exactly graceful.

COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Common ON reading: SHŪ (シュウ)

Common kun reading: none

Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi reading in the box below.

LESS COMMON PRONUNCIATIONS

Less common ON reading: none

Less common kun reading: none

COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS
円周	circle + around = circumference	EN·SHŪ エン·シュウ
周回	around + rotate = going around	SHŪ·KAI シュウ·カイ
一周	one + around = once around	IS·SHŪ イッ·シュウ

SAMPLE SENTENCE

寺田さん は ニュージーランド を 一周 しました。

Tera·da-san wa Nyūjīrando o IS·SHŪ shimashita.

Terada-san New Zealand once around did

= Terada-san did a circuit of New Zealand.

CHAPTER 6 REVIEW EXERCISES

A. Please match the following kanji to their meanings.

1. 立	a. Bird
2. 星	b. Autumn
3. 切	c. Star
4. 鳥	d. Temple
5. 秋	e. Outside
6. 外	f. Stand
7. 美	g. Cut
8. 先	h. West
9. 寺	i. Beautiful
10. 西	j. Precede

B. Please match the following meanings to their kanji, and these to their on or kun-yomi.

1. Island	a. 刀	1. ZU (ズ)
2. Parent	b. 図	2. oya (おや)
3. Day of the week	c. 寸	3. SHŪ (シュウ)
4. Tiny	d. 夕	4. shita (した)
5. Sword	e. 開	5. katana (かたな)
6. Around	f. 親	6. YŌ (ヨウ)
7. Evening	g. 舌	7. shima (しま)
8. Open	h. 曜	8. yū (ゆう)
9. Tongue	i. 島	9. a (あ)
10. Diagram	j. 周	10. SUN (スン)

C. Please choose the best answer(s) to the following questions.

1. Which of the following readings apply to the kanji 鳥?

a. AI (アイ)

b. tori (とり)

c. hoshi (ほし)

d. SHŪ (シュウ)

e. CHŌ (チョウ)

2. Which of the following readings apply to the kanji 星?

a. SEI (セイ)

b. soto (そと)

c. BUN (ブン)

d. hoshi (ほし)

e. ZU (ズ)

3. Which of the following presents the greatest danger to a newly-washed car?

a. 夕

b. 星

c. 鳥

d. 外

e. 舌

4. Which of the following readings apply to the kanji 秋?

a. BI (ビ)

b. a (あ)

c. tera (てら)

d. SHŪ (シュウ)

e. aki (あき)

5. Which of the following readings apply to the kanji 先?

a. saki (さき)

b. YŌ (ヨウ)

c. SEN (セン)

d. yū (ゆう)

e. JI (ジ)

D. Please choose the best answer(s) to the following questions.

1. Which is the correct reading of 美しい?

a. ara·shii (あら·しい)

b. tama·shii (たま·しい)

c. mawa·shii (まわ·しい)

d. utsuku·shii (うつく·しい)

2. Which answer best captures the meaning of the compound 月曜日?

a. Sunday

b. Thursday

c. Monday

d. Saturday

e. All of the preceding

3. Which of the following kanji has the most number of strokes?

a. 開

b. 鳥

c. 美

d. 秋

e. 星

4. Which is the correct reading of 立つ?

a. ta·tsu (た·つ)

b. u·tsu (う·つ)

c. ma·tsu (ま·つ)

d. ka·tsu (か·つ)

5. Which are the correct readings of 開く? (There are two possible answers.)

a. o·ku (お·く)

b. a·ku (あ·く)

c. ama·ku (あま·く)

d. hira·ku (ひら·く)

E. Please match the following compounds and words to their meanings and pronunciations.

1. 木曜日	a. Setting sun	1. SHIN·SETSU (シン·セツ)
2. 自立	b. Mars (planet)	2. HAN·TŌ (ハン·トウ)
3. 親切	c. Beautiful woman	3. MOKU·YŌ·bi (モク·ヨウ·び)
4. 先生	d. Independence	4. yū·hi (ゆう·ひ)
5. 西口	e. Foreigner	5. nishi·guchi (にし·ぐち)
6. 火星	f. Peninsula	6. KA·SEI (カ·セイ)
7. 夕日	g. Thursday	7. SEN·SEI (セン·セイ)
8. 外国人	h. Kindhearted	8. GAI·KOKU·JIN (ガイ·コク·ジン)
9. 半島	i. West exit/ entrance	9. BI·JIN (ビ·ジン)
10. 美人	j. Teacher	10. JI·RITSU (ジ·リツ)