Welcome to Kanji Curiosity!

I'm a freelance writer in Berkeley, California, and I've been fascinated by kanji ever since I started learning the characters in fall 2002. In particular, I'm drawn to kanji compounds (words combining two or more characters), because of the intriguing logic inherent in these verbal equations.... More on this

• Kanji Blog Post #142
  

  Your Mother as a Bag: Part 2, February 5, 2010
  We start with Alberto’s haiku calendar for February, another beauty. Wow, this haiku features some complex kanji! Alberto will tell us about the poem in the comments section. Meanwhile, here’s the scoop on the least familiar characters: … More

• Kanji Blog Post #141
  

  It’s in the Bag: Part 1, January 29, 2010
  Recently I’ve shown you koala and kangaroo pictures, and in the past I’ve posted pictures of dogs, giraffes, and yaks. By this point, you should be an expert in animal identification. Based on the breakdowns below, see if you can figure out… More

• Kanji Blog Post #140
  

  Happy Birthday to Whom? January 22, 2010
  What do you think the following word means?

  虚誕 (kyotan)

  The first kanji, 虚 (KYO, KO, muna(shii)), means “empty” or “false,” as we saw long ago. You may recognize 誕 from … More

• Kanji Blog Post #139
  

  Locating Your Longings: Part 4, January 15, 2010
  When you long for something or someone, do you think of that longing as having a particular location? Do you store it somewhere, such as your heart, mind, soul, or journal? I don’t feel as if my yearnings have specific addresses; they seem all-pervasive. But the following word hints at the idea that… More

• Kanji Blog Post #138
  

  Great Expectations: Part 3, January 8, 2010
  明けましておめでとうございます!（Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu! Happy New Year!). We’ve seen that this 明け means “to open, begin.” What I hadn’t seen until last week was this version … More

• Kanji Blog Post #137
  

  Hoping Against Hope: Part 2, December 18, 2009
  Around the holidays, people like to hear old stories again, whether they involve Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or the Ghost of Christmas Past. This time of year also fills people with hope, so much so that adults temporarily suspend fears of pedophilia and let their children sit on strange men’s laps to spout off consumerist fantasies…. More

• Kanji Blog Post #136
  

  The Wishing Star: Part 1, December 11, 2009
  I’d never thought about it before, but I’ve just realized that the English expression “looking forward” has two meanings: “gazing into the distance” and “happily anticipating.” One kanji captures both meanings. We usually interpret 望 (BŌ, MŌ, nozo(mu)) as meaning … More

• Kanji Blog Post #135
  

  Loose Ends: December 4, 2009
  Time for the final page of Alberto’s beautiful haiku calendar! Now that we’re at the last haiku of the year, I’d like to thank Alberto for the work he contributes to Kanji Curiosity. He puts an enormous amount of effort into … More

• Kanji Blog Post #134
  

  Wanderlust: Part 4, November 27, 2009
  Let’s start with a quick quiz. From past weeks you already know this kanji: 渡 (TO, wata(ru), wata(su): to cross, extend, cover, range, span; to ferry across; build across; hand over, hand in, transfer) … More

• Kanji Blog Post #133
  

  Special Delivery: Part 3, November 20, 2009
  I’ve discovered two new ways of offending the Japanese: 渡し箸 (watashibashi: resting one’s chopsticks across the top of one’s bowl)     to cross over + chopsticks … More