Archive for the 'On Kanji' Category

Rough Handling: Part 3, June 19, 2009
I wonder if you know how to say the following things in Japanese: He’s free with his money. She has a rough way of talking. My boss is a slave driver. No? How have you been getting by so far? Don’t you need … More

Aiding and Abetting: Part 2, June 12, 2009
If you saw the following, what would you think the word meant: 山荒 (yamaarashi: mountain + rough)? The kanji 荒 (KŌ, ara(i), ara-, a(reru), a(rasu), -a(rashi): rough, crude, natural, wild) contains the “grass” radical 艹, so maybe this … More

Wild and Wasted: Part 1, June 5, 2009
If I saw the following word out of context, I would puzzle over the breakdown: 大荒れ (ōare: great storm: big + being wild). I would wonder, exactly who or what is big and being wild? An untamed horse or a pro wrestler would come to mind. The breakdown even sounds illicit, like something in an ad for erotic services … More

Strong Arm of the Lawless, May 29, 2009
To “strong-arm” someone, we use threats or intimidation to coerce that person into doing what we want. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say “we.” I like inclusiveness, but I’m not sure “we” serves me too well here. (I also like to be a bit more discreet about my use of threats and intimidation.) … More

Sidelong Glance: Part 5, May 22, 2009
Let’s say you encountered this sentence: 新聞はあなたの脇にあります。 You likely know 新聞 as shinbun (newspaper, new + hearsay), so you could read the whole sentence, except perhaps for one troublesome character smack-dab in the center. Trying to work around it, you would have … More

Deep Breathing: Part 4, May 15, 2009
If you asked me to refer in Japanese to four species of Antarctic penguins, I might try to squeeze ペンギン (pengin: penguin), 4種類 (yon shurui: four kinds), and いる (iru: to exist) into a sentence. In the penguin sign I’ve mentioned … More

Comparatively Speaking: Part 3, May 8, 2009
Two weeks ago, I introduced the following sentence: ペンギンと背比べ！南極に生息する4種類のペンギンの脇に立ち、あなたの身長と比較してみて下さい。… More

Slipping Downhill and Scaling Summits: Part 2, May 1, 2009
It’s May 1. So what does that mean for us? Well, it’s a holiday in many parts of the world, but not for me, so that definitely wasn’t on my mind. Wrong answer! May 1 is also my husband’s birthday. Happy birthday! This year, after my birthday rolls around, we’ll both have … More

Going to Extremes: Part 1, April 24, 2009
First off, there’s some housekeeping to attend to; I promised that today I would provide answers to the most recent contest and make the winners famous. The top three contestants did a great job. They also happened to be the only contestants! Congratulations to … More

Tinged with Melancholy: Part 2, April 17, 2009
As a multicultural citizen of the world, you’ve probably left your hometown behind. You may miss it occasionally, but what do you miss? The way the hills and valleys came together, a river running through it? The scent of honeysuckle in summers, and the crickets that never stopped chirping? The brilliant autumn displays, and the heavy snows in winter? Do you miss … More

It Takes a Village: Part 1, April 10, 2009
Today we’ll start with a Verbal Logic Quiz! But first, consider this compound: 郷土 (kyōdo: native place; birthplace; old home)     village + soil. If you come from Kyoto, you’re lucky, because you can say this: … More

Contest Results and Cherry Blossoms, April 3, 2009
The contest results are in! Although I predicted that the high score might be 2 or 3 correct out of 8, I couldn’t have been more wrong! Out of 45 contestants, an astounding 21 had perfect scores! And it’s not as if … More

Odd One In, March 27, 2009
Here’s a Seinfeldian type of question: Have you ever wondered why we call odd numbers odd? After all, every other number is odd. What’s so strange about that? They’re hardly scarce. (By contrast, much scarcer numbers are called prime, as if they’re of great value, like prime rib or prime real estate.) I’d never considered the matter of numerical oddness until… More

A Contest and a Palindrome Puzzle, March 20, 2009
Today’s blog features two parts: a contest and a palindrome puzzle. They’re both challenging in their own ways, so 頑張ってください (Ganbatte kudasai: Good luck)! Back next week with a more typical blog! Do you want to win a copy of … More

Crazy in Love: Part 4, March 13, 2009
When an actor wins an award for a film, one rarely hears a profound acceptance speech. But that’s what happened in January. At the Golden Globes, Colin Farrell won “Best Actor in a Motion Picture—Musical Or Comedy” for In Bruges, a movie I adored. And when he accepted the honor, he equated curiosity to love. “Aha!” I thought. “That’s exactly right!” When you’re passionately in love with someone or something, you … More

Losing One’s Marbles: Part 3, March 6, 2009
If you’ve got a good head, you’re smart. That works in both English and Japanese: 頭がいい (atama ga ii: smart)   head + good. And if you have a bad head? Well, that doesn’t make a lot of sense in English (possibly suggesting a headache), but in Japanese the logic continues:
: … More

Mucha Confusion: Part 2, February 27, 2009
Am I crazy? Not long ago, one of my Japanese-language partners told me this: むちゃがしたくなる。 I had no idea what he was saying, so he wrote it down (thank goodness for Skype’s chatting features!) as follows: … More

Unbridled Enthusiasm: Part 1, February 20, 2009
Am I crazy? Who’s to say? By Einstein’s definition, I may well be. He said insanity was repeatedly doing the same thing while hoping for a different outcome. As I write this, I’m drinking caffeinated tea at 7 p.m. All the while, I’m telling myself that it won’t affect my sleep. At some deeper level, I also know that … More

On Permission and Forgiveness, February 13, 2009
When my husband read the Sunday New York Times this week, he came upon some kanji in a photo and decided to give me a quiz. Covering all the surrounding English, he said, “You don’t get any context. See if you can read this.” Here’s what it said: … More

My Cup Runneth Over, February 6, 2009
Last week I mentioned that an email from Japan had left me scratching my head about one word. Actually, more than one word in the letter had that effect! The following sentences also gave me… More