White

by Nao

shiro, shira, haku, paku, byaku

We will pick up some colors this month. The color white is shiro. Shiro-i is white, an adjective. Snow White is Shirayukihime. Yuki is snow and hime is a princess.

In a sumo match, a victory mark is shiroboshi, which is a white star. A black star is a loss.

A white night is byakuya. Ya means a night.

Your 99^th birthday is celebrated as hakuju. Ju is longevity. This character misses one stroke, that is, ichi (one), from hyaku (a hundred). Hence, 100 minus one equals 99.

1. Draw the sweeping dot. This dot goes toward the next stroke, looking like a quotation mark.
2. Draw the vertical line, which is the left side of the square.
3. Draw the right-angled hook, making a nice shoulder.
4. Draw the horizontal line which separate the space inside the square equally.
5. Draw the horizontal line at the bottom.