Long

by Nao

ta-keru, naga-i, naga-sa, chō, chō-zuru

The adjective nagai means long. The noun nagasa means length. Today’s character and the character we uploaded the other day mean long and read nagai. The former looks more common for both meanings; the latter is not used for the length of something.

Only today’s character reads chō-zuru or chō. Chō-zuru is a verb meaning “to excel.” Chō means a leader, combined with other characters. For example, the titles of leaders often have this character. A president is shachō, of which the sha means a company. The director of a department is buchō, of which the bu means a department. A section chief is kachō, of which the ka means section. A subsection chief is kakarichō, of which the kakari means a subsection. These titles form the Japanese corporate hierarchy. Other organizations also have leaders. A store manager is tenchō, of which the ten means a store. A principal is kōchō, of which the kō means a school. A mayor is shichō, of which the shi means a city.

Incidentally, the names of Nagano prefecture and Nagasaki prefecture begin with this character.

1. Draw the vertical stroke from the top to the middle of the character.
2. Draw the horizontal stroke on the top.
3. Draw the horizontal stroke below it.
4. Draw the horizontal stroke below it.
5. Draw the longest horizontal line.
6. Draw the vertical line below the first stroke.
7. Draw the stroke heading toward the dot below the horizontal line.
8. Draw the dot sweeping toward the previous stroke.
9. Draw the sweeping stroke that goes between the previous two strokes.

The sixth and seventh strokes are one stroke when you write this character with a pen.