Record

by Nao

shiru-su, ki

In daily conversations, you would never hear somebody say “shirusu,” meaning “to write down” or “to take a note of.” Even in written Japanese, “shirusu” doesn’t feel right although it is correct. Kakishirusu feels better. The verb “kinyūsuru,” which begins with this character, feels and sounds much more stable. Have seen the word “kinyū” in Japanese documents? They often say, “kinyūshitekudasai” or more politely “gokinyūkudasai.” Both mean, “Please fill this out.”

Let’s see some compounds. Nikki is a diary you use to record what happens in your life day by day. A diary you use to write down your schedule is not nikki but techō, of which the chō means a notebook. A travel journal is ryokōki, of which the ryokō means travel. Shuki is a personal account. Annals are “nen dai ki.” Articles in papers are kiji.

Kinen means commemoration and kinensuru means to commemorate. (About the verb –suru, you can find a brief explanation here). Kinenhin is a commemorative item or a keepsake. Kinenbi is a memorial day or an anniversary.

First, draw the left hand side of the character.

1. Draw the dot on the top.
2. Draw the horizontal stroke below the dot.
3. Draw the horizontal stroke below it.
4. Draw the horizontal stroke below it.
5. Begin to draw the rectangle. Draw the left side of the rectangle.
6. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
7. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
8. Draw the hook on the top.
9. Draw the horizontal stroke.
10. Draw the curve with an upward turn.