Phrase

"Phrase" by Nao

ku

When we talk about grammar rules or languages in general, ku means a phrase. Zekku is a situation in which you are too appalled to respond. It literally means vanishing phrases.

In literature, poems and a part of a poem are called ku. It is also a unit of Japanese short poems. Japanese poems such as haiku and tanka are counted by this unit. The ku of haiku is this character.

One haiku or one tanka is ikku; two, niku; three, sanku, and so on.

Tanka consists of “kami no ku” and “shimo no ku.” In both phrases, ku is today’s character. These phrases mean the upper part of tanka and the lower part of tanka, respectively. The former part is tanka’s first three lines composed of 5 syllabics, 7 and 5 and the latter part is its last two lines composed of 7 syllabics and 7.

1. Draw the sweeping stroke.
2. Draw the hook with an upward turn.
3. Begin to draw the rectangle. First, draw the left side of the rectangle.
4. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
5. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.

The kanji for “Phrase” with the stroke order and arrows showing directions.

Ditto

"Ditto" by Nao

In English, there is no word equivalent to this character. There is no particular reading for this character, either. If you are using a Japanese word processor, type “onaji” and you can get this character. It means the same. This character is used to avoid repetition of the same character. In the following words, for example, one character is used twice originally but we replace the second character with today’s character. Some of the second characters become a voiced sound of the first one.

• nennen … year after year
• tsukizuki … month after month
• hibi … day after day
• hitobito … people
• yamayama … mountains
• kigi … trees
• hanabana … flowers
• shinajina … products
• kamigami … gods
• kuchiguchi … With the particle ni, kuchiguchini is an adverb. If people say something kuchiguchini, each person says something.
• iroiro … variety
• sansangogo … This describes that small groups of people or things scatter. The second and fourth characters become today’s character.

You can see these words in Japanese -> here.

1. Draw the sweeping stroke.
2. Draw the hook.
3. Draw the dot.

Cry

"Cry" by Nao

na-ku, kyū

Naku is a verb meaning to cry, weep, or sob.

Hard and wailing cry is gōkyū. Gōkyūsuru therefore means to wail.

Sad movies make me cry. I can express such a feeling as “nakeru,” “nakaseru” or “nakasareru.” In these words, -keru, -kaseru, and -kasareru are all okurigana, that is, they are written in hiragana.

Let me give you some details. Movies are called eiga.

When you see “nakeru eiga,” you find yourself crying. The keru of nakeru has a spontaneous sense.

“Nakaseru eiga” makes you cry. When a movie makes you cry, you are in the state of nakasare and you can say, “nakasareta” or more politely, “nakasaremashita.” You can see these expressions in Japanese here.

1. Draw the dot in the upper-left corner of the character.
2. Draw the dot below it.
3. Draw the upward stroke in the lower-left corner. This stroke is heading toward the next stroke.
4. Draw the dot on the top.
5. Draw the horizontal line from the left to the right.
6. Draw the stroke between the horizontal lines. Draw the left one first.
7. Draw the other stroke between the horizontal lines.
8. Draw the horizontal line at the bottom.

Outside

"Outside" by Nao

hazu-su, hazu-reru, soto, gai

The simplest meaning of this character is out. Its reading is soto. You had better add the particle “ni” when you use it as an adverb meaning out. “Soto ni deru” means to go out. “Soto ni deyō” means “Let’s go out.” Gaishutsu means going out.

Out From Where?

Secret matters often go out from the mouth. To reveal or to disclose something is “kōgaisuru.”

Things you learn at a particular school are sometimes forbidden to teach those who do not study there. Such knowledge is “mongai fu shutsu.” In this word, mon means a school; fushutsu means not going out.

Amateurs humbly call themselves mongaikan, in which mongai means out of school and kan means a person.

Since the heart is the place you keep your expectations, shingai or igai means unexpectedness. Unexpected things happen “shingai nakotoni” or “igai nakotoni.” Both of these phrases mean “I didn’t expect it, though.”

The verb hazusu means to remove or to detach. The verb hazureru means to come off.

1. Draw the sweeping stroke.
2. Draw the hook. The sweeping stroke is parallel to the first stroke.
3. Draw the dot between the sweeping strokes.
4. Draw the vertical stroke.
5. Draw the dot touching the precious stroke.

Sparkle

"Sparkle" by Nao

kira-meku, kira-meki, kō

This is not a basic character, but the word kirameku is a common expression modifying words that may shine brightly. People often use “kirameku” and “kirameki” but write them in hiragana when they write. Stars and one’s future sparkle in a way it expresses. They are kirameku hoshi and kirameku mirai, respectively.

In these expressions, kirameku is like an adjective, but strictly speaking, it is a variation of the verb kirameku, meaning to shine.

The noun kirameki means a spark.

1. Draw the dot to the left.
2. Draw the sweeping dot near the center.
3. Draw the sweeping stroke from the top to the lower left corner of the character.
4. Draw the dot touching the previous stroke.
5. Begin to draw the right-hand side of the character. Draw the dot on the top.
6. Draw the vertical line, which is the left side of the rectangle.
7. Draw the hook.
8. Draw the horizontal stroke in the rectangle.
9. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
10. Draw the horizontal stroke below the rectangle.
11. Draw the vertical stroke from the middle of the previous stroke.
12. Draw the horizontal stroke crossing the previous stroke.
13. Draw the horizontal stroke at the bottom.

Pile

by Nao

tsu-mu, tsu-moru, tsu-mori, seki

The verb tsumu means to pile or to stack. You can pile up not only physical things but also things you can’t physically stack. For example, some might stack experience, good deeds, or education; others might pile up debts, losses, or troubles.

While you can accumulate things, things accumulate. When things accumulate, we describe them as tsumoru. Such things are snow, debts, sadness, hatred, or other feelings.

The verb tsumoru also means to guess and the noun tsumori means an intention or preparation. If you are planning to do something, you can say, “… suru tsumori desu.” When you are going to study tomorrow, you can say “ashita benkyō suru tsumoridesu.” “Benkyō suru” means to study.

Derived words are mitsumoru (to estimate), mitsumori (estimation) and kokorozumori (intentions). The zumori of kokorozumori is a voiced sound of tsumori.

In arithmetic, seki is a result you get after multiplying quantities together.

First, draw the left-hand side of the character.

1. Draw the sweeping dot on the top.
2. Draw the horizontal stroke from the left.
3. Draw the vertical line from inside the first stroke to the bottom.
4. Draw the sweeping stroke from where the previous strokes intersect.
5. Draw the dot where the previous stroke begins.
6. Begin to draw the right-hand side of the character. Draw the top horizontal line from the left to the right.
7. Draw the vertical line from the top.
8. Draw the second horizontal stroke.
9. Draw the third horizontal stroke.
10. Draw the vertical stroke near the center.
11. Draw the hook, which consists of the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
12. Draw the upper horizontal stroke in the rectangle.
13. Draw the lower horizontal stroke.
14. Draw the lower side of the rectangle. All the horizontal strokes are parallel.
15. Draw the sweeping dot.
16. Draw the dot in the lower right corner of the character.

Trade

by Nao

akina-u, akina-i, shō

The verb akinau means to sell and buy things. The noun akinai means trading and commerce. A tradesman is shōnin, which sometimes appears as akindo in historical novels, dramas, and films. These words sound old.

Nowadays, torēdo (trading) and bizinesu (business) in katakana are commonly used. A traveling salesman used to be called gyōshōnin. Even the newer word sērusuman (salesman) in katakana is getting obsolete as women salespersons increase. Eigyō is more common for sales representatives these days. Eigyō originally means sales.

Commodities or products are shōhin.

When you are involved in some kind of business, shōsai (business talent) is a key weapon.

In arithmetic, shō is a result you get after dividing one quantity by another.

1. Draw the dot on the top.
2. Draw the horizontal line touching the dot.
3. Draw the dot to the left between the horizontal lines.
4. Draw the dot to the right between the horizontal lines.
5. Draw the vertical stroke to the left.
6. Draw the hook with an upward turn. The horizontal line touches the dots you have drawn.
7. Draw the sweeping dot.
8. Draw the small curve.
9. Begin to draw the rectangle. First, draw the left side of the rectangle.
10. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
11. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.

Wolf (Sosho)

by Nao

ōkami, rō

This is the character “wolf” in sōsho style.

The style, sō sho, is more cursive than gyōsho style. The kaisho style is -> here.

Wolf (Gyosho)

by Nao

ōkami, rō

This is the character “wolf” in gyōsho style.

You can find basic information about this character in the previous post. One of the compounds including this character is noroshi, meaning a smoke signal. The word consists of today’s character and a character meaning smoke. Why a wolf and smoke? Meikyō kokugojiten, a Japanese dictionary, tells us that wolf dung was used to make smoke signals because it was believed that the smoke rises straight up even if wind blows.

Gyō sho is a cursive style of writing.

Compared to the kaisho style, the starting point and the end of each stroke don’t look sharp but strokes should not look weak.

Referring to the kaisho style, find which part should look clearer and which lines are just connectors.

Wolf

by Nao

ōkami, rō

This week we are going to upload the character “wolf” in three styles: kaisho, gyōsho, and sōsho. Today’s entry is the basic one, kaisho.

A wolf and wolves are called “ōkami.” The reading of this character comes from “ō,” meaning big, and “kami,” meaning God. This suggests that ōkami used to be regarded as an animal with divine power. In some areas in Japan, ōkami was treated as a god. Perhaps, this is one of Japanese animistic traditions.

A lone wolf or a loner is described as “ippiki ōkami,” which means one wolf.

A silver wolf is “ginrō.” I don’t think this is a real one.

A grey wolf or a timber wolf is called “tairiku ōkami” or “shinrin ōkami” in Japanese. Tairiku means a continent and shinrin means a forest. These are not Japanese native words but zoological names as both are written in katakana.

1. Draw the sweeping stroke from the top.
2. Draw the curve with an upward turn.
3. Draw the sweeping stroke from the middle of the previous stroke.
4. Begin to draw the right-hand side of the character. Draw the dot on the top.
5. Draw the hook.
6. Draw the horizontal stroke inside the rectangle.
7. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
8. Draw the vertical line with a sweeping stroke heading toward the next stroke.
9. Draw the dot sweeping toward the previous stroke.
10. Draw the sweeping stroke that goes between the last two strokes. Spread the brush gradually toward the end.