Cry

June 28, 2010

"Cry" in kanji. Japanese calligraphy art by Nao.

"Cry" by Nao

na-ku, kyū

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

Hard and wailing cry is kyū. 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.

The kanji for "Cry" with the stroke order and arrows showing directions.

  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.
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