A View, a Sight, or an Appearance

A View, a Sight, or an Appearance

kan

As you can see in the title, today’s character’s meaning is related to watching. See some compounds including the character to feel the meaning.

• kankō … sightseeing
• jinseikan … one’s theory on of life
• rakkan … optimism
• hikan … pessimism
• bikan … a sense of beauty
• gaikan … the appearance of something such as buildings
• sōkan … a spectacle view

---

The right-hand side of the character is miru (to look).

1. Draw the sweeping stroke from the top.
2. Draw the horizontal stroke.
3. Draw the sweeping stroke.
4. Draw the horizontal stroke crossing the previous stroke.
5. Draw the vertical stroke to the left.
6. Draw the small sweeping dot.
7. Draw the horizontal stroke touching the previous stroke.
8. Draw the vertical stroke paralleling to the fifth stroke.
9. Draw the horizontal stroke below the seventh stroke.
10. Draw the horizontal stroke below it.
11. Draw the horizontal stroke below it.
12. Begin to draw the right-hand side of the character. Draw the left side of the rectangle.
13. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
14. Draw the upper horizontal stroke in the rectangle.
15. Draw the lower horizontal stroke in the rectangle.
16. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
17. Draw the sweeping stroke.
18. Draw the curve with an upward turn.

The Groundwork

 

The Groundwork

 

ishizue, so

You would rarely hear the word “ishizue” meaning the groundwork. We often use kiso to mean foundation or basis. The so of kiso is today’s character. If you are a beginner in Japanese, you don’t have to remember other words which include today’s character. They are rarely used. Kiso is the only fundamental word you should remember.

We rarely use other words like soseki meaning a foundation stone, either.

---

 

1. Draw the radical “stone” first. Draw the horizontal stroke.
2. Draw the sweeping stroke.
3. 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.
6. Begin to Draw two “trees” on the top. Draw the horizontal stroke.
7. Draw the vertical stroke.
8. Draw the sweeping stroke from the previous strokes intersect.
9. Draw the small dot like a hanging brunch of the vertical stroke.
10. Draw the horizontal stroke.
11. Draw the vertical stroke.
12. Draw the sweeping stroke from the previous strokes intersect.
13. Draw the small dot like a hanging brunch of the vertical stroke.
14. Draw the horizontal stroke with a leftward turn.
15. Draw the vertical stroke.
16. Draw the short horizontal stroke from the middle of the previous stroke.
17. Draw the short sweeping stroke.
18. Draw the long sweeping stroke.

A Day of the Week

"A Day of the Week" by Nao

yō

Today is suiyōbi. It’s Wednesday.

Yōbi is a suffix put after a character indicating a day of the week.

Let’s review the days of the week.

• Sunday – nichi yō bi
• Monday – getsu yō bi
• Tuesday – ka yō bi
• Wednesday – sui yō bi
• Thursday – moku yō bi
• Friday – kin yō bi
• Saturday – do yō bi

If you want to ask what day of the week it is, you can say, “nan yō bi?”

---

1. Draw the left side of the rectangle on the left-side of the character.
2. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
3. Draw the horizontal stroke in the rectangle.
4. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
5. Begin to draw the right-hand side of the character. Draw the hook from the top center.
6. Draw the horizontal stroke under the previous stroke.
7. Draw the horizontal stroke.
8. Draw the hook next to the hook.
9. Draw the horizontal stroke under the previous stroke.
10. Draw the horizontal stroke.
11. Begin to draw the lower-right part of the character. Draw the sweeping stroke near the center.
12. Draw the vertical stroke touching the previous stroke.
13. Draw the sweeping dot.
14. Draw the horizontal stroke touching the previous sweeping stroke.
15. Draw the vertical stroke under the sweeping dot.
16. Draw the horizontal stroke crossing the previous stroke.
17. Draw the horizontal stroke below the previous stroke.
18. Draw the horizontal stroke at the bottom.

Indigo

by Nao

ai, ran

This character means both the color indigo and the plant, Chinese indigo. There is a saying “ao wa ai yori idete ai yori aoshi” (literally, blue is bluer than indigo although indigo dye is used to bring out the color blue.) You can use the saying to admire somebody who surpasses his teacher. Such a reputation is called shutsuran no homare. Shutsu means to emerge. Homare is a reputation.

Some parents name a girl Ai using this character. A famous example is Ai Miyazato, a professional golfer.

1. Draw the dot top left.
2. Draw the horizontal line crossing the first dot.
3. Draw the sweeping dot top right.
4. Draw the middle part from the left-hand side. Draw the vertical stroke.
5. Draw the horizontal stroke.
6. Draw the tiny vertical stroke between the horizontal stroke and the rectangle.
7. Draw the hook to make a rectangle.
8. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
9. Draw the tiny vertical stroke between the rectangle and the horizontal stroke.
10. Draw the horizontal stroke.
11. Move to the right-hand side. Draw the sweeping stroke.
12. Draw the horizontal stroke touching the sweeping stroke.
13. Draw the horizontal stroke below the previous stroke.
14. Begin to draw the rectangle at the bottom. Draw the left side of the rectangle.
15. Draw the hook.
16. Draw the left vertical stroke in the rectangle.
17. Draw the right vertical stroke in the rectangle.
18. Draw the longest horizontal stroke at the bottom.