Reality Check: Part 1
Monday, February 11th, 2008
| Quick Links Welcome to Kanji Curiosity | The Basics | Glossary |
Winter is a time of harshness. In spring, as trees explode with fragrant blossoms, we’re full of hope. In summer, we can delude ourselves that peaches will always be in season and that sunny, warm days will keep coming for a good six months. In fall, colorful leaves and crisp air fill us with optimism. And then it’s winter, and we can’t fool ourselves any longer.
But facing reality isn’t all bad. Check out this cool compound:
実験 (jikken: experiment) reality + to test
As the breakdown indicates, an experiment allows one to test reality. That is, an experiment is a reality check!
Well, here’s one reality check. Although 実 (JITSU, mi, mino(ru)) often means “reality,” Halpern defines it as “real” in the context of 実験. But I much prefer reality + to test, and I’m putting my head back in the sand on that one!
Another Type of Reality Check …
If 実 has a tenuous connection to reality (only sometimes having that meaning), the following compound gives a much stronger dose of reality:
現実 (genjitsu: reality) actual + reality
Sample 現実 Sentences from Breen …
With reality + feeling, what do you think you get? Cries of agony? A sharp sense of awakening? Feelings of disgust over the reality TV craze? Facing reality can be quite painful, but that’s not the nuance of the next word:
現実感 (genjitsukan: sense of reality)
reality (1st 2 chars.) + sense, feeling
Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity | 4 Comments »
