Kinda Sorta a Binding Commitment: Part 1
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
| Quick Links Welcome to Kanji Curiosity | The Basics | Glossary |
In the past, we’ve encountered kanji that embody opposite meanings—namely, 出 and 追. Well, I’ve found another culprit: 約 (YAKU)!
In one side of its split personality, this is the laid-back kanji of approximations; when you don’t know a precise number, you can precede it with 約 to express the idea of “about” or “circa” or “kinda sorta like that.” For instance, you might use 約 to say “about half”:
約半分 (yaku hanbun: about half) about + half (last 2 chars.)
The full breakdown is about + half + part.
When I wrote an article about the soon-to-be-unveiled Shibuya Station, I asked a project architect for its dimensions. He supplied this information (without the rōmaji or English, of course!):
敷地面積 (shikichi menseki: site area)：約１４,０００m2
総床面積 (sō yukamenseki: gross square footage)：約２８,０００m2
The 約 allowed him to round off his figures.
Then, during a very different conversation, this kanji emerged in the opposite way, appearing in the word 約束 (yakusoku: promise, promise + to bind).
I had arranged to chat with a new Japanese language partner on Skype at 5 p.m. To my surprise, he contacted me at 4:15 and wanted to get going. I told my friend Mayumi about this. She grew up in Japan but has lived in Italy for years. Ever amused at the differences between the two cultures, she had this to say:
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity | 4 Comments »
