Archive for January 23rd, 2009

Politics and Protection

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

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This week, as the United States ushers in a new president and a new era, it seems appropriate to focus a bit on politics. Here are three political words that intrigue me:

共和党 (kyōwatō: Republican Party)
     together + harmony + faction

The breakdown gives us “harmony together”! And the first two kanji mean “cooperation”! Sounds like socialism to me!


進歩的 (shinpoteki: progressive)
     to progress + progress + adjectival suffix

The Japanese word for “progressive” actually involves “progress,” 進歩. Strangely, the progress seems to come not from running but rather from walking (歩)! (Although 歩 generally means “to walk,” it means “progress” in this case.) That sounds like very slow progress indeed. After all, “snail’s pace” also involves the “walk” kanji, as well as the character for “cow”: 牛歩 (gyūho: snail’s pace, slow progress, cow + to walk). Actually, that brings us right back to politics. Check out this word:
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Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity | 3 Comments »