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As I mentioned last week, the etymology of 残 (ZAN, noko(ru), noko(su)) contains the idea that it’s cruel to hack someone up until nothing remains. But perhaps that’s a glass-half-empty perspective. The glass-half-full view would be, “Hey, look! Something remains! In fact, what we have here are human remains!”

The 残 kanji figures into many words about things left behind. For instance, take the following expression:

食い残す (kuinokosu: to leave food half-eaten)
     to eat + to leave behind

This verb has a noun form:

食い残し (kuinokoshi: leftover food)     to eat + to leave behind

Just two weeks ago, we saw another word for leftovers:

残り物 (nokorimono: remnant, scraps, leftovers)
     remainder + thing

If you change the first hiragana in 食い残し, you alter the yomi considerably but retain the meaning:
Read the rest of this entry »

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そこに在るのに「無い」という果物は何でしょう？

このなぞなぞの答えは「なし（梨、無し）」です。日本語には同音異義語と呼ばれる、同じ発音なのに異なる意味を持つことばがたくさんあります。このなぞなぞは、その特徴を利用したものですね。

数ある同音異義語の一つが「なし」。しかし、せっかく在るのに「無し」と表現するのは縁起が悪い、ということで「ありの実」と言い換えられて表現することがあります。

同じように、イカを干して裂いたものを「スルメ」と言って酒のつまみなどに食べますが、「スルメ」の「する」も商売をする人にとっては「金を擦る（金を失ってしまう）」という連想が働きます。また、物を盗むことも「掏（す）る」と表現することから（通りすがりの人の財布を盗み取る泥棒のことを「スリ」と呼びますね）、「スルメ」は「当たりめ」と言い換えて、縁起が良い呼び名で表現します。

同じ論理で、ゴマや芋などをすりつぶす「すり鉢」も「あたり鉢」に変身。

「僧侶」にいたっては、髪が一本もないのに「髪長（かみなが）」と呼んでいました。
それを知らずに「今日は髪長が来るよ」と聞かされ、ロングヘアーの来客を想像していたところ、スキンヘッドのお坊さんがやってきたら、さぞかしびっくりすることでしょう。

＝＝＝＝＝
What fruit is there, but not there?

The answer to this riddle is “nashi”, which means “a pear” or “nothing.”

In Japanese, there are homonyms which are words that sound the same, but have different meanings.  This riddle utilizes this characteristic.

Nashi, (“a pear” or “nothing”)  is one of many homonyms.  However, it was considered bad luck to call something that’s there as not there, therefore the fruit is often called arinomi,  which literally means “the fruit that is there.” (Note: ari means “to exist” and mi means “fruit.̶

In the same way, squid, which often accompanies a drink, that has been dried and then cut is called a surume.  For people doing business, they connect the sound of suru with the homonym for “to scrub off.” In the same way, the word to steal is also a homonym, (pickpockets are called suri)  therefore, surume can be replaced with atarime (atari means “hit” or “right”),  so that it has a better feel to it.

For the same reason, the suribachi used to smash and grate sesame seeds and potatoes can be called ataribachi.

Monks were called kaminaga, which means “long hair,” even though they didn’t have a single hair on their heads.  If you didn’t know this and somebody told you, “a long hair is coming” you’d be surprised to see a skinhead monk when you were expecting a long haired visitor.

Hi everyone! ^^/
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we’re going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That’s right - kanji seen and used everyday!

The theme for this week is kanji found on food packaging. Let’s take a look!

①

毎日果実 (mainichi kajitsu) = literally, Everyday Fruit

毎日果実 is the name of a snack product, which is 2 crackers with raisins and other fruit sandwiched in the middle. The information beneath the product name lets you know that this snack contains 5 kinds of vitamins, calcium, iron, and fiber! What a healthy snack!

毎日 (mainichi) = everyday
● 毎 (mai) = every
● 日 (hi) = day

果実 (kajitsu) = fruit
● 果 (ka) = fruit
● 実 (jitsu) = nut

Sample Sentence:
毎日、果実を食べるのは、健康に良い。
Mainichi, kajitsu o taberu no wa kenkō ni yoi.
Eating fruit everyday is good for your health.

②

牛乳 (gyūnyū) is the word for milk. The characters for 牛乳 are the words “cow” and “milk”. You can also see the second character in the word 豆乳 (tōnyū), meaning “soy milk”.

牛乳 (gyūnyū) = milk
● 牛 (gyū) = cow
● 乳 (nyū) = milk

Sample Sentence:
牛乳を買いに行ってくれる？
Gyūnyū o kai ni itte kureru?

③

中華そば (chūka soba) = Chinese noodles

When it comes to instant noodles, 中華そば, Chinese noodles, and ramen are sometimes thought of as one and the same, but technically 中華そば is a little different because the noodles are not fried in oil before they are packaged and are lower in fat.

中華 (chūka) = Chinese
● 中 (chū) = middle
● 華 (ka) = splendor

Extra:
しお味 (shio aji) = salt flavor
● 味 (aji) = flavor

Sample Sentence:
中華料理を食べに行きましょう！
Chūka ryōri o tabe ni ikimashō!
Let’s go out for Chinese food!

④

国産大豆のみそ (kokusan daizu no miso) = domestically produced miso (bean paste)

Miso, which is fermented bean paste, is a huge part of Japanese cuisine. Miso soup and fish prepared with miso are just a couple of ways miso is used.

Many consumers prefer products that are 国産, or from Japan, and recently there have even been some scandals involving food that was intentionally mislabled as 国産 (because they will fetch a higher price).

国産 (kokusan) = domestic product
● 国 (koku) = country
● 産 (san) = product

大豆 (daizu) = soy bean
● 大 (dai) = large
● 豆 (zu) = bean

Sample Sentence:
大豆は健康的で美味しい。
Daizu wa kenkōteki de oishii.
Soy beans are healthy and taste great.

⑤

おいしい納豆 (oishii nattō) = delicious natto

Delicious natto… is there such a thing?? Just kidding =P Poor natto has such a bad reputation but once you get used to it, it’s actually quite good!

納豆 (nattō) = fermented soy beans
● 納 (na) = supply
● 豆 (tō) = bean

Extra:
極小粒 (gokushō tsubu) = extra small size
● 極 (goku) = extreme
● 小 (shō) = small
● 粒 (tsubu) = grain, bead

Sample Sentence:
私は毎朝納豆を食べます。
Watashi wa maiasa nattō o tabemasu.
I eat natto every morning.

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It’s easy to think that 残 (ZAN, noko(ru), noko(su): to remain) has a soft nuance. After all, this character shows up in words such as 残念 (zannen: regret, to remain + thoughts). But when you learn the etymology of 残, you’ll see that we have a killer kanji on our hands!

In 残, says Henshall, the 歹 means “death” or “bare bones.” The right-hand side is a halberd (戈), an ax-like weapon, that has been doubled for emphasis. In 残, the 戈 also means “to cut and kill.” Altogether we have “to kill someone cruelly by cutting them to the bone.” In China, 残 still primarily means “cruel, harm.” Some people think that “to remain” is a borrowed meaning, deriving from the idea of hacking a person till only the bare bones remain.

Several expressions reflect the cruel underpinnings of this kanji:
Read the rest of this entry »

秋には、その年に収穫された野菜や果物を神に供えて感謝する「秋祭り」が行なわれます。

この「祭」という漢字をよく見てください。左上の「月」に似た部分は「肉」を表わしています。右上の「又」は「手」の意味。下の部分の「示」は「祭壇」を表わし、「祭」の文字は「肉のけがれを清めて神に供える」という意味を持っています。この「示」は「ネ」の形に変わって、様々な漢字に見られます。「社（やしろ）」、「福（ふく）」、「祈（いのる）」、「祝（いわう）」など、たくさんありますね。 Read the rest of this entry »

Hi everyone!
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we’re going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That’s right - kanji seen and used everyday!

The theme for this week is kanji found on signs outdoors. Let’s take a look!

①

Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know much about banking, but I do know that a bank should inspire trust and confidence. The name of the bank has to be serious, a trustworthy brand in and of itself. My first bank account was at Annapolis Bank and Trust, where they put “trust” right in the name. Other banks go by the names of First Capital Bank, Enterprise National Bank, Premier Service Bank, Tomato Bank.

Tomato Bank?!

Yes, indeed. That’s what you find on Sawtelle Boulevard, a Los Angeles street filled with Japanese businesses:

On 宏基銀行 …

Read the rest of this entry »

本日は、秋の夜の和歌を紹介しましょう。

古今東西、「夜」をテーマにした文学作品は多く見られますが、日本の詩や和歌（短歌）、俳句では、星よりも圧倒的に月を扱った作品が数の上で勝っています。これは、日本人が折々に月を見上げ、その満ち欠けに自分の人生や感情を投影していたことを表わしているからでしょう。また、秋の日本の上空は空気が澄み、晴天の日も多いことから月が美しく見えます。よって、俳句で「月」と出てきたら秋の情景を詠んだものである、と考えて間違いないほどです。 Read the rest of this entry »

Hi everyone!
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we’re going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That’s right - kanji seen and used everyday!

The theme for this week is kanji found on signs at an airport. Let’s take a look!

①

Read the rest of this entry »