JapanesePod101.com Blog

 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 in a Japanese-language operating system of a computer. Let’s take a look!

①

終了オプション (shūryō opushon) = shut down options

When you’re ready to shut down your computer for the day, this is the button you press to see the different options. We have one word in kanji, 終了 (shūryō), and one word in katakana, オプション. 終了 means “end” or “completion”, and オプション means “options”. So literally this means “completion options”, or “shut down options”. In an English-language OS, this button says “Log Off Computer”.

終了 (shūryō) = end, completion
● 終 (shū) = end, finish
●了 (ryō) = complete

Sample Sentence:
私は、去年日本語コースを終了しました。
Watashi wa, kyonen nihongo kōsu o shūryō shimashita.
I finished a Japanese course last year.

②

電源を切る (dengen o kiru) = turn off power/ shut down

This phrase refers to turning off the power of any kind of electronic device. 電源 (dengen) refers to electrical power, and 切る (kiru) means to turn off. On my electronic devices, the power button will have the kanji for 電源 next to it.

電源 (dengen) = (electrical) power
● 電 (den) = electricity
● 源 (gen) = source

切る (kiru) = to turn off, to cut
● 切 (kiru)) = cut

Sample Sentence:
パソコンを使った後は必ず電源を切ってください。
Pasokon o tsukatta ato wa kanarazu dengen o kitte kudasai.
After using the computer, be sure to shut it down.

③

再起動 (saikidō) = restart, reboot

Click the button that says 再起動 to restart the computer. This is made up of two parts: the kanji 再 (sai), meaning again, and the word 起動 (kidō), meaning “start up”. Together, these mean “to restart”. To say that the computer restarted, you say (パソコンが) 起動する. If you want to say that some restarted the computer, you would change the verb to the causative させる to create (パソコンを)起動させる, meaning “(I) restart the computer”.

● 再 (sai) = again

起動 (kidō) = startup
●起 (ki) = rouse, wake up
●動 (dō) = move

Sample Sentence:
パソコンがフリーズしちゃったので再起動させなければなりません。
Pasokon ga furīzu shichatta node saikidō sasenakereba narimasen.
My computer froze, so I have to restart it.

④

検索 (kensaku) = Search

The word 検索 (kensaku) is used to refer to a search done online through a search engine or a search on one’s computer.

検索 (kensaku) = look up, retrieve
●検 (ken) = examination
●索 (saku) = cord

Sample Sentence:
グーグルは、何でも検索して探す事ができる。
Gūguru wa nan demo kensaku shite sagasu koto ga dekiru.
With Google you can look up and find anything.

⑤

最近使ったファイル (saikin tsukatta fairu) = Recently Used Files/Documents

This is where you’ll find a list of the files that you have most recently used. This phrase can be split up into three parts: 最近, meaning “recently”, 使った, meaning “used”, and ファイル, meaning “files”.

最近 (saikin) = recent
●最 (sai) = most, extreme
●近 (kin) = close, near

使った (tsukatta) = used
●使(う) (tsuka(u)) = to use

Extra:
ファイル (fairu) = file(s)

Sample Sentence:
最近、よく近所に変な人を見ます。
Saikin, kinjo ni hen na hito o mimasu.
I often see strange people in my neighborhood lately.

★ If you think you can remember them all, try testing yourself with this video on Youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPoA1Riqo9o
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