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凩…この漢字を見たことがありますか？　何と読むのでしょうか。
ヒントは、冬に関係のある漢字であること。さらに、字形をよく見てください。「風」という漢字に似ていますね。

答えは「こがらし」。一般的には「木枯し」と書き表します。
「こがらし」とは、冬の初めに木々の葉を払い落としながら吹く、冷たく強い北風のことです。「凩」の字は「国字（こくじ）」に分類され、中国で作られた漢字にならって、日本で新たに生み出された漢字です。要するに、和製漢字ですね。こがらしとは、「木を枯らすように吹く風（几）」なので「凩」という字形が考え出されたのです。

正月の遊びに使う「凧（たこ）」も国字です。「風（几）」の中にある「巾」は「布」という意味です（「布」という漢字の中にもしっかりと「巾」が含まれていますね）。「風を受けて舞い上がる布」＝「凧」なのです。

では、「風が止まる」と書く「凪」という漢字はどう読むのでしょうか？　これは「なぎ」と読みます。朝夕に風が止まる状態や時間帯を「朝凪（あさなぎ）」「夕凪（ゆうなぎ）」と呼びます。

このように、ことば遊びや連想ゲームにも似た感覚で作り出された国字。友人に、「この漢字、読める？」と教えてあげるのも楽しいですね。
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Have you ever seen the character 凩? How do you read it.
A hint: it’s a kanji related to winter. Also, please look closely at the character’s formation. It looks like the character 風 (kaze), “wind”, doesn’t it?

The answer is こがらし(kogarashi). It’s generally written 木枯し.
こがらし means a cold north wind that blows at the beginning of winter, shaking the leaves from the trees.
The character 凩 is classified as 国字　（こくじ）, or characters newly created in Japan which imitate Chinese kanji. In short, they’re 和製漢字　（わせいかんじ）, or “Japanese-made kanji”. こがらし　is “a wind (几) which blows cold enough to kill the trees”, so hence the character 凩 was devised.

A character used when talking about New Year games, 凧 (tako）, is also Japanese-made. The radical 巾 which can be seen in the centre of 風（几）is equivalent to 布, which means “cloth” (you can also see 巾 in the centre of 布, can’t you?). “Cloth that soars on the wind” = a kite (凧）.

So, how would we read the character meaning “the wind ceasing” (凪）? It’s read なぎ (nagi). A state or period of time in which the wind does not blow from morning to night is called 朝凪（asa nagi), “morning calm” and 夕凪（yuu nagi), “evening calm”.

So as you can see, native Japanese kanji were created in a way that is almost similar to wordplay and word association games. It’s also fun to ask your friends “Can you read this kanji?”, and then teach them how.

 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 inside the train station. Let’s take a look!

①

Read the rest of this entry »

朝夕はかなり肌寒くなり、秋の深まりを感じます。今日は、「秋」という漢字が含まれる二つのことばを紹介しましょう。

一つ目は、「秋刀魚」。

「刀」という漢字は「a japanese sword」を指し、「魚」という漢字は「a fish」を意味しています。日本では秋になると、しばしば食卓に上る魚のことですよ。これは、「サンマ」と読みます。銀色で、とがった頭と長細い体が、まるで剣のように見えることから、このような漢字で書かれるようになりました。日本では、焼いて食べるのが一般的です。そのとき、大根をすりおろしたものに醤油をたらし、ほぐした身と一緒に食べるととてもおいしいです。ただ、「はらわた」と呼ばれる内臓部分は苦いため、嫌いな人も多いですね。

二つ目は、「秋桜」。

「桜」という漢字は「a cherry blossom」のこと。白やピンクの花を咲かせるこの草は、日本の秋の野原で風に揺れていますよ。これは、「コスモス」と読みます。花びらの形が桜に似ていることから、「秋に咲く桜」として漢字が当てられたそうです。しかし、植物学上では桜の仲間ではなく、菊の一種。1.5～2メートルくらいの高さで、葉はペンで書いた線のように細いのが特徴です。ギリシア語では「宇宙」や「世界」を意味しています。また、花びらが整然と並んでいるので「秩序」という意味もあるとか。日本で生まれた花だと思われがちですが、原産国はメキシコです。

以上、日本の秋を象徴する魚と花の紹介でした。

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The mornings and evenings grow fairly chilly and one can sense the season moving deeper into autumn. Today I’ll be introducing two words that make use of the kanji character for autumn.

The first word is ’sanma.’

The kanji character「刀」means a ‘Japanese sword,’ and the kanji character「魚」means ‘a fish.’ This is a fish that makes its way to dinner tables all over Japan often during the autumn months. The characters are read ’sanma’ (Pacific saury). The fish has a silvery color and a long, thin body that makes it look a lot like a sword, which is how it got its name. The most common way to eat sanma in Japan is roasted. The meat is very tasty with grated daikon radish and soy sauce. But since the organ called ‘harawata’ (bowels) are bitter, there are many people who don’t like it.

The second word is ‘cosmos.’

The kanji character「桜」means a ‘cherry blossom.’ This plant has pink and white flowers and sways in the autumn wind in many fields in Japan. These characters are read ‘cosmos.’ Since the flower’s petals are shaped somewhat like a cherry blossom, this flower was given a name that means ‘autumn blooming cherry blossoms.’
In a botanical sense however, this flower is not related to the cherry, but is actually a variety of chrysanthemum. The plant grows to between 1.5 and 2 meters and its leaves have characteristically fine lines that almost look as if they were drawn with a pen. The word comes from the Greek for ’space’ or ‘the world.’ And because the flower petals are lined up in a very orderly way some say that the word also carries the meaning of ‘order.’ Many people mistakenly think that this flower is an indigenous Japanese variety, but its country of origin is actually Mexico.

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 restaurant signs. Let’s take a look!

①

Read the rest of this entry »

日本では「食欲の秋」と言われ、一年のうちで秋は最も食べ物をおいしく感じる季節です。秋の食べ物といえば、松茸や栗、梨、柿、秋刀魚などが思い浮かびます。季節を味覚で感じるのですね。

また、イチョウやモミジ、カエデなどの木々は赤や黄色など鮮やかに紅葉します。このように、視覚でも秋を感じることができます。

さて、今から約1000年前に聴覚で秋の到来を感じた人がいます。

秋きぬと　目にはさやかに　見えねども　風の音にぞ　おどろかれぬる

これは『古今和歌集』という昔の短歌を集めた本に載っている、藤原敏行という人が詠んだ和歌です。

「秋きぬと」の「きぬ」は「来た」という意味。「さやかに」とは「はっきりと」という意味です。「見えねども」とは「見えないけれど」。「おどろかれぬる」とは、「はっと気づかされた」という意味。

つまり、「暑い日が続いているので、まだ夏だと思っていた。しかし、違った。秋が来たと目ではっきりと見えないけれど、風の音を聞いていると秋の訪れにはっと気づかされた。目に見える風景は昨日と同じ、夏の景色だが、風の音は明らかに秋の到来を告げているのだ」と彼は詠んだのです。これが聴覚でも秋が感じられる例です。

季節は徐々に移り変わるもので、「今日から秋！」と明確に認識することはできませんが、五感を存分に働かせてささやかな変化を感じ取るのも面白いものです。

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In Japan, there is a saying “appetites of autumn.” Autumn is the time of year when food simply tastes better than during any other season. When considering the foods of autumn, matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts, persimmons and Pacific saury fish come to mind. We can really taste the changing seasons. And the color of the leaves also changes to fiery shades of red and yellow on the gingko, and maple trees. In this way we can also experience the changing season visually.

Now, about 1000 years ago there was someone who experienced the coming of autumn through sound.

“Nothing meets the eye to demonstrate beyond a doubt that autumn has come - yet suddenly I am surprised to the sound of wind.”
(Aki kinu to me ni wa sayaka ni miene domo, kaze no oto ni zo odorokarenuru.)

This Waka poem was written by Fujiwara no Toshiyuki and is included in an old compilation of Tanka poetry called “Kokin Wakashu.”

The ‘kinu’ in ‘Aki kinu to’ means ‘has come.’ ‘Sayaka’ means ‘clearly.’ ‘Miene domo’ is another way of saying ‘mienai keredo’ or ‘can’t see it but…’ ‘Odorokarenuru’ means to ‘realize something surprisingly.’

So in other words, the poem means “Hot days had continued, so I thought it was still summer. But it wasn’t so. I couldn’t see clearly that autumn had come, but the sound of wind made me aware of autumn’s approach. The scenery looks the same as yesterday -  a scene of summer - but the sound of the wind is clearly announcing the coming of autumn.” This is one example of how autumn can be experienced through sound.

The seasons change little by little and it isn’t as if we understand clearly that “from today its autumn,” but it is entertaining to use our five senses to our heart’s content to sense subtle changes in the seasons.

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!

This Everyday Kanji theme is Clinic signs! There are good to know in case you get sick when you are in Japan! In almost every clinic sign, you will see the kanji 科 (ka) which means “department”.  Words on clinic signs are usually “one or more kanji + 科” and the kanji before 科 indicates which medical field the clinic specializes in.

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「早起きは三文の徳」ということわざを知っていますか？　辞書には「早起きをすると、何かしら得になる」と書かれていますが、具体的にいくらの得になるか気になりますよね。 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!

In this blog and on Twitter we’ll be presenting pictures with kanji based on a theme, such as kanji seen on road signs, shop signs, restaurant menus, product packaging, and lots more! You can also see the kanji pictures everyday on Twitter if you follow us! We’ll be changing the theme of the pictures every week.

The theme this time is “the signs with the kanji 中 (naka, but pronounced chū in these signs).” 中 is a kanji meaning “middle” or “inside.” When used in signs, it’s usually used at the end of a compound word and adds the meaning of “in the middle of doing something.”

営業中 (eigyōchū): 営業 means “business”. You will often see this sign at the entrance of shops/restaurants. Can you guess what it means?

This sign literally means “currently doing business,” so it means “We’re open.”

営業 (eigyō) = business
● 営 (ei) = perform
● 業 (gyō) = business

中 (chū) = in, inside, middle

Sample Sentence:
営業中ですので、店の前に駐車しないでください。
Eigyō-chū desu node, mise no mae ni chūsha shinaide kudasai.
We’re open for business, so please don’t park in front of our store.

仕込中 (shikomi-chū)：仕込 means “preparation”. You might see this sign at the entrance of a restaurant. Do you think it’s okay to go in when you see this sign?

仕込 means “preparation”, but it usually refers to preparing food. So, 仕込中 means “currently preparing food”. This sign means the restaurant is still in the process of getting ready, so you can’t go in yet.

仕込 (shikomi) = preparation
● 仕 (shi) = doing
● 込 (komi) = mixture

中 (chū) = in, inside, middle

Sample Sentence:
料理長は、今、仕込中だから、忙しい。
Ryōri-chō wa, ima, shikomi-chū da kara, isogashii.
The chef is now busy preparing the food.

監視中 (kanshichū): 監視 means “surveillance.” You’ll often see this sign inside of an elevator. Do you feel secure when you see this sign? 監視中 means “under surveillance” or “monitoring”. How are they monitoring? In this case, a 防犯カメラ (bōhan kamera; security camera) is monitoring the area.

監視 (kanshi) = surveillance
● 監 (kan) = oversee
● 視 (shi) = inspection

中 (chū) = in, inside, middle

防犯カメラ (bōhan kamera) = security camera
● 防 (bō) = defend
● 犯 (han) = crime

Sample Sentence:
防犯カメラが監視中だったが、犯人は映っていない。
Bōhan kamera ga kanshi-chū datta ga, hannin wa utsutte inai.
The security camera was operating, but it didn’t catch the criminal.

工事中 (kōjichū): 工事 means “construction.” You’ll know what it means from the picture of a person working. 工事中 literally means “under construction.” This sign means “Men working” or “Road Under Construction.”

工事 (kōji) = construction
● 工 (kō) = construction
● 事 (ji) = matter

中 (chū) = in, inside, middle

徐行 (jokō) = going slowly = “Please go slowly”
● 徐 (jo) = slowly
● 行 (kō) = going

Sample Sentence:
この先、工事中のため、渋滞しています。
Kono saki, kōji-chū no tame, jūtai shite imasu.
There’s road construction ahead, so traffic is congested.

募集中 (boshūchū): 募集 means “recruiting.” アルバイト means “part time job.” You’ll see this phrase a lot in the classified ads. 募集中 literally means “recruiting” or “taking applications”, so this sign means ”Help Wanted”.

募集 (boshū) = recruiting
● 募 (bo) = recruit
● 集 (shū) = gather

中 (chū) = in, inside, middle

平日8時～22時 ＝ from 8:00 through 22:00 every weekday

平日・heijitsu = weekday
● 平・hei = even, flat
● 日・jitsu = day

● 時・ji = hour

Sample Sentence:
彼は、恋人募集中らしい。
Kare wa, koibito boshū-chū rashii.
I heard he is looking for a girlfriend.

If you think you can remember them all, try testing yourself with this video on Youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JduZJWYw2Sc
Follow us on Twitter for future Everyday Kanji series!

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!

In this blog and on Twitter we’ll be presenting pictures with kanji based on a theme, such as kanji seen on road signs, shop signs, restaurant menus, product packaging, and lots more! You can also see the kanji pictures everyday on Twitter if you follow us! We’ll be changing the theme of the pictures every week.

This Everyday Kanji theme is Traffic signs, part 2!

Read the rest of this entry »

Hi everyone!
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we 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!

In this blog and on Twitter we’ll be presenting pictures with kanji based on a theme, such as kanji seen on road signs, shop signs, restaurant menus, product packaging, and lots more! You can also see the kanji pictures everyday on Twitter if you follow us! We’ll be changing the theme of the pictures every week.

This Everyday Kanji theme is Traffic Signs!

一方通行 (ippō tsūkō)：This means “One way.” But, if you’re on a bike, you can use this road. Do you see why?

Read the rest of this entry »