The Joy o' Kanji Essays
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捗
make progress
JOK: 2069
If you're overwhelmed with all that you need to do, 捗 is just the kanji for you! It has only one meaning and appears in very few words. Moreover, 捗 enables you to make upbeat statements such as "The city plan is getting under way" and "I made progress with work, so it looks like I can go home on time." The essay examines book titles about ramping up efficiency and productivity.
椎
beech tree
JOK: 2070
This kanji yokes two very disconnected topics. With its on-yomi, 椎 primarily represents “spine,” so it appears in terms related to vertebrae, spinal diseases, and disc herniation. But with its kun-yomi, 椎 means “Castanopsis,” a type of tree. In that world we discover delicious nuts that look like acorns and even find our way to shiitake mushrooms, which grow on Castanopsis logs.
爪
claw
JOK: 2071
Delving into the 爪 kanji introduces you to rich idiomatic expressions about a wide range of things: following in people's footsteps, not showing off, preparing to defeat opponents, saving money (sometimes to extremes), and bearing scars after traumas. This new addition to the Joyo set is a prevalent radical that's useful to know, but the variants can be hard to recognize unless you've learned what they are.
鶴
crane
JOK: 2072
Cranes once lived in large flocks in Japan but have since become scarce. By contrast, the image of the crane pops up everywhere. As a symbol of 'longevity' and 'good fortune,' this bird appears in proverbs, paintings, ceramics, poems, Noh dramas, songs, folktales, and even math problems! Find out about the significance of folded paper cranes and the true story of Sadako Sasaki.
藤
wisteria
JOK: 2078
From wisteria-viewing parties to hair ornaments to a type of doll and dance, wisteria has left its mark on Japanese culture. The 藤 kanji appears in the names of colors, plants, and animals, some with no connection to this vine. Above all, one finds 藤 in people's names. Thus, we have the Fujiwara period of art history, the Fujiwara effect, and the Fujita scale of tornado intensity.
瞳
pupil (of the eye)
JOK: 2079
Find out why Japanese friends tease each other about their pupils. Learn how to talk about staring hard at something and how to say that pupils contract in sunlight (or dilate under certain naughty influences!). See why a brand of rice is called Dragon's Eyes and why a Daruma doll initially has blank eyes. Enjoy an immersion (and 4 vivid photos) in the world of a classic film with 瞳 in the title.
栃
horse chestnut
JOK: 2080
Find out about the Japanese horse chestnut tree, and see how it has contributed to cuisine in Japan. Learn why figures into the name of a medicinal plant that has nothing to do with the Japanese horse chestnut tree. Discover the highlights of Tochigi Prefecture, and see how its flag features in a creative way. Also learn figurative terms involving a rolling pin!
頓
suddenly
JOK: 2081
Learn to say, "I didn't have the slightest idea what they were talking about." That might be your experience if you hear とみに, やがて, ひたと, and ひたすら without having read this essay. It investigates those adverbs, as well as sudden movements and motionlessness (what a huge range!), wit and idiocy (another big range!), Dotonbori in Osaka, setbacks, tidiness, indifference, and much more.
貪
covet
JOK: 2082
Because 貪 represents greed, it’s tied to various Buddhist beliefs, including one about three poisons. The kanji is also associated with untiring zeal, so it factors into terms for an endless appetite for sex, for reading, and for food. Learn to say, “How does it help you to be so unpleasant?” “Young men are apt to fall victim to their own avarice,” and “People are insatiably curious.”
丼
bowl of food
JOK: 2083
Do you primarily associate “donburi” with food? This essay initially punctures that misconception, then plunges into the world of topped rice bowls. Find out what’s in a “viper” rice bowl, a “strangers” rice bowl, and a “civilization” rice bowl. Also see what a “mother-daughter“ rice bowl represents. And learn what a “big serving of the head” means if you order a rice bowl.
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