The Joy o' Kanji Essays
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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.
奈
Nara
JOK: 2085
A hiragana was created from 奈. This kanji helps people talk about hellish situations, but that’s not why a book about Kanagawa is subtitled “Towns That Suck, Towns That People Hate.” The Jetsons apparently influenced 8th-century Nara architecture. There have been at least 17 kanji renderings of the name なら. Find out about all these topics and much more in this image-rich essay.
梨
Japanese pear tree
JOK: 2086
The Japanese pear is tough and spotted, inspiring fun terms that implicitly compare rough-hewn or polka-dotted entities to this fruit. (For example, a word for "avocado" breaks down as "alligator + pear"!) Moreover, 梨 pops up in words for pear-shaped things. See why this occurs even though a Japanese pear is round. Also find out why {search梨園} means something extremely different from "pear garden."
匂
fragrant
JOK: 2089
Find out about a kanji that can represent both a fragrance and a stench. Learn to say, “That flower has a powerful scent,” “The room reeks of lacquer,” “This book has a whiff of anarchism,” “The flowers glow in the morning sun,” “A dog has a sharp sense of smell,” “There's something fishy about how the secretary is acting,” and “In the book she makes no allusion to her profession.”
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