The Joy o' Kanji Essays

頓

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

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

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.

那

Find out about everything from the Okinawan capital to Japan’s largest waterfall. Discover the principle of living in the moment. See when to use or not use a term for “China.” Learn to distinguish Vairocana Buddha from Amitabha Buddha. Meet Shinto gods who created Japan. And find out how to say, "Despite the business owner's guidance, his son had no interest in the business at all."

奈

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

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

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.”

虹

Learn how the Japanese speak about the colors of the rainbow, as well as double rainbows and "fogbows." Find out where in Japan you can see rainbows, both real and artificial. And come to understand how rainbows have colored Japanese culture, from music and religion to Rainbow Day celebrations and LGBT parades, not to mention all the organizations named for rainbows.

罵

You can speak polite Japanese, but to be fluent, one should also master verbal abuse! Learn to say, “He often calls her names,” “The company president abused me verbally,” “I can't forgive my mom's abuse,” “He instantly abuses somebody if he’s dissatisfied with something,” “I had never received a letter filled with so much abuse,” and “The audience jeered at the player's error.”

箸

Learn how chopsticks can rest and bathe—and what “pregnant chopsticks” signify. See how 箸 can serve as a stand-in for “eating.” If a human uses one end of chopsticks, find out who eats from the other end. Discover dozens of chopstick taboos, and see which ones remind people of funerals. Find out about the おてもと on chopstick wrappers, and learn why the Chinese dropped 箸.