The Joy o' Kanji Essays
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蜂
bee
JOK: 2109
Find out why some Japanese eat bee larvae and "royal jelly," what traditional Japanese beekeeping involves, how Japanese and Western honeybees differ, and where bees thrive in Japan. Learn to count bees and to say that they're buzzing or that a swarm has attacked! Read about "buzzing" in the ears and bee uprisings, and see why a figurative queen bee seems sexy and marketable in Japan.
貌
appearance
JOK: 2110
Find out how 顔 and 貌 differ when they represent "face." See what the Japanese mean when they compare someone to a sculpture. Discover the controversy surrounding the "last samurai," and read about a renowned photographer, as well as a rebellious pretty boy. Also learn to say, "I was captivated by her beauty," and to talk about drastic changes in appearance.
頰
cheek
JOK: 2111
Learn how to talk about delicious food by mentioning cheeks that fall! See what full and hollow cheeks represent in Japan and how cheeks relate to smiling. Find out why people refer to cheekbones in connection with a verb that typically means "to stab." See why the Japanese once talked about fox pups' cheeks, and discover the figurative meaning of covering one's head with a cloth.
脇
armpit
JOK: 2112
Using 脇, we can discuss carrying a book under one’s arm, taking one’s eyes off the road while driving, making a beeline for food at a party, and being singlemindedly absorbed in pottery. The meaning “secondary” opens our eyes to sauces, companies, and weapons that serve as “supporting actors,” as well as buildings that play second fiddle to more important structures.
勃
sudden
JOK: 2113
Learn to talk about the sudden rise of the Nazis and the outbreak of war. Find out how to say, “World War II broke out in 1939” and “A series of events caused the war to break out.” Also see how the Japanese refer to handlebar mustaches and what formed one prominent manga artist. And learn how the Japanese speak of penile erections and the lack thereof!
昧
dark
JOK: 2114
With 昧 you can describe wording or stances as vague and can call people stupid and ignorant. But the real fun comes in with a term that people use to discuss immersions, as in, “I’m spending my life indulging in fantasies, writing, and naps” or “He spent his days just reading books.” This term can also pull you over to the dark side: “He lived a short life as a result of the evil acts he committed.”
枕
pillow
JOK: 2115
This wide-ranging essay examines literature over millennia, from ancient China to "The Pillow Book" to Basho and Soseki, plus the connections between pillows, travel, and poetry. The essay covers several types of pillows (e.g., those atop boxes, those you hug, and manly pillows), pillows as cures, pillow-flipping ghosts, figurative pillows (e.g., railroad ties!), a confection, and more.
麺
noodles
JOK: 2118
Japan has oodles of noodles! Aside from udon, soba, and ramen, there’s chilled tsukemen, stringy somen, slender sanuki udon, horse chestnut flour noodles (which inspired a figurative term), and noodles named for Go stones. Read about ethnic separation of noodles, as well as manga and films centered on noodles. And see why the names of some non-noodle foods include 麺.
冶
melt
JOK: 2119
Find out how far back the Japanese craved metal and see how acquiring it changed society, enabling people to have weapons, tools, coins, bells, sewn clothes, and even sacred mirrors. Learn to talk about metal experts, from blacksmiths and swordsmiths to metallurgists and those who separate metal from ore. Also discover why there are wavy patterns on Japanese sword blades.
弥
increasingly
JOK: 2120
Discover the shocking roots of the language and people of Japan (i.e., Yayoi versus Jomon). Find out about Buddhist figures and terms that have eluded you. And learn to say, “They hooted at his suggestion,” “That makes you even more attractive,” “That’s nothing more than a temporary remedy,” and “The origins of (certain) kanji will make your hair stand on end with fear.”
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