The Joy o' Kanji Essays
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詰
cram
JOK: 1144
The kanji 詰 shows up in word after word about feeling stuck, being at a loss, arriving at a dead end, giving someone little space (emotionally speaking), and packing people into a tight place. Learn how to talk about being "jam-packed" (think of a Tokyo subway at rush hour), feeling "ill at ease," and being "at a loss for words."
及
amount to
JOK: 1148
Learn to talk about exerting influence, as in "Your advice will affect them," "Little did I dream of doing you any harm," and "Hosting the Olympics had various ripple effects." This includes the spread of TV and smartphones. Also discuss what is out of reach: "The problem was beyond my reach," "I can't hold a candle to Susan," and "Nature is beyond human control." Discover the nuance of the conjunction 及び via several signs.
丘
hill
JOK: 1149
Learn to say, “The hills were covered with snow” and “He sledded down the hill.” See how 丘 differs from three other hill kanji. Find out about the Hill of Promises and Hill of Freedom. Discover the risk of sitting on a pipe as an unestablished couple. Take a crash course in volcanology. Investigate terms for round body parts. And see why noblewomen hired nuns to take the blame for farts!
朽
decay
JOK: 1150
Learn how to marvel that a work of art will last forever, saying things like “This film is a timeless masterpiece” and “He wrote enduring poems.” Also find out how to talk about dilapidated buildings. And see how the Japanese refer to rotting wood and how they would say, “There is nothing that does not decay” and “The wooden boat was so rotten that people assumed it would sink.”
糾
twist
JOK: 1151
Bringing together strands of yarn seems harmless, but with 糾 this act can be menacing. Once just a depiction of twisting strands into a rope, 糾 now also involves criminal investigations, interrogations, and denunciations. The essay explores all that and touches on a dam in the works since 1947, a government policy of abandoning those in need, and communist influence on Japan.
拒
refuse
JOK: 1154
Sometimes you just have to say no. With 拒 you can turn down requests and offers (e.g., marriage proposals), refuse to pay or to take money, reject advice, and refuse to go places. You can also use 拒 to say, "I refuse to answer the question," "The government refuses to bow to public pressure," “They denied asylum to refugees,” and "She automatically dismisses talk of the supernatural."
虚
void
JOK: 1156
In 虚 we find a hollow space, though it's often filled with lies. As such, it pops up in words about bluffs, false fronts, and vanity, as well as emptiness, both emotional and physical. When an effort is in vain, leading to nothing, 虚 again enables us to express that. Learn about its surprising relationship to 実. Also find out why you should never choose a spouse who has a 虚業!
況
situation
JOK: 1163
Do you know how to say, “I don’t like grilled fish, let alone raw fish,” “The market deteriorated, so our inventory piled up,” or “Please let me know the status”? Through this essay you’ll learn all that, plus ways of talking about the business climate, booms and busts, live broadcasts, events packed with people, and more. Also find out how a term for “urgent state of affairs” connects to sumo.
峡
gorge
JOK: 1164
In a nation of islands separated by straits that can be dangerously rough, geography is a vivid reality. The most common 峡 word by far is 海峡 (strait), so this photo-studded essay mainly looks at significant Japanese straits and at the bridges, whirlpools, and important events associated with them. You will emerge from this essay with a much sharper sense of Japanese geography!
挟
put between
JOK: 1165
Find out why several places are called Fusabami, what it means to "discuss something across a table," and what to call attacks from two sides. Learn how one powerful verb can refer to sandwiching something or to filling that sandwich. Discover ways to talk about fingers slammed in doors, houses facing each other, hearsay, interruptions, and meddling (or "sticking your beak in"!).
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