The Joy o' Kanji Essays
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胴
torso
JOK: 1662
Learn how to discuss torsos and waists, as in "The victim's torso and head were found," "The dachshund is a cute type of dog with a long body and short legs," and "It bothers me that I have no waist." Also see all the random topics to which 胴 connects, including aircraft fuselage, boat hulls, armor, swords, martial arts, clothing, musical instruments, and gambling.
峠
ridge
JOK: 1663
After reading about this famous kokuji, you'll know how to say that you're "over the hump" of a crisis and that a trend has peaked. You'll also understand the significance of mountain passes in Japan, including the military importance they had in the past, the dangers they once posed to travelers, the way they've inspired woodblock artists, and the abundance of hot springs at passes.
凸
convex
JOK: 1667
Discover a kanji for all that protrudes or curves outward: a forehead, Braille, lenses, and relief printing. Learn to say, "The moon’s surface is irregular," "The bus rattled as it traveled along the bumpy road," and "A golf ball has dimples to make it easy to control." Find out how to discuss the topography of mountainous Japan, as well as figurative unevenness (e.g., life's ups and downs).
豚
pork
JOK: 1670
Sorry, vegetarians! This essay will be hard to stomach, as the bulk of 豚 terms involve pork. The good news is that 豚 also appears in fanciful sayings, harsh insults, and terms for other animals, including blowfish (“river pigs”), dolphins (“sea pigs”), and aardvarks (“earth pigs”). The bad news is that some of those animals also end up on people’s plates!
曇
cloudy
JOK: 1672
Learn how the Japanese use 曇 and 雲 (cloud) differently, associating only 曇 with changeability (both meteorological and emotional). Find out how to say, "It was cloudy, so there wasn't a view," "The steam has fogged my glasses," "His face fell when he heard the news," and "Today there will be sun followed by cloudy skies." Also figure out what "My heart pattern is cloudy" really means.
尿
urine
JOK: 1675
Find out why a novel and a memoir contain 尿 in their titles. Discover how Edo-era people repurposed excrement for a profit. Learn to say that you want to urinate, and find out how to discuss problems such as frequent urination. Also see why the Japanese are extra-aware of uric acid levels and albumin and why the Japanese word for "albumin" contains characters for "egg white."
粘
sticky
JOK: 1679
Knowing this kanji enables us to talk about sticky substances (from natto and rice to Post-It notes) and about a stick-to-it attitude in life, in sports, and in business. Learn to say, "You hung in there very well, but I won." Find out which term for "tenacious" is positive (i.e., persevering) and which is negative (i.e., persistent). Also learn terms related to clay, adhesion, viscosity, and more.
濃
thick
JOK: 1681
This kanji brings us intense eye colors, strong cups of coffee, deep love, and flavorful food. Learn to talk about everything from the salt levels in the Dead Sea to hot-pink iPhones, dark soy sauce, and juice sold as a concentrate. Find out how to refer to the pronounced scars of World War II and to unusually well-defined Japanese faces. Also learn to say "chock-full of blueberry flavor."
把
grasp; bundle
JOK: 1682
With one essay, you’ll learn to say all of the following: “I don’t have a handle on the situation,” “She has good control over her class,” “We kept track of all our expenses from the trip,” “I grasped the entire structure of his argument,” “He’s the type that doesn’t worry about details,” “Spinach is 100 yen a bunch,” “The pitcher handle was broken,” and “Don’t lump all these issues together.”
杯
cup
JOK: 1685
If you invite someone out for drinks, use saké cups, make a toast, and count how many drinks you've had, 杯 will come in very handy. And if you drink till you're tipsy and full in a cheap drinking spot filled with people, you'll need 杯 four more times. As if this kanji weren't useful enough, you can also use it when counting octopi (which you might do after enough drinks)!
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