08

Bundle 8: What Used to Exist

All four essays involve digging into matters, examining physical evidence of the past (including ruins, footprints, or even handwriting), making discoveries, drawing conclusions about what happened, and then taking action. That could mean closing the case on a crime, declaring a missing person legally dead and doling out inheritance money, reconstructing a historic site, or pursuing someone who has disappeared. All four essays reinforce the idea that although a living creature can vanish or die ridiculously fast, we all leave marks on this world.
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掘
dig
JOK: 1189
People use this kanji for digging up crops, excavating ruins, and mining; 掘 is quite grounded. But if you dig a little, you'll soon spot its figurative side. This essay will teach you to say "That old book is a real find" and "Someone rear-ended me." Through this kanji you'll find out about hidden treasure, an animal shaped like a tusk, and heating systems submerged in pits in the floor.
跡
trace
JOK: 1485
Discover why Sun Yat-sen’s handwriting mattered to the Japanese, and find out how they feel about the look of razor stubble and harvested fields. Also see why a Nagoya well contained gold, how ruins relate to one generation, and what “crow footprints” represent. Learn to say, “We found footprints in the sand,” “There is no sign of life on Mars,” and “Each era has left its mark.”
痕
scar
JOK: 2012
Find out how to talk about physical scars, as well as psychological ones, saying for instance that World War II scarred a place. Learn how to say, “The blood on the road must be mine,” “One senses that each era has left its mark on the city,” and “It sank without a trace.” Also discover what fingernail marks have to do with the ravages of nuclear testing and of volcanic explosions.
踪
footprint
JOK: 2055
Read about people who vanish into thin air. Some disappear inexplicably (e.g., Agatha Christie!), others opt to change identities (e.g., a famous manga artist). The circumstances determine the vocabulary you need; learn to refer to the Japanese abducted by North Korea versus those who disappeared during a disaster (such as the 2011 tsunami) and are presumed dead.
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