Questions tagged [kanji]
漢字. Chinese characters as used in Japanese writing as opposed to the two kana syllabaries and rōmaji (Latin letters).
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83 views
what is the best kanji for the word EDGE that means an advantage that makes someone something? [on hold]
please help me find the best kanji for EDGE that means an advantage that makes someone something... "the edge over someone/something" like hardwork can give you the edge over dilemmas... please help :...
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2answers
137 views
o'clock kanji pronunciation 時
Is 時 read as "toki" or "ji"? Duolingo and Google Translate don't seem to be in agreement.
3
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1answer
105 views
How to write こたえ: 答え or 答?
In the microsoft IME keyboard, and my cellphone's as well, when I write こたえ it is suggested 答え. However, in the Genki I textbook, I've seen it written as
答{こたえ}
Are both of these valid? If so, ...
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0answers
122 views
Is there any unicode characters that is same as a kanji image?
Can you find a unicode character that is same as the kanji image below?
Kanji image:
Thanks if you did it.
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2answers
319 views
Why is there a difference between the hand drawn 道 and the pc font one?
I was studying this kanji and looked at the strokes order to figure out how to write it, only to realize the difference between the pc font one and the diagram. Why is the 3 look-alike only on hand ...
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1answer
77 views
What is the meanings of kanji 手 when it's part of a compound word?
The kanji 手 (not the radical) is very common and i found hundreds of vocbularies are containing it and i thought that its using as a component in words is to refer to ( hand, ability, skill or ...
4
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1answer
188 views
A question about the kanji 畀?
When I searched for this kanji in japanese dictionaries i didn't found many results just found it in the popular sites like wiktionary page and jisho.org it means "to give" and there is no example ...
6
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1answer
219 views
What is the meaning of the radical 手 as a part of character?
I know that the radical 手 means "hand" but I wanna know meaning does 「手」 contribute as a part of a character
If anyone can give me five examples and it could be better if he can bring example with a ...
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2answers
2k views
What is the story behind “peach kanji” 桃?
I wanna know why this kanji is containing the tree kanji 木 + the omen kanji 兆 ? What is the relation between tree and omen to give us a kanji for the peach ? Is it a historical story?
3
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1answer
138 views
Is it common for Kanjis to have several pronounciation like for 乾?
While doing introductionary courses of Japanese, I stumble on a fact that afrights me about the difficulty of the language.
When congratulating each other around a drink: 乾杯
the Kanji 乾 is ...
7
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2answers
285 views
Kanji of そそっかしい
I am wondering about the way to write そそっかしい in kanji, and if this is possible.
I've found that the な-adjective 粗忽｛そこつ｝, a word with very similar if not identical meaning, can in less common cases be ...
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2answers
481 views
What is ふつ here?
In the following sentence:
ふつ~怒られるんじゃないかぁ~?
For context, the speaker has been beaten and is responding to the victory interview of the one who defeated him, which contains a lot of heartwarming ...
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2answers
190 views
What is the etymology of shamisen (三味線)?
The instrument clearly has 3 (三) strings (線), but where does 味 exactly fit in?
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0answers
60 views
What is the standard size of a kanji as written by a standard caligraphy brush
I recently acquired some brush pens meant for calligraphy, one of size 'standard', and one of size 'beginner'. While I cannot find the site where they were labeled as such, the lineup is here with ...
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1answer
157 views
Kanji size and proportions
When I'm practicing writting kanji, the proportions between each of the strokes always seem to be a little off. Are there known exercises to help with this? At the moment, I'm only trying to "copy" it ...
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1answer
85 views
I can't identify this kanji ( kanji 当ても)
I've decided to read manga in japanese again, I left it for a couple of years so now I'm out of practice and in need of help. It must be a really simple one but still I want to understand without ...
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3answers
615 views
What is the upper radical in the Kanji 悪?
I recognize the heart radical at the bottom of the kanji 悪, but I cannot make my mind about the upper one.
Do you know the name of this radical?
Do you also know of another Kanji using this radical?
...
3
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2answers
180 views
What is the proper way of writing the first stroke of 言? [duplicate]
I am wondering why is it that 言 looks different in different fonts. In Gothic, the topmost part is just a horizontal line while in Google Search, it is a drop. I am really confused about what is ...
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0answers
55 views
What's the difference between 合う, 会う, 遭う, 逢う,遇う? [duplicate]
I recently stumbled upon the expression 酷{ひど｝い目｛め｝に遭｛あ｝った ("I was having a bad time"), where the verb "to meet" was written using a rather unusual kanji.
After looking into it, I can count at least 5 ...
2
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0answers
27 views
What reading rules should I apply to the 分 kanji when talking about temperature? [duplicate]
Will it be always ぶ, or does it change just like the counter of minutes? Could you give me examples where the reading changes (either of numerals or both kanji and numerals)?
4
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1answer
107 views
Grammaticality of two kanji verbs without their conjugating part
A friend told me he's going to get a tattoo with "頑張".
頑張 doesn't exist on the dictionary without its -る conjugating part, so is it grammatically correct using it alone, as if it was a noun? Does it ...
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1answer
495 views
Is “eventide” a correct word for the kanji 汐
Jisho dictionary refers to 汐 as the kanji for eventide, tide, salt water, opportunity. looking in Oxford dictionary, eventide means The end of the day; evening.
I don't see how 汐 has anything to do ...
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1answer
97 views
What is used more in Japan for numbers? Kanji or Hiragana?
I’m trying to learn Japanese but I want to know if I should learn my numbers in Kanji or Hiragana because I want to learn what I will definitely use in Japan.
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1answer
71 views
What is the correct romaji/kanji for a phrase that sounds like “fui cabaru”
A japanese Aikido master used the term that sounds like “fui cabaru” or the “up” position of the a sword. I also believe it means something like “the place your hat goes”.
Can you tell me the correct ...
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2answers
260 views
無念 - kanjis say “no wish”, but meaning is “regret”? Why?
無 generally roughly means "none"
念 generally roughly means "wish"
So I personally would have expected "無念" to mean "no wish", "no regret", "no worries", etc. However, counter-intuitively, "無念" means "...
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1answer
206 views
I don't understand why 差し支える means what it means
This is one word I often 'fail' while reviewing and I couldn't find much explanation anywhere. According to most dictionaries, it means something like hinder, interfere.
差: difference, substract
支: ...
4
votes
2answers
211 views
What semantic role does ⺉/刀(sword/cut) tend to have in Kanji?
判 Has the phonetic component 半, but why the semantic component knife?
刊 has the phonetic component 干, but why the semantic component knife?
剛 has the phonetic part 岡, but why the semantic ...
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2answers
399 views
Why are Japanese fonts different to Chinese?
I’ve noticed that Japanese and Chinese writing tends to use different fonts. Japanese fonts tend use wider lines and more curves. Chinese fonts tend to use narrow angular lines and there are ...
3
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2answers
175 views
When I go to Japan to study abroad, can I write my name in kanji?
I am planning to study abroad in Japan in two years through my college for a year at a Japanese speaking university. I also have goals/aspirations to one day work/live in Japan. Is it weird/acceptable ...
4
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1answer
119 views
Is “爿” a 略字--if so, how is it pronounced/written normally?
If not. . .part of how I help myself learn is to translate things that interest me--comics and art and song lyrics now and then. While reading, I ran into this dialogue, starting with "爿に"--and I've ...
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0answers
73 views
What's the difference between “on”, “oto” and “ne”
I've seen some various examples where the kanji "音" has different readings (おん, おと and ね) and couldn't found out when to use each one. Is there a general rule to know each one should I use in an ...
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1answer
96 views
What is the correct reading of 血泡?
As stated in the title - what is the correct reading of 血泡? I couldn't find a definitive answer (Jisho does not know this word at all, Google Translate thinks it should be kehhou, which seems unlikely)...
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1answer
222 views
Is there a reason why 嚥 (swallow -deglutition) and 燕 (swallow -bird) are similar like in English?
I recently came across the kanji 燕, and found out about 嚥 today.
According to jisho.org, both translate to "swallow", except that the first one means swallow bird and the second one (with the "mouth" ...
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0answers
76 views
How did the on-readings with -チ appear?
This is what I know.
1) Unlike, say, -p, the final -t of Chinese readings was maintained in careful speech at least as long as the Christian resources of the XVIth century (Frellesvig 2010: 316-7). ...
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2answers
210 views
What is the significance of number 8 (八) in Japanese? [duplicate]
I've noticed a couple of words with the character 八 that have (seemingly) nothing to do with the number 8.
八百屋【やおや】 - greengrocer
八つ【やつ】当たり【あたり】 - taking out anger on someone
八丁【はっちょう】 - ...
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1answer
141 views
What does this mean to you if you were to see an application named “Japanese 語”?
My friend is creating a word card application to help people memorize Japanese words / Kanji. The subject of what to call the application came up and he asked me for some suggestions. One of the ...
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1answer
151 views
What is the usage of these 12 kanjis (彁, 墸,壥,挧,暃,椦,槞,蟐,袮,閠,駲,妛)+18 more in modern Japanese? How to read it?
I read from this interesting article that it's included in 幽霊文字 (yuurei moji/ghost kanji (character). I tried to look up each of those kanjis:
I use these sites to look up those kanjis:
a.jisho.org
...
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1answer
62 views
What's the purpose of ta-form +りする and how to use it?
Just wanted to know how to apply the りする to a verb when saying something like "I want to visit japan and eat food." I've seen "今度の 夏休みに 川に行ったり、海に行ったりします" but is it as simple as putting り after the ta-...
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1answer
242 views
Why does the word for “surgery” 外科 have the 外 kanji?
I can't seem to figure out what "outside" has to do with "surgery".
Surely, one type of surgery is amputation (切断【せつだん】) which is about removing (外【はず】す) a body part, but there are many other (much ...
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1answer
71 views
What does 通常進行 mean in the context of a two week serialized mangaka job?
I can understand both words separately, and even together in some specific contexts. I can't understand the meaning of these two together in the following phrase and context:
「締切りを３日早めてほしいの。...
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1answer
106 views
What are the common practices for writing Korean names?
Some manga made by Korean writers and illustrators write their names entirely with kanji (especially without any clue as to how to pronounce them), while credits in anime write Korean staffers' names ...
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1answer
93 views
Reading of 管 as in “かん” vs “くだ” and its meaning regarding those two readings
こんにちは。
After reading jisho, here's some of the information that I found:
管 (kun: くだ on: カン)
Interestingly, if you search the details, jisho lists 管 read as 【カン】 and
【かん】, even though the ...
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0answers
91 views
Why are some words (e.g., 処方箋) sometimes partially written with hiragana? [duplicate]
Some words with complex Kanji are sometimes written in a mixture of Hiragana and Kanji. For example 処方箋 (prescription) is often written as 処方せん in pharmacies. This is used by native speakers that have ...
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1answer
104 views
What is the difference between 都市 and 郷?
Do they mean the same thing? What situations should I use one over the other?
5
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1answer
212 views
Iki versus Yuki meaning “bound for”
Can we read ー行き as "iki" talking about trains bound for some stations?
For example,
この列車は東京行きです。
Here they say we should read it as "yuki."
Here I see that "iki" is used to mean "bound for". ...
3
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1answer
651 views
Kanjis to Romajis first letter [closed]
I'm fond of Unicode and what romanization attempts. My goal is to get a first latin char (for sorting purposes) of a non-latin character - so far I succeeded by transcribing Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew, ...
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2answers
275 views
Are there official kanji attached to popular particles?
After some research on my own (looking through the list of kun-readings for more obscure kanji), I can more or less surely claim:
に is 于 (which is simultaneously many things, including ここに and を);
...
2
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1answer
147 views
Why use the kanji 伸 for “no” instead of the hiragana の, and the kanji 手 for “te” instead of the hiragana て?
In an anime opening song, at 0:08, I read the following sentence:
omokage no naka te wo nobasu no
おもかげのなか 手を伸ばすの
Please, can you tell me:
for "no", why is the kanji 伸 used instead of the ...
2
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1answer
114 views
The differences with おちる (落ちる、堕ちる、墜ちる)
Can someone explain the differences with these kanji 落ちる、堕ちる、墜ちる. I've seen them used in manga.
Looking at Jisho.org and get a bunch of definitions. Googling and I can't find an English explanation. ...
0
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1answer
64 views
Why the pronunciation of some words is different than their components? [duplicate]
美味しい is being pronounced おいしい, but it is not the sum of the way its kanji components are being pronounced. I think I have also seen it in some other words. So why is that the pronunciation of some ...
