| SAMPLE SENTENCE: | ||||
| 米国 | の | 牛肉 | は | 高い。 |
| BEI.KOKU | no | GYŪ.NIKU | wa | taka.i. |
| = United States beef is expensive. |
KANJI #33
| 自 | SELF |
Meaning
This character conveys the important idea of self. Its function becomes clearer if you think of such English words as “self-confidence” and “self-government”. When these and other words beginning with “self-” are translated into Japanese, the resulting compound will usually begin with this kanji.
Remembering this kanji
Everyone is aware of a Cyclops’ weakness for jelly beans. It was this, in fact, that saved Hercules; dangling a jelly bean over the Cyclops’ head was enough to make the monster drop his club and lose all sense of SELF. “It was sad, actually,” Hercules said at a later press conference. “No SELF-respecting Cyclops should act that way. He needs more SELF-control.”
Common Pronunciations
Common ON reading: JI (ジ)
Common kun reading: none
Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi reading in the box below.
Less Common Pronunciations
Less common ON reading: SHI (シ）
Less Common kun reading: mizuka (みずか）
SHI appears only in the compound 自然 (Self/ Nature), the Japanese word for “nature”: SHI.ZEN (シ·ゼン).
| COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS | ||
| 自国 | self + country = one s homeland | JI.KOKU ジ.コク |
| 自立 | self + stand = independence | JI.RITSU ジ.リツ |
| 自分 | self + part = oneself | JI.BUN ジ.ブン |
| 自体 | self + body = in itself | JI.TAI ジ.夕イ |
| SAMPLE SENTENCE: | ||||
| 自分 | の | 車 | が | 買いたい。 |
| JI.BUN | no | kuruma | ga | ka.itai. |
| oneself | car | want to buy | ||
| = I want to buy my own car. |
COMPONENT #34
KANJI #34
| 内 | INSIDE |
Meaning
Inside/Interior/Within. This character can also convey the idea of “home.”
Remembering this kanji
“You can know nothing of the gorilla’s ways unless you are INSIDE its world. To truly understand, each person must get INSIDE an Acme™ gorilla suit—available for a limited time at this low introductory price—and head immediately into the jungle. It is then a simple matter of being accepted by a gorilla pod; once this has been done, a person can delve easily INSIDE the consciousness of our greatest primate.”
Common Pronunciations
Common ON reading: NAI (ナイ)
Common kun reading: uchi (うち)
kun-yomi suggestion: “ooh, cheetahs”
Create your on-yomi keyword and enter it in the table at the back of the book. After that, write your sentence to remember the on-yomi and kun-yomi readings in the box below.
Less Common Pronunciations
Less common ON reading: DAI (ダイ)
Less Common kun reading: none
| COMMON WORDS AND COMPOUNDS | ||
| 内 | inside | uchi うち |
| 国内 | country + inside = domestic | Koku.NAI コク.ナイ |
| 市内 | city + inside = within the city | SHI.NAI シ.ナイ |
| 内海 | inside + sea = inland sea | NAI.KAI ナイ.カイ |
| 車内 | car + inside = inside the car | SHA.NAI シャ.ナイ |
