you know Mr. (Ms.) Kawakami?
5. 急いで階段を上がった。
Isoide kaidan o agatta.
He hurried up the stairs.
| Common Compounds and Phrases | ||
| 上等 | jōtō | first-class; superior |
| 向上 | kōjō | improvement |
| 上着 | uwagi | a coat; a jacket; a blouse |
| 川上 | kawakami | Kawakami (a name) upriver |
| 値上げ | neage | a price hike |
| 売り上げ | uriage | sale |
| *上手 | jōzu | skillful, good at |
17
千
thousand
セン SEN ち chi
The character 千 is made up of the characters for イ person and, 一 one, which together represent thousands of people in a crowd.
GR1 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. その会社の社員数は、約千人です。
Sono kaisha no shain'sū wa yaku sennin desu.
There are about one thousand employees in that company.
2. 税込み三千九十円です。
Zeikomi sanzen kyūiūen desu.
It is ¥3,090, including tax.
3. 妹は子供に千秋という名前をつけた。
Imōto wa kodomo ni Chiaki to iu namae o tsuketa.
My sister called her child Chiaki.
4. 慰霊碑に千羽づるを捧げた。
Ireihi ni senbazuru o sasageta.
The 1,000 paper cranes were dedicated to the cenotaph.
5. —万円を千円札にくずしてもらえますか。
Ichiman-en o sen'en-satsu ni kuzushite moraemasu ka.
Could you change 10,000 yen into 1,000 yen notes for me?
| Common Compounds and Phrases | ||
| 千人 | sennin | one thousand people |
| 三千 | sanzen | three thousand |
| 一千万 | issen-man | ten million |
| 千円札 | sen'en-satsu | a ¥1,000 note |
| 千羽づる | senbazuru | 1,000 folded paper cranes |
| 千秋 | Chiaki | Chiaki (a name) |
| 千代田区 | Chiyoda-ku | Chiyoda Ward |
18
川
river
セン SEN かわ kawa
The character 川 represents flowing water.
GR1 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. ただいま、河川工事を行こなっております。
Tadaima, kasen kōji o okonatte orimasu.
River conservation work is in progress.
2. 川上は流れが速い。
Kawakami wa nagare ga hayai.
The current is swift upstream.
3. 信濃川は日本で一番長い川です。
Shinanogawa wa Nihon de ichiban nagai kawa desu.
The Shinano River is Japan's longest river.
4. 先週、川原でバーベキューをした。
Senshū, kawara de bābekyū o shita.
Last week, we had a barbecue on a dry river bed.
5. 友達と川岸まで泳いだ。
Tomodachi to kawagishi made oyoida.
I swam to the riverbank with my friend.
| Common Compounds and Phrases | ||
| 河川 | kasen | a river |
| 四川 | Shisen | Sichuan (a place) |
| 川原 | kawara | a dry riverbed |
| 川崎 | Kawasaki | Kawasaki (a name / place) |
| 小川 | ogawa | a creek; Ogawa (a name) |
| 川魚 | kawauo | a river fish |
| 川岸 | kawagishi | a riverside, a riverbank |
19
大
great; big; large
ダイ DAI タイ TAI おお ō おお • きい ō(kii) おお • いに ō(i ni)
The character 大 depicts a person standing with arms outstretched, suggesting the concept of big.
GR1 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. それは大問題になった。
Sore wa daimondai ni natta.
It became a grave concern.
2. 彼は大金を持っている。
Kare wa taikin o motte iru.
He has a large sum of money.
3. ネ雨になりそうだ。
Ōame ni narisō da.
It looks like we're in for some heavy showers.
4. 東京は巨大な都市だ。
Tōkyō wa kyodai na toshi da.
Tokyo is a huge city.
5. いつか大きな地震が起こるだろう。
Itsu ka ōki na jishin
