Remembering the Kanji_ A Systematic Guide to Reading Japanese Characters Vol. 2

44 | remembering the kanji 2 grandeur; magnificence 321
260 322
261 resort; villa 398
262 2138
263 dress; attire
264
265 1565, 2088 209
266 consultation 609
267 2090 426
268 thought; thinking

frost damage

foul; infraction 88
surveying; fathoming 149
aspect; facet 975

pure groups | 45

1099 1005
269 taking turns; exchange

1007
270 loan; lending

1006
271 mail pouch; mailbag

1020
272 a, b, c (old enumeration)

1021
273 arrogance

1158 1682
274 illness

56 402
275 eternity

585
276 (Japanese) garden

403
277 wild monkey

46 | remembering the kanji 2 seeds and seedlings 234
278 a sketch; profile 670
279 pet cat 244
280
281 1853 541
282 home
283
284 542
285
286 remarrying (archaic)

893
operation (of a factory); work

2166 217
plain; coarse 218
644
bubbles; foam

obliteration

pure groups | 47

287 the gist; essentials 455
288 guidance 659
289 fat 456

腮 straits; sound; channel 1265
290 narrow-minded 1266
291 catch in a crossfire 1267
292
iron bridge 429
293 reform; correction 1221
294 affable; charming 430
295

48 | remembering the kanji 2

Having completed the larger of the “pure groups,” we now come to the more
difficult: those with only 2 kanji. Although the groups are small, learning them
by means of their signal primitives will come in useful later, once you have left
the confines of the general-use kanji. That is to say, many of the signal primi-
tives we are learning here are not restricted to the characters we treat.

舂 record; annals 1144
296 1371
297 2191
verdigris; green rust
298
299 992 59
New Year’s Day 61
300
301 stubborn; hardheaded

302 29 1381
303 geometry 1382

opportunity

1060

boredom

1061

working a mine; mining

pure groups | 49

872
304 cooperation

871
305 blackmail

1366
306 sum total

749
307 alumni

21
308 singing

22
309 crystal

597
310 a “ninja” spy

598
311 disapproval; denial

55
312 chastity

50 | remembering the kanji 2 981
313
314 scouting
315
316 52 190
317 peace of heart 214
318
319 guiding; information
320
321 994
felling trees; deforestation

1619

clique; faction

1045 1801
disclosure; uncovering 1802

explosion

adventure 18
hat; cap 408

pure groups | 51

菐 I; me 1794
clubbing to death 1793
322
323 1123 1775
discourtesy 1774
舅
324 (theatre) stage
325
1384
326 domestic animals; livestock
327
1385
328
329 storage battery cell

330 887

symbol

888
disciplinary action; punishment

52

breakfast

52 | remembering the kanji 2 141
331
332 high tide
333
334 automobile 1676
335 labor 1678
336
337 1737 277
338 the Japanese “way of flowers”
339
278

guidance

insufficiency 1279
promotion; facilitation 1280

ego 640
starvation; famishing 1476

pure groups | 53

1786
340 dissemination

1787
341 musical score

62
342 introductory remarks

406
343 sailing vessel

腋 paper money 1040
344 evil; abuse 1041

345

21 447
346 comparison

The signal primitive must stand with nothing above or
below it.

649
347 criticism

1511
348 sneaky; obsequious

54 | remembering the kanji 2 1512
349 monument inscription; epitaph
350
351 2101 112
352 famous
353
354 275
355 monument inscription; epitaph
356
357 suture; stitching 1563
lofty peak 1562

friend; companion 19
collapse 774

1546
mounting (a picture or hanging)

1547

sandbags; sumō ring

pure groups | 55

1095
358 (low-ranking) company officer

1096
359 solace; comfort

1140 382
360 family crest

383
361 lock

1585
362 riding in a car

1586
363 excess

735
364 sitting for an exam

736
365 professor

1165
366 demand (opposite of “supply”)

56 | remembering the kanji 2

1166
367 Confucianism

2091, 2207 877

368 engagement; pursuit

1338
369 piloting; maneuvering

309
370 principal of a private school

310
371 ripeness; maturity

67
372 middle ten days of the month

809
373 martyr’s death

1853
374 contradiction

Literally: a lance that nothing can resist and a shield that
nothing can penetrate.

1854
375 cycle; rotation

pure groups | 57

與 description 1524
376 technology 1525
377
nothing at all 449
378 social class 1309
379
250
380 mediation; intermediation
381
251

world

The two kanji featured in the following two frames are unique in that each
allows a common second reading. Learn the next four frames as a unit.

384 752
382 accounts; accountant

385 1346
383 picture; painting

58 | remembering the kanji 2 382 752
salutations; a bow 1346
384
385 383
picture book
386
387 (Buddhist) precepts 676
machine; mechanism 677
餠
388 destruction; collapse 400
389 reminiscences 828

390 102
391
piercing; penetration
392
627

custom; habit; convention

1043

interchange; exchange

pure groups | 59

1042

393 recall; reclamation
興
reduction 837
394 cycle; rotation 836

395 1580 1620
time 1621
396
simple; uncomplicated
397
舉 1934
head of state or government
398
1935
399
餞 suffering; distress

400 fairly; pretty much 1298
the brains 1290
401

60 | remembering the kanji 2 1839 1750
gold 1751
402
403 crossing; cutting across

舌 dale; valley 840
404 hen eggs 1947
405
2104 391
406 submission of a proposal
407
974
408 health protection; hygiene
409
prefectural office 513
410 reward or prize 1394

1736 1885
weather

pure groups | 61

1886

411 (steam) locomotive

膤 2224 1577
going to work
412
1576
413 compliments of the author

414 307

415 high school
舍
892
416 manuscript; original draft

417 kings and princes 1639
candidacy 1640
418
wasteland 488
419 panic; alarm 624

62 | remembering the kanji 2

貇 1970
social reunion; reception
420
1971
421
reopening a wasteland

1288

422 bone marrow

1757 1289

423 ludicrous; funny

To accommodate this rare reading, a character not learned
in vol. 1 has been introduced. It means to “pause” or “pon-
der” and is most commonly met in the term ( ),
meaning “training” or “exercise.”

1851
424 bridegroom

1852
425 painting gallery

餬 1677
426
distinguished service
427
1681
light, balmy breeze; zephyr

pure groups | 63

1395
428 return; reimbursement

2238 1396
429 script; screenplay

2133 1849
430 one’s native place; hometown

1850
431 influence

2007 484
432 boundary

483
433 mirror-stand; dresser

829
434 patience; tolerance

830
435 comic book; comics

1562 20
436 explanation

64 | remembering the kanji 2 1450

437 association; alliance

438 people (of a country) 1834
439 peaceful sleep 1835

440 964 241
441 natural (not artificial) 510

舐 combustibility
442
443 one’s 60th birthday 213
history 376
444
445 agricultural school 2014
thickness; density 2015

pure groups | 65

1098
446 prohibition

1099
447 magnanimity

1282
448 road

2079 1283
449 frank; plain

679
450 death penalty

680
451 model; prototype

1103
452 police

1104
453 friction; chafing

697
454 both sides

66 | remembering the kanji 2 698
455 mulberry farm or orchard
456
457 415
458
459 (geographical) zone
460
461 416
462 backlog of freight or goods
463
private residence 1916
oracle; revelation 1917

262
compliments of the author

894

extent; degree

435

empire

1340
conclusion (of a treaty, contract)

pure groups | 67

311
464 Japanese-style restaurant

977
465 suspension; ban

舒 thoroughgoing; radical 886
466 withdrawal; revocation 760

467

1019, 2111 1194

468 ban

The readings of both characters belong to the official list,
but are not the most common readings. As throughout the
book, their other (in this case, more ordinary) readings are
cross-referenced.

1195
469 a passage; (sailing) voyage

1157
470 abrupt; all of a sudden

1158
471 sugar

68 | remembering the kanji 2 warehouse 1630
creation 1631
472
473 folk song 1968
shaking; tremor 1967
舖
474 1604
475 demand (opposite of “supply”)

476 1605
477
hips; waist area
478
479 contents 790
melting 791
480
616

gloom; melancholy

pure groups | 69

993

481 actor

482 autumn season 900
483 gloom; melancholy 901

舗 2102 296
484 summertime 617
485
amount; quantity
486
487 benevolence 1035
repair; mending 1335
488
489 1646 1976
elephant 1977

imagination; fantasy

70 | remembering the kanji 2 850
library; collection of books
490
491 851

492 heart (the organ)
493
room and board 995
494 shrinking 1336
495
177
舘
496 surveying; measurement
497
2105 926
498 food provisions

15 764
a flow; flowing 763

ammonium sulfate

1720

participation

pure groups | 71

2084 1721
499 distress; wretchedness

418
500 system

419
501 shoemaking

133
502 natural spring

1339
503 railroad tracks

2096 85
504 kind; thoughtful

1322
505 theft

1249
506 radiation; emission

1250
507 honorarium

72 | remembering the kanji 2 radiation; emission 496
508 imitation; copying 979
509 42
510 one measure (of saké)
511 rise; ascent 43
512 557
513 fretting; irritability 558
514 (offshore) reef 731
515 732
516 general; shōgun 186
scholarship money
1115
conservative

pure groups | 73

243

517 hunting

518 thanks; gratitude 615
519 regrettable 631

520 1083
521
employing; employment
522
523 1084

舛 advisor
524
525 ultraviolet rays 1375
males and females 563

1025
graduation (from school)

1680 1737
pioneer; forerunner

74 | remembering the kanji 2 absolutely; (not) at all 755
526 swoon; fainting fit 980
527
528 1383
529 front door; main entrance
530
531 1386
532
533 sine (of an angle)
534
desktop; on a desk 210
starvation 1475

priest; ritual celebrant 1102
international 1296

775

secret

pure groups | 75

776
535 honeycomb

254
536 pyramid; monumental work

2121 646
537 boarding (a vessel)

chapter 3

One-Time Chinese Readings

The characters brought together in this chapter should be learned well
before passing on to the rest of the book. Knowing them will remove another
obstacle from the long road that lies ahead.

This collection of “one-time” readings sifts out all the on-yomi (Chinese
readings) that are not homonyms, at least not in the confines of the standard
readings on which this book is based. We have already learned of these read-
ings in Chapter 1:

== == =

This means that the sounds , , , , and will not appear elsewhere
in these pages as a reading for any kanji. The characters they belong to may, of
course, take additional readings (see the cross-reference numbers) and pho-
netic transformations may in fact yield the same sound in certain cases, but the
sounds will not be assigned to any other characters as a standard reading. There
are 42 more such one-time Chinese readings:

152
538 oppression

2021 919
539 America

90
540 villa; private retreat

one-time chinese readings | 77

707
541 to frequent; haunt; infest

89 37
542 black and white; good and bad

1017 252
543 (black) tea

1417 1240
544 disciple

1055
545 dead drunk

547 13
546 March

546 13
547 3 months

256
548 precious stones; gems

Though the same primitive element appears in both kanji of
this compound, it does not serve as a signal primitive.

445
549 Hokkaidō (Japanese island)

78 | remembering the kanji 2 38
550 200
551
552 356
553
554 precincts
555
556 762 1122
557 wheel axis
558
559 775 2009
humiliation; disgrace

878 320
lucky day

927

chrysanthemum

1317

air; atmosphere

1013 1050
foodstuffs

1856

artery

834
politeness; courtesy; civility

one-time chinese readings | 79

1516
560 the tropics

1574 12
561 one day

1022
562 blood relative

1962 223
563 young and old

1053
564 diabetes

71
565 a, b, c (a traditional way of enu-

merating)

874 1683
566 honesty; integrity

1104 858
567 horsepower

1513
568 on shore

80 | remembering the kanji 2 901 1049
obvious; beyond dispute 1820
569
570 1358 293
571 abbreviation
572
573 2040 767
574 showing up at work
575
576 552
577
expert

80

accepting a bribe

1024
seat

2042 562
magazine

1487 388
by all means; at any cost

1393 895
taxes

one-time chinese readings | 81

1856 684
578 preservation; conservation

365
579 downfall; destruction

chapter 4

Characters with No Chinese Readings

The kanji that make up this chapter are presented more for recognition than

for memorization. As the title indicates, their common point is that they are

assigned no Chinese reading in this book.

In the case of those that belong to the general-use kanji, this means that no

reading has been assigned them in the official list, though many of them do

have traditional readings. In the case of those that fall outside the general-use

list, this means that no Chinese reading they may have is useful enough to

bear learning at this stage.

Look over this list carefully before you go on to the next chapter, making

sure that you recognize all the characters from your study of vol. 1. In some

cases, you will no doubt recognize signal primitives used in Chapter 2. Here,

of course, the primitives do not come into the picture at all—even though

some of the kanji given here will themselves serve as signal primitives in the

course of this book.

The cross-reference numbers in bold print under the number of the kanji

refer only to the frame in vol. 1 in which the character in question first

appeared.

Finally, you will notice that 5 of the kanji have numbers followed by an “a.”

This sets them off as homemade kanji or which Japanese did not

inherit from Chinese. These characters will never have a Chinese reading, unlike

several of the others which do in fact have assigned Chinese readings but are

not given here because they fall outside the rules of the “general-use” kanji.

580 581 582 583 584
25 27 32 53 54

characters with no chinese readings | 83

585 586 587 588 589
60 66 110 153 154

589a 590 591 591a 592

166 176 199 200 201

593 594 595 596 596a
202 203 222 242 279

597 598 599 600 601
410 437 444 462 472

602 603 604 605 606
514 520 537 578 603

607 608 609 610 610a
674 690 696 727 773

84 | remembering the kanji 2

611 612 612a 613 614
777 778 780 849 870

615 616 617 618 619
939 940 942 953 1017

620 621 622 623 624
1027 1031 1039 1062 1064

625 626 627 628 629
1110 1115 1190 1216 1263

630 631 632 633 634
1323 1369 1397 1427 1447

635 636 637 638 639
1471 1486 1488 1498 1517

characters with no chinese readings | 85

640 641 642 643 644
1519 1545 1569 1609 1614

645 646 647 648 649
1655 1666 1713 1716 1728

650 651 652 653 654
1838 1943 1945 1946 1950

655 656 657 658 659

1961 1979 1995 2003 2006

660 661 662 663 664
2018 2034 2039 2040 2041

665
2042

chapter 5

Semi-Pure Groups

The kanji treated in this chapter differ from those of Chapter 2 only in one
significant detail: the signal primitive bears a uniform reading for all but one
of the characters in which it appears. Here again, secondary or tertiary read-
ings for the kanji do not necessarily follow the rule. The point is only that one
of the assigned readings of the character is not affected at all by the semi-pure
group to which it belongs by virtue of its signal primitive.

Let us take a group of 5 kanji, the first 4 of which show a common reading
based on the lead character which serves as a signal primitive for the others:

1619 471
666 gradually; little by little

474
667 posture

473
668 capital; funds

475
669 consultation

There is one more kanji in the list of those treated in this book that bears the
same signal primitive but a completely unrelated reading. This character char-
acterizes the group as “semi-pure”:

semi-pure groups | 87

1451
670 larceny; theft

In some of these groups the exceptional reading has already been learned in
one of the previous chapters. In other cases a new reading has to be learned. To
facilitate recognition of the odd character, the frame shall be slightly indented.
These groups may be as large as 8 kanji and as small as 3. As we did in Chapter
2, we begin with the larger groups first.

671 social life; socializing 1275
672 school song 1278
673 efficacy; validity 1276
674 (outlying) suburbs 1844
675 death by strangulation 1348
1277
676 comparison
677
86

summons

88 | remembering the kanji 2 87
678 name of Japanese era, 1926–1989
679
680 170
681
682 illumination; lighting
683
684 650
685
686 invitation
687
1359

introduction

137

lakes and marshes

342

imperial rescript or edict

385

excess

young lady 1401
refrigeration; cooling 1404
12:00 (midnight) 1402

semi-pure groups | 89

688 1884 1406
689 an electric bell 1403
1405
690 advanced age
691
692 territory; dominion
693
694 2039 1142
(written) composition 1140
695 last year 1434
696 acetic acid 1324
exploitation; squeezing 1141

fraud; swindle

231

cemetery

90 | remembering the kanji 2 232
697
698 end-of-the-year present
699
700 2002 229
701 scale; size
702
861
703
recruiting

633

longing; yearning

233
filmy; like a membrane

409

Shogunate government
curtain raising

230

vague

The former group was included to demonstrate how more than one reading
can be given for the exception in the semi-pure group. Strictly speaking, the
group belongs to Chapter 7.

982, 1281 1555

704 teacher

semi-pure groups | 91

705 1283 1558
706 woman 1556
707 1557
708 1284 1559
a “sign” of the zodiac 1560
709
肴  1282
one’s full name
710
711 1286
712 sacrifice
713
1285
714 real estate

875

review (of one’s lessons)

465

complicated

464

empty stomach

1611

mask; disguise

1057
one’s personal history

92 | remembering the kanji 2

715 New Year’s Day 30
31
716 bold; daring 668
587
717 a stretcher
1075
2148 1360

718 place of execution 717
715
Note the mixture of on and kun readings. 882

719 lunch; noon meal
720
2230
experience

721 snack; light meal

722 flowering stem

723 route; course

semi-pure groups | 93

716

724 strange; weird
725
726 114
727
728 a portrait (painting)

729 144

digestion

115

gunpowder smoke

189

all through the night

118

reduction; curtailment

In the following group of characters, the signal primitive is immediately evi-
dent as the first member of the group. Be careful to note that earlier (frames
444–445) this same signal primitive was itself part of another signal primitive
with an entirely different reading.

2008
730 house of the Dragon (in the

Sino-Japanese zodiac)

2010
731 quake; shock