Perpetual Kanji Question Thread...

[rquethe]

So as to eliminate clutter with questions about Kanji, the goal of this thread is that whenever a question arises about kanji, whether it be usage, pronounciation or whatever else, this is the place to post about it.

I will start with my first two questions:

The verb 帰る generally means to go back. With a majority of the cases being to go back home. The verb phrase 帰宅する specifically means to go back home. How often would Japanese use that last verb for going back home? Is it common, or does 家に帰る/帰る serve most people's purpose for talking about going home? Or is there perhaps a special usage for 帰宅?

Second question: I always thought the kanji for hayai(meaning quick) was 早い. Yet I read my kanji workbook and discover the kanji 速い. Now is one merely a simplified version of the other? Do they have different usages under different situations? Or are they interchangeable?


Thanks for any help in clearing this up for this confused kanji learner. And may this thread be useful for everybody!

 

[rquethe]

I see no one likes my idea for a thread.

*Not being totally discouraged, Rquethe asks another kanji question.*


I'm looking for a good way to write the name "Erin" in kanji. Obviously, it isn't a Japanese name, but there should be a phoenetic way of doing it.

So far, the only way I've come up with is 絵林

Are there are other ways that are more aesthetically pleasing or better in some way? Please share them with me. Or any ways for writing any "western" names in kanji.

 

[PaulTB]

I see no one likes my idea for a thread.

I'm not keen on the idea of 'perpetual question threads'. I know another forum which has a 'basic Japanese question thread' ( Japanese Drama Home :: jdorama.com ) and a) it's so long you'd have to search to find anything in it anyway, b) the moderator gets grumpy from having to close threads all the time and point people to the perpetual thread.

I don't think there are enough kanji questions to make it worth while - and if there were then a subforum would be better.

Or is there perhaps a special usage for 帰宅?

Not that I know of as a suru verb although it is often used as '帰宅の途中'

帰宅の途中で彼に会った。
I met him on my way home.

の is optional

昨夜帰宅途中に彼女に再びあった。
Going home last night, I saw her again.

Of course that sort of meaning can also be formed from the suru verb version.

彼は帰宅する途中事故に遭った。
He had an accident on his way home.

Second question: I always thought the kanji for hayai(meaning quick) was 早い. Yet I read my kanji workbook and discover the kanji 速い.

One is quick as in early 早い
and one is quick as in high speed 速い

 

[rquethe]

One is quick as in early 早い
and one is quick as in high speed 速い

Grr then it would have been a lot better if my teachers would have explained to me that they were two different words before than making it sound like they were the same word with different usages!!

That's why kanji should be taught right away rather than just ignoring it. This is soooo frustrating... Don't they know that that type of thing isn't intuitive? Because really, the seeming ambiguity with which "hayai" has been used in my classes left me to believe that both the "early" meaning and "quick" meaning were the exact same thing. "He got there early." "He got there quickly." A subtle distinction, but one I was led Japanese didn't make because it used what I thought was the same word, "hayai."

 

[beluga]

There are a few similar cases I could think of which the pronounciation is the same and meaning is close:

あたたかい
暖かい - Feeling of warm
温かい - Temperature is warm

あつい
暑い - Weather is hot
熱い - Temperature is hot

Can anyone add in more examples?

 

[Golgo_13]

There are a few similar cases I could think ofﾂ which the pronounciation is the same and meaning is close:

あたたかい
暖かい - Feeling of warm
温かい - Temperature is warm

あつい
暑い - Weather is hot
熱い - Temperature is hot

Can anyone add in more examples?

There's "hayai" as in fast and also as in early. Different kanji.

 

[rquethe]

There's "hayai" as in fast and also as in early. Different Kanjis.

Lol. That is what we were discussing!

 

[NANGI]

Konnichiwa Rquethe-san!

I'm looking for a good way to write the name "Erin" in kanji. Obviously, it isn't a Japanese name, but there should be a phoenetic way of doing it.

You should choose two Kanji that means "E" and "Rin", because there are not kanji "Erin" or only "N".

I write some Kanji and meaning of the Kanji. Please choose in your taste.

"E" = "meaning"
恵 = blessing, grace, favor, bounty, mercy
江 = bay､ gulf
枝 = branch, twig
会 = meeting, party
衛 = protect､ defend, guard

"Rin" = "meaning"
鈴 = bell
凛 = gallant, manly
琳 = jewel, gem
輪 = circle, ring, wheel

NANGI

 

[rquethe]

こんにちはナンギさん～

ありがとうございました。

That was very helpful

 

[Golgo_13]

Lol. That is what we were discussing!

You laugh very easily.

 

[rquethe]

What can I say? I'm a jovial person. Is it a bad thing?

ごめんなさい！

 

[Elizabeth]

Japanese is literalled with kanji homophones, some more kun readings with very close meanings:

直す(naosu, fix)
治す(naosu, cure)

始める(hajimeru, to start)
初めて(hajimete, for the first time).

硬い, 堅い, and 固い (all proununced katai and mean "hard"). The latter being used most often for firm, solidified as in plans (日本へ来るプランは固まりましたか？)and the second as in giving a formal or stiff impression (「~~」の方がちよっと堅い言い方ですね。)

柔らかい and 軟らかい (both pronounced yawarakai and mean soft or pliable). Does anyone have a good way of distinguishing these ?

 

[Golgo_13]

Liz,

Welcome back. How was Hokkaido ? Still cold?

How about the two Kanjis for dragon: Ryuu ?

 

[Elizabeth]

Liz,

Welcome back. How was Hokkaido? Still cold?

Konnichiha Golgo_13 ! I chickened out at the first available moment, actually, when a woman on the train fresh back from Hawaii let me know how inappropriate my dress would be for even a coastal city like Abashiri..... Plus she said the scenary got pretty monotonous after a while....but Nagano and the Kiso Valley were fabulous .