The Kanji issue (refer to my previous post) has been bugging me all night (lucky me, for not having any nightmares about it!). Well, I've taken the initiative to find out what Kanji means.
Just key in the word "kanji" in google, and voila! All you need to know about Kanji is presented in a single click. So much for the mystery huh...
Ok, here's what I learned about Kanji from
the Kanji SITE. In fact, I've learned more than I should. I've extracted bits and pieces of information from the said website for the explanation below:
In written Japanese, 3 separate alphabets are used. They're Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. If we include Romaji (the English alphabets), then the written Japanese will total up to 4.
The first alphabet, Hiragana is used to represent actual Japanese word. For example:
ringo (apple)
daitai (almost)
dake (only)
The second alphabet, Katakana is a different set of characters, but represent the same syllables as Hiragana. Is is basically used for Japanese words of foreign origin. For example:
sentaa (centre)
intaanetto (internet)
miruku (milk)
[reminds me of the indian snack, murukku]
nyuusu (news)
ruususokkusu (loose socks)
The other two words I find quite amusing is
orenjijuusu (orange juice) and
supagettimiitosoosu (spaghetti with meat sauce).
Katakana reminds me of our own Bahasa Malaysia words like
epal (apple),
oren (orange),
posisi (position).
[At least, the Japanese did it with much slang.]
The third alphabet, Kanji or 汉字 was imported from China over the centuries. Kanji uses the same Chinese pictograms. Like Chinese pictograms, a Kanji may have different meanings and readings, depending on how they are being used.
There are 2 ways to pronouce the Kanji, by "
on" readings or "
kun" readings.
The "on" readings are based loosely on the Chinese pronunciation of the kanji, and is typically used when the Kanji is used with other Kanji to form a word.
A good example is
sensei, which means teacher
Also pronounced as
xian sheng in Chinese
pinyin.
Another example,
kofuu, which means old-fashioned.
Also pronounced as
gu feng in Chinese
pinyin.
The "
kun" readings is used when the Kanji is written on its own, or used for adjective/verb stems. In the case of adjective/verb stems, the Kanji is used as the root of the word, while a Hiragana suffix is added. For example:
When paired up with other Kanji, it is pronounced as
KO (refer to previous example.)
When used alone, is is pronounced as
furu, meaning old.
It can be used as the stem for an adjective, such as
furui, which also means old.
It can also be used as the stem for a verb, such as
furusu, which means to wear out.
[Notice how the Hiragana changes while the Kanji "furu" remains the same.]
Alright class, that's all for the Kanji lesson today. Arigatou gozaimasu. Ja!
