{"id":7027,"date":"2021-09-18T03:39:57","date_gmt":"2021-09-18T03:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/?p=7027"},"modified":"2021-09-18T03:39:57","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T03:39:57","slug":"kanji-quiz-for-adult-and-thoughts-on-kanji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/kanji-quiz-for-adult-and-thoughts-on-kanji\/","title":{"rendered":"Kanji Quiz for Adult and Thoughts on Kanji"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a kanji quiz called \u201cKanji Quiz for working adults<\/a>\u201d put out by Baila.\u00a0 The quizzes are not easy.\u00a0 Almost all kanji are certainly recognizable (\u8a8d\u8b58\u3067\u304d\u308b ninshikidekiru), but how you read them is very difficult.<\/p>\n

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photo by author<\/p><\/div>\n

Today\u2019s kanji was \u4ec4\u3005.\u00a0 I certainly was one of many that could not read this kanji.\u00a0 It is read as honobonoto (\u307b\u306e\u307c\u306e), meaning \u201cdimly lit\u201d or \u201cheartwarming\u201d.\u00a0 We use hiragana when we write \u307b\u306e\u307c\u306e almost all the time.\u00a0 Partly because hiragana can add soft feeling, and partly because \u4ec4\u3005 is not commonly used in writing, although \u4ec4 is one of the commonly used kanjis (\u5e38\u7528\u6f22\u5b57 joyokanji). \u00a0If you can type Japanese on your keyboard, type \u201chonoka.\u201d You may get \u307b\u306e\u304b and \u4ec4\u304b.\u00a0 \u4ec4 (hono) attaches to verbs or adjectives indicates \u201cfaintly noticeable\u201d as in\u00a0 \u4ec4\u6697\u3044 \u2013 faintly dark (honogurai). But when you type honobono, you most likely get \u307b\u306e\u307c\u306e or \u30db\u30ce\u30dc\u30ce\u3002<\/p>\n

How about \u6ef4\u3005?\u00a0 You have seen \u6ef4 (shizuku or teki, a drop) as in \u6c34\u6ef4 (waterdrop, suiteki) \u70b9\u6ef4\uff08intravenous drip, tenteki.\uff09You get the idea. So how do you think \u6ef4\u3005is read? Tekiteki?\u00a0 The answer is \u307d\u305f\u307d\u305f (potapota)- onomatopoeia (\u64ec\u97f3\u8a9e giongo) of water drops. \u6ef4 sure is not read \u307d\u305f though. By typing \u307d\u305f\u307d\u305f, you will get \u30dd\u30bf\u30dd\u30bf but not \u6ef4\u3005. You will need to learn this kind of kanji reading by reading literature (\u6587\u5b66 bungaku).<\/p>\n

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Image by rony michaud<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\u301c\u306b\u96c6\u308b is the next kanji. You may have seen \u96c6\u3081\u308b (atsumeru, to collect, to gather) or \u5199\u771f\u96c6 (shashinshu, collection of photos). Then is it atsuru?\u00a0 Shuru?\u00a0 It is read as \u301cni takaru, meaning to sponge off\u301c.<\/p>\n

I can spend hours trying to figure out how to read each kanji every day on the website.\u00a0 It is extremely hard.\u00a0 I can guess the meaning of many from contexts (\u6587\u8108 bunmyaku), but my ability to read them is hopeless.\u00a0 If you cannot read them, you cannot input the kanji in a word processor (\u30ef\u30fc\u30c9\u30d7\u30ed\u30bb\u30c3\u30b5) or in \u30ef\u30fc\u30d7\u30ed (wa-puro) as Japanese call it.\u00a0 There are nifty (\u6c17\u306e\u5229\u3044\u305f kinokiita) apps (Japanese call apps as \u30a2\u30d7\u30eaapuri) now to find out how to read kanji by handwriting them on your smartphone. You have a better chance to be able to read these difficult kanji if you are an avid (\u71b1\u5fc3\u306a nesshinna) reader of literature.<\/p>\n

So how many kanji do you need to know?\u00a0 Japanese Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association (NSK) acknowledges 2134 kanji for use in a typical newspaper as of 2010. The Asahi Shimbun dated 2\/23\/2009 answers what criteria the newspaper uses when using kanji and ruby (\u30eb\u30d3rubi).\u00a0 Ruby or furigana is a Japanese reading aid,\u00a0consisting of smaller kana printed either above or next to kanji.<\/p>\n

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The newspaper avoids using many kanjis so that more readers can read without difficulties.\u00a0 However, some news articles (\u8a18\u4e8b kiji) require the use of some uncommon kanji, when using ruby becomes necessary. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper uses 2011 kanji without ruby.\u00a0 The number is based on the kanji designated for everyday use that is taught by the end of 9th grade and a few more kanji added by the newspaper.\u00a0 However, other than 1000 kanji that are taught in primary school, the newspaper uses ruby in the editor\u2019s column to encourage middle schoolers (\u4e2d\u5b66\u751f chugakusei) to read the newspaper. Also ruby may be necessary for proper nouns (\u56fa\u6709\u540d\u8a5e koyumeishi).<\/p>\n

Since a word processor has become so popular in Japan, I started noticing many difficult kanji in writing by many people because you get kanji automatically (\u81ea\u52d5\u7684\u306b jidotekini) when you type in hiragana.\u00a0 Sometimes you wonder \u201chow did he know such kanji???!!\u201d It is not that one knows all those difficult kanji, but the word processor knows them.\u00a0 But one must know how to read kanji in order to type them on the keyboard and which kanji choice is appropriate.<\/p>\n

There have been some studies on the effects of word processors on kanji education. When I learned kanji at primary school, we were required to write each kanji many times and were required to submit the notebook for the teacher\u2019s review. A study at Kyoto University<\/a> states that kanji writing, kanji reading, and kanji apprehensive abilities influence the acquisition of linguistic knowledge.\u00a0 However, only Kanji writing ability strongly influences one\u2019s composition ability.\u00a0 The study concluded that the introduction of the digital device at primary school should be approached with caution. Interestingly, TV and newspapers report that the most commonly used pencil in primary school was HB (the strength of lead \u2013 Hard Black) 20 years ago but HB pencil gave the leadership position to 2B (2 stages softer than HB) because the pressure a writer puts on his\/her pencil, called hituatsu (\u7b46\u5727), is getting weaker.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/1FPJGedW7Cg<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When I was a college student, it was common sense to handwrite important letters and resumes.\u00a0 But how about now?\u00a0 Resumes, new year\u2019s cards, and important announcements are all done digitally.\u00a0 Sure, my handwriting has deteriorated, and the ability to write kanji has gone down as well.\u00a0 But will we be able to stop or reverse the digital movement?\u00a0 I think not.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

There is a kanji quiz called \u201cKanji Quiz for working adults\u201d put out by Baila.\u00a0 The quizzes are not easy.\u00a0 Almost all kanji are certainly recognizable (\u8a8d\u8b58\u3067\u304d\u308b ninshikidekiru), but how you read them is very difficult. Today\u2019s kanji was \u4ec4\u3005.\u00a0 I certainly was one of many that could not read this kanji.\u00a0 It is read…<\/p>\n

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