Kanji - Death Flashcards
責
Blame
On’yomi
せき
Radical Combination
生 Life 貝 Shellfish
Meaning Mnemonic
The life of a shellfish is filled with blame. They take the blame for everything from food poisoning and allergies, to cutting people’s feet on beaches.
Reading Mnemonic
When those poor shellfish aren’t having blame piled on them, they’re being eaten, because shellfish are thought to make for a very sexy (せき) meal.
条
Clause
On’yomi
じょう
Radical Combination
夂 Winter 木 Tree
Meaning Mnemonic
A winter tree is only a winter tree due to a clause in its tree contract.
Reading Mnemonic
This clause was written into all trees’ contracts by Jourm (じょう), the large farmhand.
済
Come To An End
On’yomi
さい
Radical Combination
氵 Tsunami 斉 Simultaneous
Meaning Mnemonic
You see a tsunami that’s simultaneous (with another tsunami, I assume) and you know the world is about to come to an end.
Reading Mnemonic
Just as the world is about to come to an end, your cyborg (さい) appears and blocks it with its cyborg body!
委
Committee
On’yomi
い
Radical Combination
禾 Grain 女 Woman
Meaning Mnemonic
Women who get together to talk about grains are a committee. They’re the Committee of Women for Grains (tm tm tm). What does this committee discuss, you wonder.
Reading Mnemonic
Well, grains need a committee because the eagles (い) have been eating them all. The women know this, so they’re meeting and trying to come up with a way to stop these pesky eagles from eating all the grains and leaving none for the humans.
省
Conserve
On’yomi
しょう, せい
Radical Combination
少 Few 目 Eye
Meaning Mnemonic
You only have a few eyes so you need to conserve what’s left.
Reading Mnemonic
You’re trying to conserve your eyes, when the Shougun (しょう) marches by. He stops, sees you, and demands you give him your remaining eyes! But sir, I’m conserving what little I have left!
制
Control
On’yomi
せい
Radical Combination
牛 Cow 巾 Towel 刂 Knife
Meaning Mnemonic
Cows, using nothing more than towels and knifes, have taken control of the world. Their system of control is brutal—payback for how us humans have treated them I guess.
Reading Mnemonic
It’s time to take control back from the cows! Pull out your saber (せい) and fight back!
批
Criticism
On’yomi
ひ
Radical Combination
扌 Fingers 比 Compare
Meaning Mnemonic
If you use your fingers to point when you compare things you’re really just throwing around criticism. You should never need to point fingers when you’re just comparing things. If you’re pointing and picking and being mean, that’s criticism.
Reading Mnemonic
If you’re having trouble not giving out criticism, just think about how you would react if someone criticized you. You’d feel an embarrassed heat (ひ) rise throughout your body. That heat will cover your whole face.
断
Cut Off
On’yomi
だん
Radical Combination
L Lion 米 Rice 斤 Axe
Meaning Mnemonic
A lion harvesting rice uses an axe to cut off the tops of the stalks. The lion is roaming the rice fields using his axe to harvest the rice. He does so by cutting off the part of the rice stalks he needs.
Reading Mnemonic
The lion will cut off rice stalks until dawn (だん). But at the first light of dawn, it will run and hide in the shade of the trees, cut off from the rice.
任
Duty
On’yomi
にん
Radical Combination
ｲ Leader 王 King
Meaning Mnemonic
Both a leader and a king have a duty to protect their people. A good leader always protects his followers, and a good king always protects his subjects. This is their duty.
Reading Mnemonic
You’re the village nincompoop (にん), but the king and the leader still have a duty to protect you. Even a nincompoop is important to the kings and leaders of the world.
素
Element
On’yomi
そ, す
Radical Combination
生 Life 糸 Thread
Meaning Mnemonic
The life thread is an element essential to all living things. This thread of life joins all things together, providing an essential relationship between all life. This element is all that holds this world together.
Reading Mnemonic
You need to keep this element clean, so you make sure to wash it with soap (そ) every single day. This turns out to be pretty hard because the element is an invisible thread, but you do your best.
敵
Enemy
On’yomi
てき
Radical Combination
啇 Mohawk 夂 Winter
Meaning Mnemonic
Seeing a mohawk in the winter means the enemy is nearby. You are from the dreadlock tribe and the mohawk tribe is your enemy. You’re deep in the heart of battle and winter has fallen. Now is the time to take out the enemy.
Reading Mnemonic
You’re kind of a techie (てき), so you have an advantage over your enemy. You’re armed with night vision goggles and other cool tech gear as well. Being a techie certainly has its advantages.
羨
Envy
On’yomi
せん
Radical Combination
horns Horns 王 King 次 Next
Meaning Mnemonic
Horns grow on the king that will be next because they’re full of envy and jealousy for the present king.
Reading Mnemonic
If they can’t control their envy and jealousy, they’ll start growing hooves and extra legs, until one day, they turn entirely into a centaur (せん)! A jealous centaur, who will never be king.
設
Establish
On’yomi
せつ
Radical Combination
言 Say 殳 Weapon
Meaning Mnemonic
If you say a new weapon idea out loud, then it will be established immediately.
Reading Mnemonic
Weapons have to be established in sets (せつ). So you have to make another one that goes with it. Make them cohesive please.
評
Evaluate
On’yomi
ひょう
Radical Combination
言 Say 平 Peace
Meaning Mnemonic
You should say “peace” before you evaluate a situation. That way everyone will know where you’re coming from. If you’re honest and say “peace” before you evaluate a situation out loud, everyone will know where you stand.
Reading Mnemonic
When you say “peace,” you end up making a really bad pun and you hear somebody say “Heyo!” (ひょう) You look at the people around you and try to evaluate who said heyo, but you can’t tell. You start talking again when somebody exclaims “That’s what she said” and another person shouts “Heyo!” once again, but you still can’t evaluate who’s saying these things.
検
Examine
On’yomi
けん
Radical Combination
木 Tree squid Squid
Meaning Mnemonic
You see a tree with a squid on it, so you get closer to examine it.
Reading Mnemonic
You’re sticking your face in really, really close to examine this little squid in the tree when Ken (けん) the samurai appears behind you. “There you are, squid! Thank you citizen, I’ve been looking all over for my little chum.”
岡
Hill
Kun’yomi
おか
Radical Combination
冂 Head horns Horns 一 Ground 山 Mountain
Meaning Mnemonic
You have a scene going on inside your head. It is of a pair of horns on the ground atop a mountain. No. It is not just one pair of horns. It is many. So many that they create a giant hill atop the mountain, which is already pretty high.
Reading Mnemonic
How was standing atop this hill of horns on top of a mountain to touch the sky? Eh. It was okay (おか), but that’s about it.
増
Increase
On’yomi
ぞう
Radical Combination
土 Dirt 曽 Mask
Meaning Mnemonic
The dirt mask is a mask which, when put on, will greatly increase the amount of dirt.
Reading Mnemonic
Use the dirt mask to increase the dirt around you. The zombies (ぞう) are trying to escape, so you just keep increasing the dirt on top of them so they can’t get out.
査
Inspect
On’yomi
さ
Radical Combination
木 Tree 且 Top Hat
Meaning Mnemonic
If a tree is growing out of a top hat you need to inspect it to find out why and how this happened. You should probably investigate the area too. I mean, how could a tree grow out of a top hat anyway? Seems suspicious.
Reading Mnemonic
In the middle of your inspection you realize you need to saw (さ) the tree open to come to a good conclusion. This seems a bit unnecessary, but no! No! For the sake of this investigation you must saw the tree in half!
審
Judge
On’yomi
しん
Radical Combination
宀 Roof 番 Number
Meaning Mnemonic
You’re about to enter a roof that has your number on it so you can face the judge. You’ve been sitting here for what feels like hours, waiting for your number to come up. Finally the time has come—the judge will see you now.
Reading Mnemonic
The judge is not happy with you. He tells you to come closer and when you do, he takes his gavel and hits you in the shins (しん). Ouch!
判
Judge
On’yomi
はん
Radical Combination
半 Half 刂 Knife
Meaning Mnemonic
“I’ll cut that baby in half with a knife if you don’t figure out custody,” says the judge. Ah, the oldest judge trick in the book.
Reading Mnemonic
This judge is Han (はん) Solo, so you know he’s not going to back down.
件
Matter
On’yomi
けん
Radical Combination
ｲ Leader 牛 Cow
Meaning Mnemonic
The leader of the cow tribe is too important to deal with small matters and trivial affairs.
Reading Mnemonic
All of his affairs are taken care of by Ken (けん) the samurai, who he hired as his underling.
際
Occasion
On’yomi
さい
Radical Combination
阝 Building 祭 Festival
Meaning Mnemonic
Buildings hold festivals on special occasions.
Reading Mnemonic
The occasion this time is to celebrate your wonderful cyborg (さい). It’s about time you did something nice for it.
企
Plan
On’yomi
き
Radical Combination
hat Hat 止 Stop
Meaning Mnemonic
The hat comes to a stop, thinking of a plan. The hat had been pacing around for a while, trying to think of how to get off the head he’s resting upon and back into the house where it’s nice and cozy, and came to the sudden realization of a plan. This caused the hat to stop.
Reading Mnemonic
The plan that made this hat stop right in its tracks was very simple. First, obtain the key (き) to the house. Then, use the key to get in the front door. How simple!
挙
Raise
On’yomi
きょ
Radical Combination
grass Grass 一 Ground ハ Fins 手 Hand
Meaning Mnemonic
If there’s grass on the ground and fins in your hand, you need to raise that hand up to the sky. You’re in the middle of a fisherman’s ritual, which can only be performed on grassy ground. You take fish fins from the previous year, and raise them up to the sky in order to ensure a good fishing harvest.
Reading Mnemonic
This ritual only works in one part of the world however. It absolutely must be performed in Little Kyoto (きょ). The way Little Kyoto lines up with the sun and the sky and all that astrological junk makes it the best place for you to raise fish fins up in the air.
認
Recognize
On’yomi
にん
Radical Combination
言 Say 刃 Blade 心 Heart
Meaning Mnemonic
What people say to you will be carved by a blade into your heart, and the next time you see them, you’ll immediately recognize them.
Reading Mnemonic
You recognize places, names, and even games this way. But the thing that has the most real estate on your heart, the thing you recognize the most, is Nintendo (にん).
資
Resources
On’yomi
し
Radical Combination
次 Next 貝 Shellfish
Meaning Mnemonic
The next shellfish will be yours, but this shellfish will be mine. These are the resources we have to share and distribute.
Reading Mnemonic
You save up all of your resources so you can buy a sheep (し). You bring a big sack of your shellfish resources to the market and finally get to pick out that sheep you’ve had your eyes on for months.
義
Righteousness
On’yomi
ぎ
Radical Combination
義 Righteousness
Meaning Mnemonic
The kanji and the radical are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Reading Mnemonic
Such righteousness! Well, at least according to the king who thinks he’s being righteous. His version of righteousness is to send anyone who disagrees with him to the guillotine (ぎ).
