Heisig
Kanji Heisig Keyword English Meaning Story
Number
1 一 one one
2 二 two two
3 三 three three
4 四 four four
5 五 five five
6 六 six six
7 七 seven seven
8 八 eight eight
9 九 nine nine
10 十 ten ten
11 口 mouth mouth
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16 古 old old
36 自 oneself oneself
37 白 white white
38 百 hundred hundred
40 千 thousand thousand
49 上 above above, up
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see, hopes, chances, idea,
57 見 see
opinion, look at, visible
77 左 left left
78 右 right right
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street, ward, town, counter for
guns, tools, leaves or cakes
91 丁 street
of something, even number,
4th calendar sign
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113 石 stone stone
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161 火 fire fire
A PERSON with two DROPS of FIRE for each arm.
spot, point, mark, speck,
169 点 spot
decimal point
relax, cheap, low, quiet, It's funny, Hesig gives no Kanji in his book that means cheap/inexpensive... well... if you were wondering what Kanji would
190 安 relax
rested, contented, peaceful carry that meaning, look no further. Sometimes I wonder if Hesig just thinks our little brains would be too easily confused by
multiple meanings. Regardless, think of that woman relaxing. Cheapest place to do that is in one's own home rather than at
some fancy resort, eh? 家で休暇を取るは安いですね。.
195 木 tree tree, wood
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un-, not yet, hitherto, still,
even now, sign of the ram, 1-
216 未 not yet
3PM, eighth sign of Chinese
zodiac
end, close, tip, powder,
217 末 extremity
posterity
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251 界 world world
All the RICEFIELDS are JAMMED IN to our very small WORLD.
252 茶 tea tea
People sip TEA under a FLOWER covered UMBRELLA, supported by wooden POLES.
253 合 fit fit, suit, join, 0.1
The kanji of MEETING and MOUTH draw a picture of two pipes MEETING, one pipe FITS into the MOUTH of the other.
259 現 present present, existing, actual
At the court of the KING, he can SEE all those PRESENT.
whole, entire, all, complete,
263 全 whole
fulfill
logic, arrangement, reason,
265 理 logic
justice, truth
lord, chief, master, main thing,
266 主 lord
principal
pour, irrigate, shed (tears),
267 注 pour flow into, concentrate on,
notes, comment, annotate
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status, rank, capacity,
292 格 status character, case (law,
grammar) The STATUS of all TREES, EACH and every one, is special.
294 客 guest guest, visitor, customer, client
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335 言 say say
LINES above a MOUTH in a cartoon will later become words to show what they SAY.
337 計 plot plot, plan, scheme, measure
Harsh WORDS that sting like a NEEDLE are used to encourage a PLOT to overthrow the leader.
344 話 tale tale, talk
WORDS of an inventive TONGUE can tell a tall TALE.
347 語 word word, speech, language
Seeing a MICROPHONE, I step up and deliver the WORD.
348 読 read read
Convincing WORDS can SELL you on something - if you take the time to READ them.
tune, tone, meter, key
349 調 tune (music), writing style, prepare, Just as a guitarist TUNES his guitar, a singer will sing the WORDS of the song over and over again (kind of a "LAP") to get
exorcise, investigate the proper TUNE.
350 談 discuss discuss, talk
WORDS have a tendency to become INFLAMED in fiery DISCUSSION.
style, ceremony, rite, function,
353 式 style method, system, form,
expression An ARROW that is well CRAFTED makes an archer very STYLISH.
test, try, attempt, experiment,
354 試 test
ordeal At an open MICROPHONE, the STYLE of aspiring performers is put to the TEST.
turn into, become, get, grow, A PARADE of men marching and shaving with razor BLADES, TURNS INTO a dark alley because the leaders were so
361 成 turn into
elapse, reach busy shaving they lost their way.
dwindle, decrease, reduce,
366 減 dwindle
decline, curtail, get hungry When WATER was tossed on the PROTESTORS (a march of mouths), the numbers began to DWINDLE.
370 止 stop stop, halt
Moving arm of signpost drops to say STOP.
371 歩 walk walk, counter for steps
STOP your busy life for a FEW seconds, and go out and take a refreshing WALK.
undertake, scheme, design, The man leading a group of people on the beach cries "STOP, we shall plant the UMBRELLA here!" and UNDERTAKES
375 企 undertake
attempt, plan to put in the ground.
correct, justice, righteous,
379 正 correct
10**40 This pictograph represents a FOOTPRINT "toeing the line" in an example of CORRECT behavior (popular).
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380 証 evidence evidence, proof, certificate
WORDS, if spoken by someone who recalls the events CORRECTLY, can be damning EVIDENCE.
determine, fix, establish,
382 定 determine
decide To properly MEND a fix-me-up HOUSE every weekend requires great DETERMINATION.
384 走 run run
SOIL must be MENDED after being RUN over by thousands of runners in a marathon.
389 題 topic topic, subject
The "TOPIC" of the day's newspaper must be placed JUST SO at the top of the PAGE to attract attention.
MILEAGE-MARKERS on the ROAD show how DISTANT you have to travel (I picture a mileage marker far away on the
402 遠 distant distant, far
road).
404 初 first time first time, beginning
When a spy dons a CLOAK & DAGGER for the FIRST TIME, he is hooked for good on the thrill of "the game".
412 市 market market, city, town
At the local MARKET, all the vendors dress in TOPHATS and wave TOWELS to attract your attention.
413 姉 elder sister elder sister
The ELDER SISTER was the WOMAN who sells things at the MARKET.
418 制 system system, law, rule
Fighting a cruel SYSTEM of slaughter, the COWS put on BELTS to carry SABRES as they undertake a revolt.
419 製 made in... made in..., manufacture
The MADE IN taiwan lable represents the SYSTEM for making the CLOTHES.
420 転 revolve revolve, turn around, change
VEHICLES are lifted up to a RISING CLOUD by a tornado as they REVOLVE madly in mid-air.
technique, art, craft,
421 芸 technique performance, acting, trick,
stunt Throwing FLOWERS into a RISING CLOUD is a new TECHNIQUE for forecasting the weather.
422 雨 rain rain
The CEILING of the sky makes you grab a TOWEL due to getting drenched by the (four) DROPS of RAIN.
427 冬 winter winter
STILTS slips on ICE in the WINTER.
428 天 heavens heavens, sky, imperial
A holy ST. BERNARD DOG tries to jump through the CEILING straight up into HEAVEN.
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431 立 stand up stand up
Pictograph of a vase STANDING UP.
482 識 discriminating discriminating, know, write On American Idol, the judges were DISCRIMINATING against all who came to the MICROPHONE and played the
KAZOO (festival sounds). Even Paula said they sucked.
deceased, the late, dying,
485 亡 deceased
perish A TOPHAT and a HOOK combine to create an image for DECEASED.
490 方 direction direction, person, alternative
A TOP HAT is BOUND UP to a stick, and used to find the DIRECTION of the wind.
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undress, removing, escape
498 脱 undress from, get rid of, be left out,
take off FLESH by the DEVIL is UNDRESSED.
499 説 rumor rumor, opinion, theory EXPLANATION brings to mind the SPEAK primitive, and it's no suprise to imagine practiced SPEAKING of an EVIL
OLDER BROTHER that has an EXPLANATION for all the bad acts he's done to his siblings.
increase, add, augment, gain,
502 増 increase
promote The SOIL, which was FORMERLY barren, now INCREASED yield thanks to good farmers.
504 東 east east
The SUN rises from behind a TREE from the EAST (popular).
year-end, age, occasion,
512 歳 year-end
opportunity At the STOP sign, the LITTLE MARCH observed the YEAR-END spectacle, the dropping of the ball in time's square.
513 県 prefecture prefecture The EYE and HOOK from "straightaway" here combine with SMALL to create EYE-HOOK LOCKS which band together
all the PREFECTURES on a three-dimensional Japanese map.
515 地 ground ground, earth
Underneath the GROUND live worms, SCORPIONS, and other nasty insects.
524 風 wind wind, air, style, manner
In this full kanji for WIND, we see bands of GNATS are blown about in the WIND.
529 記 scribe scribe, account, narrative
WORD-SNAKE would be how a "mis-quoted" athlete would characterize the SCRIBE for a local newspaper.
535 電 electricity electricity
In the RAIN, bright EEL-like bolts of ELECTRIC lightning are emitted.
541 家 house house, home
Imagine living in a time where it normal to have a SOW living in your HOUSE!
545 場 location location, place As we know, "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION" is the determining factor in valuing property. How much your patch
of SOIL will put into your PIGGY BANK is determined by its LOCATION.
549 洋 ocean ocean, western style
Abundant SHEEP are found in the WATER of the OCEAN.
accomplished, reach, arrive,
552 達 accomplished
attain DIRT-covered SHEEP cross a fearfully cross a ROAD, and achieve a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT.
distinction, difference,
554 差 distinction variation, discrepancy, This New-Zealand pro-gamer has won many distinctions playing WoolCraft (a massively multi-user game in which the goal
margin, balance is to shear sheep).
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don, arrive, wear, counter for
555 着 don
suits of clothing A sheep's dense WOOL, so long it currently covers its EYES, will soon be shorn and later DONNED as a sweater.
562 雑 miscellaneous miscellaneous
NINE TURKEYS use WOODEN bats while playing with MISCELLANEOUS teammates in a game of pickup baseball.
semi-, correspond to,
564 準 semi- proportionate to, conform, The SEMI- finals, in the WATER with TURKEYS took place in TEN lanes (picture 10 turkeys racing each other in a
imitate swimming pool).
assurance, firm, tight, hard,
567 確 assurance
solid, confirm, clear, evident A TURKEY HOUSE made from ROCK has the ASSURANCE of never falling down.
noon, sign of the horse,
568 午 noon 11AM-1PM, seventh sign of
Chinese zodiac A lazy horse horse with a high pain threshold RECLINES in a bed of NEEDLES until NOON.
574 習 learn learn Think about an old school (or Hogwarts if you're into Harry Potter), where the children LEARN, and you see them busily
taking notes with FEATHER pens, very WHITE FEATHER pens.
576 曜 weekday weekday As a kid, every WEEKDAY when the SUN came up, I'd watch the PEACOCK (feathers + turkey) network (NBC was
known as the PEACOCK network because of their logo).
581 国 country country
A JEWEL PENT-IN describes the crown jewels which represent a COUNTRY.
cause, factor, be associated
583 因 cause
with, depend on, be limited to This PENT-IN ST. BERNARD DOG has one CAUSE - to get out!
585 園 park park, garden, yard, farm DISTANCE-MARKERS within an enclosed PENT-UP are kanji shorthand for a PARK. Imagine an enourmous square park
such as Central Park, with mile markers on each corner.
596 忘 forget forget Well, if the HEART never FORGETS, then the only HEART that FORGETS is a DECEASED HEART. For an easier
picture, you could go with a ZOMBIE looking for his HEART as he FORGETS where he left it.
acknowledge, witness,
598 認 acknowledge discern, recognize,
appreciate, believe
Think of the picture of the prisoner with a blade in his chest. His torturers want a confession so they put a MICROPHONE in
front of him, yet he refuses to ACKNOWLEDGE any crimes as he still ENDURES the pain.
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WORDS loosely spoken can reveal good INTENTIONS - but the best way to ensure follow-through is to DOCUMENT
601 誌 document document, records
them.
605 思 think think
The rational BRAIN combines with the emotional HEART to describe key elements of the THINKING process.
apply, answer, yes, OK, reply, Someone falls into a CAVE and gets a HEART-attack, and you are the first one to arrive and APPLY first aid. After which
607 応 apply
accept you APPLY to medical school.
idea, mind, heart, taste,
608 意 idea
thought, desire, care, liking A SOUND from the HEART is your IDEA.
breath, respiration, son,
610 息 breath
interest (on money) Your breath brings oxygen in through your nose which is then pumped around your body by your heart.
If you're too BUSY to visit the DECEASED, wear a HEART LOCKET to remind you of those inside that PERISHED. I like
618 忙 busy busy, occupied, restless
heart locket as the term for the radical.
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propose, take along, carry in When a man PROPOSES to a lady, he takes her FINGER and places the ring on it JUST SO, and the moment sweeps her
665 提 propose
hand away.
668 担 shouldering shouldering, carry, raise, bear
At each NIGHTBREAK, the FINGERS of Atlas pick up the world and place it on his weary SHOULDERS.
touch, contact, adjoin, piece In a modeling school contest, if the VASE being balanced on a WOMAN'S head is in any way TOUCHED by her
672 接 touch
together FINGERS, then she is disqualified.
675 研 polish polish, study of, sharpen
A STONE, by TWO HANDS, is POLISHED.
contraption, fetter, machine, A TREE about to be chopped down by a buzz saw makes a COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not use that CONTRAPTION
677 械 contraption
instrument on me!".
680 型 mould mould, type, model
By employing a method of reward & PUNISHMENT, behavior is MOLDED.
681 才 genius genius, years old, cubic shaku
Finger with the third stroke reversed creates an unconventional GENIUS.
lumber, log, timber, wood,
683 材 lumber
talent TREES are cut down by EINSTEIN dressed in a LUMBERJACK'S shirt, in what could have been an avocation.
suppose, be aware of,
684 存 suppose
believe, feel A GENIE IN A BOTTLE discovered by a CHILD leads him to SUPPOSE what he would do with his three wishes.
exist, outskirts, suburbs,
685 在 exist
located in A GENIE IN A BOTTLE living underneath the SOIL leads a boring EXISTENCE.
grow late, night watch, sit up When the CEILING of the darkness starts to descend, and the SUN is tucked under ONE ARM by the man upstairs, we
694 更 grow late
late, of course realize it has started to GROW LATE.
704 友 friend friend
Standing BY YOUR SIDE, in the CROTCH of his arm, is a good FRIEND.
throw, discard, abandon,
706 投 throw launch into, join, invest in,
hurl, give up, sell at a loss FINGERS are used to fire MISSILES past opposing batters by a hard THROWing pitcher.
establishment, provision,
708 設 establishment
prepare WORDS are used like well directed MISSILES in the sixties to fight the ESTABLISHMENT. I guess you can picture the
guy on stage in Forrest Gump complaining about Vietnam.
711 支 branch branch, support, sustain
A NEEDLE coming from a CROTCH (of a tree, which is not included) is the kanji representation of a BRANCH.
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skill, art, craft, ability, feat, In the days when this kanji was written, a set of FINGERS wielding a BRANCH well enough to fight off a wild beast was a
712 技 skill
performance, vocation, arts germane definition of SKILL.
717 軽 lightly lightly, trifling, unimportant
A CAR which has a SPOOL of thread for the motor is so LIGHT you can lift it up on one end.
High on a CLIFF, exposing CROTCHES as a form of protest, is a group of ANTI-establishment hippies. *alternate primitive
722 反 anti- anti-
= hippie, oppose.
725 返 return return, answer, fade, repay
RETURN is the ANTI-purpose of the ROAD. Simple enough?
726 販 marketing marketing, sell, trade
Earning SHELL-CURRENCY is an ex-HIPPIE who has implemented a successful MARKETING strategy.
734 菜 vegetable vegetable, side dish, greens Imagine a meal where you have FLOWERS as a garnish, VULTURE as your meat and TREE bark as your fiber followed
with some VEGETABLES (carrots?) to round it out. Yeah, I wouldn't eat it either.
accept, undergo, answer
735 受 accept (phone), take, get, catch, A BIRDHOUSE in the CROTCH of a tree ACCEPTS many birds into it's hospitable setting. *alternate primitive =
receive collection plate.
pay, clear out, prune, banish,
738 払 pay
dispose of A FINGER taps an exiting patron on the ELBOW, a reminder to PAY.
739 広 wide wide, broad, spacious
ELBOW-room inside a CAVE indicates that the cave is nice and WIDE.
pedestal, a stand, counter for
744 台 pedestal
machines and vehicles An old Greek statue, both arms cut off at the ELBOW, and its MOUTH completely chipped off, stands on a PEDESTAL.
747 始 commence commence, begin
Just think of any art class. You put a WOMAN on a PEDESTAL then you COMMENCE to draw her.
749 窓 window window, pane The WINDOWS at BABA YAGA has ELBOWS below them, through them you see the HEART of the house. Baba Yaga is
a Russian myth whose house could walk.
gone, past, quit, leave,
750 去 gone
elapse, eliminate, divorce The star of the famous move "GONE with the wind" has DIRT on her ELBOWS.
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room, apartment, chamber,
754 室 room
greenhouse, cellar When building a HOUSE, the CLIMAX occurs when the final ROOM is made.
759 育 bring up bring up, grow up, raise, rear
An INFANT is given MEAT and thus BROUGHT UP to be big and strong.
767 出 exit exit, leave
Two MOUNTAINS mark the EXIT from the promised land.
768 山 mountain mountain
Pictograph of a MOUNTAIN.
779 入 enter enter, insert
Similar to PERSON, but the left side is the 'in' part of this character. *primitive = go in / eight.
crowded, mixture, in bulk,
780 込 crowded
included, (kokuji) Too many people ENTERING onto a ROAD make it CROWDED.
part, minute of time, segment,
share, degree, one's lot, duty,
781 分 part
understand, know, rate, 1%,
chances, shaku/100 EIGHT DAGGERS PART your hair.
818 耳 ear ear EAR resembles EYE in terms of general shape, both the top and bottom horizontal strokes are extended hear more, and the
rightmost stroke extended to represent the earlobe.
819 取 take take, fetch, take up N a rare transgression of our standardized usage of a primitive, CROTCH is used here as a variant of HAND, thus giving us
the popular image of a HAND TAKING an EAR.
821 最 utmost utmost, most, extreme
TAKE the UTMOST care when you SUN bath all DAY, or you'll get burned from your EARS to your CROTCH.
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831 買 buy buy
EYE the SHELLFISH, BUY it.
841 規 standard standard, measure
A HUSBAND must SEE to it that his children are raised with the proper STANDARDS.
approve, praise, title or
843 賛 approve inscription on picture, assist,
agree with Out of two potential husbands, which would you approve of? Well, the one with shells (money) of course!!!
lose, error, fault,
845 失 lose
disadvantage, loss Something DROPPED by a HUSBAND is LOST. *primitive = to drop.
846 鉄 iron iron
METAL is DROPPED onto the ground to form rails for an IRON horse, i.e., the train.
power, strong, strain, bear up,
858 力 power
exert Pictograph of a muscle. *primitive = circus-strongman.
859 男 male male
MUSCULAR MALE works in the RICE FIELDS.
Ever try to inject a NEEDLE into the arm of an un CO-operative three year old? It's like you need the CO-operation of three
872 協 co- co-, cooperation
MUSCLE MEN with big TRICEPS to CO-ordinate to hold the three year old down to use the NEEDLE to give the injection
to the TRICEP.
873 行 going going, journey
The COLUMN of ONE NAIL which is holding your tailcoat to the floor must be lifted before you can GO anywhere.
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895 税 tax tax, duty
WHEAT must be handed over as the DEVIL gets his due - i.e., the TAX man.
harmony, Japanese style,
897 和 harmony
peace, soften, Japan The WHEAT feeds the MOUTH of the farmer that grows the WHEAT that feeds.... what great HARMONY.
912 季 seasons seasons WHEAT is a CHILD of the SEASONS. WHEAT is planted by the CHILD in the spring SEASON. WHEAT is watched over
by the CHILD in the summer SEASON. WHEAT is harvested by the CHILD in the fall SEASON. Finally, WHEAT is stored
by the CHILD in the winter SEASON. See, SEASONS of the WHEAT are done by the CHILD.
919 米 rice rice, USA, metre
DROPPING from a special TREE are bags and bags of RICE.
number, strength, fate, law,
929 数 number
figures RICE-carrying WOMEN who are watched over by the TASKMASTER, who counts the NUMBER of bags they carry.
sort, kind, variety, class,
931 類 sort
genus What SORT of person comes from the U.S.? Well, some would say a person with a BIG HEAD.
Esq., way, manner, situation, A TREE, under which SHEEP graze, eating not grass but for some reason GRAINS OF RICE, represents the holdings of a
933 様 Esq.
polite suffix great "ESQ.".
request, want, wish for,
934 求 request
require, demand At the point of an ARROW, RICE GRAINS for the poor are politely REQUESTED by a Robin Hood-like character.
calculate, divining, number, For this story, you have to think of an ancient CALCULATOR known as the abacus. The first were made from BAMBOO
946 算 calculate
abacus, probability sticks, where the skilled EYE could CALCULATE fast using TWO HANDS to move the beeds. So it's a bamboo abacus,
watchful eye, and two fast moving hands.
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947 答 solution solution, answer A SOLUTION to many ancient architectural problems were solved using BAMBOO sticks that FIT TOGETHER in a tight
structure. Isn't that what the professor did on Gilligan's Island?
951 人 person person - Pictograph of a PERSON. As a left side radical, I'll use Marine Sentry or Guard in part as it plays on Army Column I use
for Column. Plus, it does look like a guy standing guard on something.
The SENTRY must DWELL with the LORD in order to provide protection all the time. Just see the guard by the sitting king
954 住 dwell dwell, reside, live, inhabit
lord.
body, substance, object, The SENTRY looks through the BOOK for thoughts to improve his BODY of character. A SENTRY knows a good BOOK
957 体 body
reality, counter for images trains a good mind and BODY.
The BATMAN will always ATTEND to the needs of the GENTLEMEN (Bruce Wayne in this case) if he is meant to guard
960 仕 attend attend, doing, official, serve
his secret identity.
961 他 other other, another, the others The Marine SENTRY, along with OTHER marine SENTRIES, form the SCORPION formation. In case you're wondering,
the outer sentries create supressing fire while the center sentries sting the target with the real damage.
965 休 rest rest, day off, retire, sleep
The Marine SENTRY leans against the TREE to REST a bit.
"Semper Fidelis" or Always FAITHFUL. The Marine SENTRY steps up to the MICROPHONE and says Semper Fi (always
969 信 faith faith, truth, fidelity, trust
FAITHFUL).
reliant, depend on,
971 依 reliant consequently, therefore, due
to BATMAN wanted to be a RELIANT symbol against evil, so he used GARMENTS that gave his fear to those that do evil.
individual, counter for articles The marine SENTRY, if he thinks himself an INDIVIDUAL, must be HARDENED by training to stop that. It's not Semper
973 個 individual
and military units I(ndividual), it's Semper Fi.
978 値 price price, cost, value MR.T needed the PRICE to clean his jewelry STRAIGHTAWAY, as MR.T must look his best when he's beating up fools.
the Marine SENTRY asked the PRICE to clean his uniform STRAIGHT AWAY, as he needed them for guard duty.
983 億 hundred million hundred million, 10**8 The IDEA of making a HUNDRED MILLION dollars is not the reason of the Marine SENTRY. The Marine SENTRY has
the IDEA that he's protecting a HUNDRED MILLION citizens from harm.
990 使 use use
The Marine SENTRY wants to USE that stupid OFFICER as a punching bag.
There's a CONVENIENCE to having a Marine SENTRY stationed when the hour GROWS LATE. How many at night
991 便 convenience convenience
would risk anyplace protected by him.
inn, lodging, relay station,
995 宿 inn dwell, lodge, be pregnant,
home, dwelling The INN is a HOUSE that boards the Marine SENTRIES from the local embassy, all 100 of them.
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protect, guarantee, keep,
997 保 protect
preserve, sustain, support When under assault, the Marine SENTRY still must PROTECT the embassy. Thus, the SENTRY seeks cover (and
PROTECTION) at the MOUTH of a TREE to return fire.
1001 符 token token, sign, mark, tally, charm
BAMBOO with a SCOTCH TAPE on the outside is used to gather TOKENS on a pre-historic bus.
fare, fee, hire, rent, wages,
1004 賃 fare
charge The RESPONSIBILITY for paying the SHELLS-MONEY lies with the passenger in the honor system for paying FARE.
substitute, change, convert,
1005 代 substitute replace, period, age,
generation, charge, rate, fee In a budget crises, the Marine SENTRY must forego his usual bullets and SUBSITUTE a humble but effective ARROW.
becoming, resemble,
1029 似 similar
counterfeit, imitate, suitable Uh Oh, SIMILAR (and fake) BATMEN appear in the Dark Knight, so BATMAN tells them they can't do what he does BY MEANS OF
using hockey pads and rubber masks.
occupation, camp, perform,
1034 営 occupation
build, conduct (business) Do your work in the SCHOOLHOUSE to get the SPINE needed to obtain a good OCCUPATION.
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1036 年 year year
The HORSE you bet on, you know the one wearing SUNGLASSES with one lens missing, finally finishes the race, one YEAR later.
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1105 由 wherefore wherefore, a reason
Romeo wonders "WHEREFORE art thou", and is tossed a SPROUT from the balcony by Juliet.
deliver, reach, arrive, report,
1110 届 deliver
notify, forward In the US, when the mail is delivered, a flag sprouts up on your mailbox. (We don't have that in Australia.).
push, stop, check, subdue,
1114 押 push attach, seize, weight, shove,
press, seal, do in spite of FINGERS PUSH a suit of ARMOR, crashing to the floor.
have the honor to, sign of the
1117 申 speaketh monkey, 3-5PM, ninth sign of
Chinese zodiac *Primitive = monkey, who SPEAKETH no evil.
fruit, reward, carry out,
1121 果 fruit achieve, complete, end,
finish, succeed A very strange kind of TREE has human BRAINS as its FRUIT. | The TREE from which FRUIT comes is included in this kanji.
chapter, lesson, section,
1123 課 chapter department, division, counter Here we think of the CHAPTER of the bible, namely CHAPTER three where you hear the lord SAY "Who has eaten of the forbidden
for chapters (of a book) FRUIT?" Goes well with the Naked frame that talks of the other forbidden FRUIT.
You outsiders better learn your place! An axe stuck in the door when you get home is a pretty good indicator that this might not be the
1127 所 place place
best place for you.
1129 近 near near, early, akin, tantamount
The end is near. The axe-murderer is waiting for you on the road...
substance, quality, matter,
1137 質 substance
temperament It takes TWO AXES to break into it a SHELL and ascertain the SUBSTANCE inside.
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matter, thing, fact, business,
1156 事 matter
reason, possibly Obviously, TEN RAKES lodged in one's MOUTH is a MATTER of great concern.
1169 満 full full, enough, pride, satisfy
Add water THEN the flowers. With both the vase will be full.
Balance a miniature OIL-DERRICK on a SHOVEL and spray it toward the CEILING - an innovative way to create a kanji BRUSH-
1170 画 brush stroke brush-stroke, picture
STROKE.
1183 備 equip equip, provision, preparation For EQUIP, you think of equipment. So, the BATMAN (or whoever your person is) was told to, without EQUIPment, to get a FLOWER
then deliver it to the top of the CLIFF (if you saw Batman Begins, this is easy to picture). The BATMAN did it, and UTILIZED no
equipment as instructed.
once upon a once upon a time, antiquity,
1184 昔 time old times The SALAD DAYS took place ONCE UPON A TIME.
1186 借 borrow borrow, rent "Neither a BORROWER nor a LENDER be", said the Marine SENTRY to Hamlet, ONCE UPON A TIME (sure it was Pollonius, but who
cares). For those that like Mr. T instead, just add "fool" to the end of the quote, it works just the same.
On a tour of the CAVERNS, a TOWEL brought along makes a nice SEAT when taking a break. | A comfortable TOWEL finds its way
1193 席 seat seat, mat, occasion, place
into this kanji for SEAT.
degrees, occurrence, time,
1194 度 degrees
counter for occurrences When in the CAVERNS, keep a thermometer next to your CROTCH to make sure you can measure the DEGREES.
transit, ford, ferry, cross,
1195 渡 transit import, deliver, diameter,
migrate A swimmer checks the WATER to see how many DEGREES it is before deciding to TRANSIT the channel.
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half, middle, odd number,
1202 半 half
semi-, part- In a Solomon-like decision, a set of ANIMAL-HORNS are cut in half - with a NEEDLE.
1236 弱 weak weak, frail I'm missing this Kanji too much, so here's another take: Look at the two BOWS and you'll see it looks like FEATHERS at the base of the
BOWS. So, imagine two indian children who are still too WEAK to pull a real bow, so their parents make two BOWS from two long
FEATHERS. Now the WEAK children can pretend they have real BOWS. Two FEATHER BOWS.
expense, cost, spend,
1238 費 expense
consume, waste An expense is an expense, whether you put it in dollars or in local money.
A corresponding "No." of BAMBOO sticks are displayed above "DOLLAR SIGNS" to indicate the NO. of dollars the accompanying item
1239 第 No. No., residence
would cost.
younger brother, faithful
1240 弟 younger brother
service to elders Wearing the devil's HORNS and asking for more DOLLARS is a YOUNGER BROTHER.
nickname, number, item, title,
1242 号 nickname
pseudonym, name, call A NICKNAME is simply some name you say with your MOUTH, where part of it gets SNARED by convenience.
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copy, be photographed,
1247 写 copy
describe I think of the COPY of the CROWN that was BESTOWED upon David after he slew Goliath with ONE SLING.
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storey, stair, counter for
1309 階 story
storeys of a building A PINNACLE is what you get when you pile ALL the STOREYS one on top of the other.
empty, sky, void, vacant,
1317 空 empty
vacuum A HOLE is CRAFTED, leaving an EMPTY space, revealing the SKY.
Seeming to fall off a table, and into a HOLE, is the curve-ball of BASEBALL. How it does this is the subject of a much scientific
1320 究 research research, study
RESEARCH.
tie, bind, contract, join, Ok, here, you have to think of the phrase "TIE the knot" , which means a wedding (this kanji is used in the marriage
1351 結 tie
organize, do up hair, fasten compound 結婚 けっこん ). Now, at US weddings, it ends with the couple driving away with cans being dragged behind the
car. So here, think of SPIDERMAN, who will TIE the knot with Mary Jane. At his wedding, Spider THREAD attached (or
TIED) to SPRAYCANS are being drug behind the limo as they drive off.
Every THREAD has an END. On the other hand, we find that the THREAD of life continues as hibernating animals emerge at
1352 終 end end, finish
WINTER'S END.
sutra, longitude, pass thru,
1360 経 sutra
expire, warp Picture a monk who, while passing THREAD through the center of a SPOOL (of thread) chants a Zen SUTRA.
promise, approximately,
1362 約 promise
shrink Spiderman and Spiderwoman share a drop of blood (the blood handshake thing, like in Natural Born Killers) to bind their promise that
they'll always fight crime. Ladle was too hard. Spiderman PROMISES to get MJs cooking ladle back.
The army COLUMN, so as not to fall BEHIND, wraps the injured in a COCOON of bandages and tied to STILTS to be carried BEHIND
1379 後 behind behind, back, later
the lines for medical attention.
mechanism, opportunity,
1382 機 mechanism
occasion, machine, airplane A wooden ABACUS is the first MECHANISM. | TREE lends a kind of structural presence to this kanji.
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honorable, manipulate,
1398 御 honorable
govern The HONORABLE thing for the Army COLUMN to do was pay WHOLESALE for their supplies (perhaps some horseshoes and
stamps?) on the march. Sadly, they just took them.
clothing, admit, obey,
1399 服 clothing
discharge CLOTHING, the bare minimum, must cover FLESH and be the size of a postage STAMP large enough to cover your CROTCH.
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1473 飯 meal meal, boiled rice
"ANTI" to the generic FOOD, a MEAL implies some effort & preparation.
1474 飲 drink drink, smoke, take
After eating FOOD, you YAWN mightily, and then DRINK something to wash it down.
building, mansion, large
1478 館 Bldg.
building, palace FOOD controlled by BUREAUCRATS sits inside a "BLDG".
CEILING is the level surface of the water, while the NEEDLE floating underneath and the ANIMAL HORNS combine to make a picture
1484 平 even even, flat, peace
of the WATER LILY floating EVENLY.
1502 新 new new (I don't like the 'red pepper plant' primative so I just go for standing atop a tree). Here we have the woodcutter standing atop a tree
waving his brand new axe. "Look what I got for christmas, yippee!".
parent, intimacy, relative,
1504 親 parent
familiarity, dealer (cards) I remember this one the way the Japanese do: a parent standing on top of a tree watching what his or her kid is doing.
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1546 表 surface surface, table, chart, diagram
A PLANT wearing a SCARF can now survive the cold, and covers the SURFACE of the earth!
proportion, comparatively, The amount of HARM that can be done by a SABRE is directly PROPORTIONAL to its size. | SABRE lends a cutting sense to the kanji
1553 割 proportion
divide, cut, separate, split for PROPORTION.
1555 生 life life, genuine, birth
A DROP of a PLANT is a drop of LIFE.
1578 漢 Sino- Sino-, China WATER is poured on SCARECROWS in the SINO part of the world, because the poor things are outside all day in the hot sun. | The
WATER of the confluence of rivers after which China was named finds its way into SINO.
1596 野 plains plains, field, rustic, civilian life Here I think of the great PLAINS, where you find Omaha. Now, its' all COMPUTERS (yes, the Internet routes are centralized there) but
BEFOREHAND you would find only the PLAINS.
1602 西 west west, Spain Wicked Witch of the WEST anyone? Here you see the CEILING collapsed with two HUMAN LEGS sticking out the remains of the
MOUTH of the door. Hmm, maybe I should chill on the Wizard of Oz stories?
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need, main point, essence, After the OLD WEST settlers achieved basic survival mode, WOMEN soon become the dominant NEED. | WOMAN lends an alluring
1604 要 need
pivot, key to presence to the kanji for NEED.
In the OLD WEST, where the church was the center of the community, during election season, the show-ALTAR was the chosen area
1606 票 ballot ballot, label, ticket, sign
to post the BALLOT.
signpost, seal, mark, stamp,
imprint, symbol, emblem,
1608 標 signpost
trademark, evidence,
souvenir, target TREES used to post election BALLOTS are makeshift SIGNPOSTS.
1612 煙 smoke smoke Should be easy. SMOKE brings to mind "Where there's SMOKE, there's FIRE". So, the FIRE in the OLD WEST can tell people we're
you're at, so put out the FIRE with SOIL to keep the SMOKE to a minimum.
1644 違 difference difference, differ Picture a ROAD defended by men armed with DOUBLE NAGANAS admirable (FRAME 1643). That makes the DIFFERENCE between
a safe ROAD and a ROAD subject to thieves and bandits.
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bundle, sheaf, ream, tie in
1664 束 bundle bundles, govern, manage,
control
MOUTH behind a TREE is an easy pictograph, however: Your MOUTH opens wide when you realize that TREE became a BUNDLE of
newspapers. I think BUNDLE of newspapers makes for an easy visual image anyway.
1665 頼 trust trust, request For some odd reason people TRUST that the bundle (FRAME 1664) of newspapers held over their HEAD will keep them dry when it's
raining. TRUST me, the BUNDLE and their HEADS will get wet.
1669 速 quick quick, fast
A BUNDLE moving down the ROAD QUICKLY gains momentum.
organize, arranging, tune,
1670 整 organize
tone, meter, key (music) Recycling in Japan, you have to make sure all your bundles are organized correctly otherwise the taskmasters won't accept them.
precipitous, inaccessible
1672 険 precipitous place, impregnable position,
steep place, sharp eyes The edge of The Pinnacle is precipitous, so they have a guard posted with an ice pick to poke people and keep them from the edge.
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1703 登 ascend ascend, climb up
In an American Indian legend, an Indian warrior goes into a TEEPEE, stands on a TABLE, and ASCENDS into the skies.
discharge, departure, publish, TWO HUMAN LEGS wiggle around, sticking out the top of a TEEPEE, the punishment for a poor soldier being DISCHARGED from the
1705 発 discharge
emit, start from, disclose army.
1745 変 unusual unusual, change, strange Ok, here I have to picture those old Fruit of the Loom underwear commercials. There is an UNUSUAL scene where you see the APPLE
guy walking down the street on STILTS. Why, I don't know, it's a 80's thing.
1753 色 color color
Bound up in the Rubik's cube are the 6 different colours.
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fundamentals, radical (chem),
1767 基 fundamentals counter for machines,
foundation
Dumping a bunch of footballs out of a BUSHEL BASKET onto the GROUND, a famous coach announce "It's time to return to the
FUNDAMENTALS".
nothingness, none, ain't,
1775 無 nothingness
nothing, nil, not RECLINE blissfully in an OAKEN TUB heated by an ever so light CAMP-FIRE, and fade happily into NOTHINGNESS.
1781 査 investigate investigate
TREES in growing in a kitchen SHELF must be quickly INVESTIGATED.
row, and, besides, as well as,
1785 並 row
line up, rank with, rival, equal This is a simplification of 竝, a ideogram of two people standing in a row.
universal, wide(ly), generally,
1786 普 universal
Prussia A ROW of SUNS is as long a the UNIVERSE. | The UNIVERSE is full of SUNS, explaining its appearance in this kanji.
business, vocation, arts, If the product you're planning to sell is still HANGING IN A ROW UPSIDE DOWN on the original delivery rack, then you are NOT YET
1792 業 profession
performance ready for BUSINESS.
1811 円 circle circle, yen, round CIRCULAR coins are saved in this representation of a GLASS CANOPY where the vertical line represents a slot to insert coins and the
horizontal line the level to which the CIRCULAR YEN coins ha.
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1828 氏 family name family name, surname, clan When FAMILY NAMES were first handed out, it could have been done by a kind of lottery where two DROPS of lines with TWO
FISHHOOKS were let down into a pot to select each person's FAMILY NAM.
1829 紙 paper paper
A FAMILY NAME is sewn with THREAD onto PAPER.
A WOMAN often changes her FAMILY NAME on the DAY of her MARRIAGE. | WOMAN typically plays a role in a kanji involving
1830 婚 marriage marriage
marriage.
1831 低 lower lower, short, humble Good visual image: The Marine SENTRY challenges the person to lay his CALLING CARD on the ground and step away. The SENTRY
approaches, without LOWERING his gaze from the person, LOWERS down to get the card for full identification (proper technique
taught to SENTRIES by the way).
1847 郵 mail mail, stagecoach stop Starting to DROOP dangerously are the CITY WALLS on top of which has been stacked all the excess MAIL during a postal strike. |
CITY WALLS provide a sense of crossing borders in this kanji for MAIL.
1859 段 grade grade, steps, stairs
This is a military-grade staple gun! It can be loaded with real missiles.
1870 航 navigate navigate, sail, cruise, fly
Steering a BOAT in a WHIRLWIND is a skilled NAVIGATOR.
1871 般 carrier carrier, carry, all
A huge BOAT with a complement of nuclear MISSILES is an aircraft CARRIER.
1874 船 ship ship, boat
A boy imagines a toy BOAT in a little GULLY to be a huge, fine SHIP.
benefit, gain, profit,
1881 益 benefit
advantage The benefit of having sharp horns and fast legs is that an animal can get to the food dish first.
come, due, next, cause,
1884 来 come
become COME ONE, come all, get your ONE bag of RICE.
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The HOOKS with the little PERSONS hanging sideways from them in an air-show come first and last respectively. In between is
1887 飛 fly fly, skip (pages), scatter
SEWING BOX which can now FLY.
1892 面 mask mask, face, features, surface Yes, another Halloween MASK. This MASK has a ONE large EYE brow, a DROP of a nose and one large MOUTH where inside is a
gruesome EYE. Pretty disturbing, in a Beetlejuice sort of way. By the way, you can also see the stroke order is COMB followed by a
distorted THREE, not sure how that helps.
1909 番 turn turn, number in a series
As you follow ANIMAL TRACKS over a RICE-FIELD, they TURN hither and yon.
1920 長 long long, leader
The MANE which needs a HAIRPIN is too LONG.
1928 単 simple simple, one, single, merely
A professorly OWL perches a BRAIN atop a NEEDLE in a SIMPLE experiment.
1948 島 island island A BIRD with his tail tucked in comes to rest on a MOUNTAIN on an ISLAND after a long journey across the waters. (popular). |
MOUNTAINS lends a sense of solid mass to ISLAND.
The SUN shining on MIGRATING DUCKS restores WARMTH to their outstretched wings. | The SUN provides the heat in the kanji for
1949 暖 warmth warmth
WARMTH.
Growing fearful because they can no longer see the SUN, all the little RABBITS jump into their holes at NIGHTFALL. | The temporal
1974 晩 nightfall nightfall, night
DAY is finds its way into NIGHTFALL.
1980 験 verification verification, effect, testing In the days of yore, when a TEAM-OF-HORSES passed a checkpoint, an AWL was used to poke the leather binding of the horses, for
VERIFICATION that no weapons were hidden within.
2016 送 send off escort, send In paganish scene from Las Vegas, ESCORTS stand by the ROAD, while the huge "GOLDEN CALF" casino stands in the background,
and they offer to ESCORT you for the evening.
connection, barrier, gateway,
2017 関 connection
involve, concerning At the heavenly GATES, a GOLDEN CALF is your CONNECTION to get in.
1665 頼 trust trust, request For some odd reason people TRUST that the bundle (FRAME 1664) of newspapers held over their HEAD will keep them dry when it's
raining. TRUST me, the BUNDLE and their HEADS will get wet.
1669 速 quick quick, fast
A BUNDLE moving down the ROAD QUICKLY gains momentum.
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