250 Essential Japanese Kanji Characters Volume 1 Read online

  してつ shitetsu private railway line/company

  85 手

  te, shu

  て、シュ

  hand

  手 derives from a pictograph of a hand. All the elements shown below are used to refer to hand.

  手 て te hand

  山手線 やまのてせん Yamanote sen Yamanote Line

  おおてまち Ōtemachi Otemachi (place)

  ______

  てがみ tegami letter

  てすうりよう tesūryō fee, charge, commission

  かしゅ kashu singer

  じよしゅ joshu research associate, assistant

  せんしゅ senshu athlete

  86 上

  ue, nobo-ru, jō

  うえ、のぼ・る、ジョウ

  above, on, up; upper; rise

  To indicate above, on, or up, the ancient Chinese drew a dot above a line. This was later modified to 上.

  上 うえ ue on, above, up, upper, rise

  年去 どしうえ toshiue elder

  上野 うえの Ueno Ueno (place)

  上り のぼり nobori up, ascent

  上下 じょうげ jōge top and bottom, upper and lower, up and down

  ______

  上り電車 のぼりでんしや nobori densha inbound train

  屋上 おくじょう okujō housetop, roof

  ごにんいじよう gonin ijō five people or more

  じょうきゅう jōkyū advanced course

  87 新

  atara-shii, shin

  あたら・しい、シン

  new

  新 combines 立 stand (cf. 167), 木 tree, and 斤 ax (cf. 76 所). From the idea of cutting a standing tree with an ax to produce fresh timber, 新 has come to mean new. Another version says that standing trees are cut to clear new land.

  新しい あたらしい atarashii new

  新年 しんねん shinnen the New Year

  新々生 しんにゆう せい shinnyūsei new student/pupil

  しんじゆく Shinjuku Shinjuku (place)

  ______

  新人 しんじん shinjin newcomer, new face

  新住所 しんじゆう しよ shin jūsho new address

  新学期 しんがっき shin gakki new term/semester

  しんぶん shimbun newspaper

  88 田

  ta, (da)

  た、(だ)

  rice field, paddy

  田 derives from a pictograph of a rice field.

  田 た ta rice field, paddy

  三田線 みたせん Mita sen Mita Line

  千代田線 ちよだせん Chiyoda sen Chiyoda Line

  ________

  田中さん たなかさん Tanaka san Mr./Ms. Tanaka

  本田さん ほんださん Honda san Mr./Ms. Honda

  小田急線 おだきゆうせん Odakyū sen Odakyu Line

  89 代

  ka-waru, yo, dai

  か・わる、よ、ダイ

  substitute, replace; price; generation

  代, which combines イ man and 弋 weapon (cf. 54 式), came to mean substitute from the idea of an army getting stronger as weapons were substituted for man power. When buying things, money is substituted for a commodity; thus 代 also means price. An associated meaning is generation.

  代（わ）りに かわりに kawari ni instead

  代々木 よよぎ Yoyogi Yoyogi (place)

  バス代 バスだい basu dai bus fare

  時代 じだい jidai period, epoch, era

  代金 だいきん daikin price, charge

  ________

  電気代 でんきだい denki dai electricity charges

  げんだい gendai present age, modern times

  せだい sedai generation

  だいりにん dairinin deputy, agent, substitute

  90 丸

  maru, maru-i

  まる、まる・い

  circle; round

  丸, which depicts a man rounding his back to enter a cave, means round. An associated meaning is circle.

  丸 まる maru circle

  丸い まるい marui round, circular, spherical

  ______

  91 内

  uchi, nai

  うち、ナイ

  inside

  内 depicts a man 人 inside a house 冂, meaning inside.

  都内 どない tonai inside Tokyo

  年内 ねんない nennai within the year

  内科 ないか naika internal medicine unit; internal medicine

  ______

  うちがわ uchigawa inside

  学内便 がくないびん gakunai bin campus mail

  かない kanai my wife

  市内 しない shinai inside a city, civic

  92 西

  nishi, sei, sai, (zai)

  にし、セイ、サイ、(ザイ)

  west

  西, which depicts a bird in its nest, suggests west because the sun sets in the west when birds return home in the evening.

  西 にし nishi west

  東西線 どうざいせん Tōzai sen Tozai Line

  ________

  西洋 せいよう seiyō the West

  かんさい Kansai Kansai area

  93 営

  ei

  エイ

  perform, manage

  営 derives from 營. indicates house 冖 with lights 火 on, and 呂 represents rooms. From this, 営 has come to mean perform work or manage business in an office.

  都営地下鉄 どえいちかてつ toei chikatetsu metropolitan subway

  市営 しえい shiei municipally-managed

  ________

  けいえいしゃ keieisha manager, executive

  4 Practice

  I. Write the readings of the following kanji in hiragana.

  1. 地 下 鉄

  2. 六 本 木

  3. 大 手

  4. 上 野

  5. 新

  6. 日 線

  7. 三 田 線

  8. 千 代 田 線

  9. 丸 ノ 内 線

  10. 東 西 線

  11. 何 線

  12. 都 営 線

  13. 地 名

  14. 下 り

  15. 内 線

  16. 時 代

  17. 西

  18. 新 年

  19. 上 り

  20. 東 の そ ら に 、 丸 い 月 が で て い ま す 。

  21. 上 田 さ ん は わ た し よ り 二 つ 年 上 で す 。

  22. 新 に は 新 し い ビ ル が た く さ ん あ り ま す 。

  II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate kanji.

  5 Advanced Placement Exam Practice Question

  Miyuki will go shopping tomorrow in Roppongi with her friend Ichiro on her way home from her university, which is at Hongo. She is supposed to meet him at Roppongi Station (六本木) at 4:00 P.M. She can go to Hongo-sanchome Station (本郷三丁目), near the university, at about 3:15 P.M. She is checking the route on the Internet.

  Look at the information above and answer the following questions.

  1. Which route is the fastest?

  A. Route 1

  B. Route 2

  C. Route 3

  D. Route 4

  2. Which route takes the most time?

  A. Route 1

  B. Route 2

  C. Route 3

  D. Route 4

  3. Which route doesn’t take the Toei lines?

  A. Route 1

  B. Route 2

  C. Route 3

  D. Route 4

  4. Which route is the cheapest?

  A. Route 1

  B. Route 2

  C. Route 3

  D. Route 4

  5. Which route changes trains from one Toei line to another Toei line?

  A. Route 1

  B. Route 2

  C. Route 3

  D. Route 4

  LESSON 7

  Buying Tickets

  きっぷを かいましょ
う

  Except for long-distance tickets, ordinary subway and railroad tickets are valid only on the day of issue. Coupon tickets are also available for about a 10% discount. Since different kinds of tickets are required by the Tokyo-Metro, Toei, JR, and private lines, care should be taken to use the proper vending machines in stations serving many lines. Long-distance tickets of higher values are usually purchased at ticket windows. At many stations, automated ticket gates are replacing conventional ones, as seen in the photo above.

  1 Introductory Quiz

  Look at the illustrations below and refer to the words in Vocabulary. Then try the following quiz.

  I. Below right is a simplified route map of the Yamanote and Chuo Lines. The stations marked ◎ are connecting stations. The Yamanote Line is a loop, and it takes about an hour to make a complete circle. The Chuo Line starts from Tokyo station, cuts through the center of the Yamanote Line, and goes as far as Takao, about 50 kilometers from its starting point.

  Study the fare chart at Shinjuku station, and then answer the questions.

  1. 新 から つぎの 駅までは いくらですか。

  a. しんばし ( ) 円

  b. よよぎ ( ) 円

  c. おちゃのみず ( ) 円

  d. なかの ( ) 円

  2. 山手線と 中央線の 連絡駅は どれと どれですか。

  II. Shown below are various kinds of ordinary tickets and a coupon ticket for the JR lines, purchased at Shinjuku station. The coupon ticket is valid for a specified journey. The child’s ticket looks the same as the adult’s ticket, but it is marked with a kanji meaning “small”.

  Also included are the IC cards “SUICA” and “PASMO.” SUICA and PASMO are useful cards that let the user go through automatic ticket gates with a touch on the scanner at either end of a journey, and calculate the appropriate fare.

  Match the appropriate ticket to each statement below, and write the correct letters (a through e) in the spaces provided.

  Example:

  (d) 行きの きっぷです。

  1. 新から代々木行きは 大人は 130円 ( ) 、こどもは 60円 ( ) です。

  2. ( ) は この 区間だけの 回数券です。

  3. ( ) はJRや地下鉄など全線に のれます。

  2 Vocabulary

  Study the readings and meanings of these words to help you understand the Introductory Quiz.

  1. きっぷ kippu ticket

  2. ょょぎ Yoyogi Yoyogi (station) (*see Lesson 2, 23 時）

  3. 自勳 じどう jidō automatic

  4. うりば uriba (ticket) vending area

  5. (ご）あんない (go)annai information

  6. えきめい ekimei station name

  7. りょうきん ryōkin fare

  8. しぶや Shibuya Shibuya (station)

  9. いけぶくろ Ikebukuro Ikebukuro (station)

  10. しながわ Shinagawa Shinagawa (station)

  11. しん ばし Shimbashi Shinbashi (station)

  12. なかの Nakano Nakano (station)

  13. よつや Yotsuya Yotsuya (station)

  14. おちゃのみず Ochanomizu Ochanomizu (station)

  15. かんだ Kanda Kanda (station)

  16. やまのてせん Yamanote sen Yamanote Line

  17. ちゆうおうせん Chuō sen Chuo Line

  18. 連絡 れんらく renraku connection

  19. 〜行き 〜いき/ゆき ~iki/yuki bound for ~

  20. おどな otona adult

  21. 小 しょう shō abbreviation for child

  22. こども kodomo child

  23. かいすうけん kaisū ken coupon ticket

  24. ぜんせん zensen all along the line

  3 New Characters

  Twelve characters are introduced in this lesson. Use the explanations to help you understand and remember the characters. Study the compound words to increase your vocabulary.

  山 中 央 連 絡 自 動 小 人 全 行 回

  94 山

  yama, san, (zan)

  やま、サン、(ザン）

  mountain

  山 derives from a pictograph of mountains.

  山 やま yama mountain

  山手線 やまのてせん Yamanote sen Yamanote Line

  火山 かざん kazan volcano

  ______

  山田さん やまださん Yamada san Mr./Ms./Miss/Mrs Yamada

  ふじさん Fujisan Mt. Fuji

  95 中

  naka, chū, (jū)

  なか、チュウ、(ジュウ）

  middle, inside; throughout

  中 depicts a board with a rod through its center.

  中 なカヽ naka the inside, the interior

  なかの Nakano Nakano (place)

  使用中 しようちゆう shiyō chū in use, occupied

  一日中 いちにちじゆう ichinichi jū all day long

  曰本中 にほんじゆう nihon jū throughout Japan

  ______

  中学 ちゅうがく chūgaku junior high school

  ちゅうしん chūshin center

  ちゅうきゅう chūkyū intermediate course

  ちゆうこ chūko used, secondhand

  96 央

  ō

  オウ

  center, middle

  央 depicts a man standing with arms outstretched in the middle of a house.

  中央 ちゅうおう chūō the center, the middle

  中央区 ちゅうおうく chūō ku Chuo Ward

  中央線 ちゆうおうせん chūō sen Chuo Line

  ______

  97 連

  tsu-reru, ren

  つ・れる、レン

  connect, link; take along

  連 means connect or link, because vehicles 車 (cf. 106) on a road (cf. 16 週) follow one after another like links in a chain.

  連れて行く つれていく tsureteiku to take (someone) along /with

  連休 れんきゅう renkvū consecutive holidays

  ______

  かんれん kanren relation, connection

  国連 こくれん Kokuren abbreviation for 国際連合 (the United Nations)

  98 絡

  kara-mu, raku

  から・む、ラク

  get tangled; connect

  絡 combines 糸 thread (cf. 81 線) and 各, which by itself means each (cf. 120) but here indicates a knotted thread. A thread with knots gets tangled easily. An associated meaning is connect.

  連絡する れんらくする renraku suru to connect with,

  to make contact

  連絡先 れんらくさき renraku saki where to contact

  連絡駅 れんらくえき renraku eki connecting station, junction

  ________

  絡む からむ karamu to get tangled

  連絡ロ れんらくぐち renraku guchi connection gate

  れんらくつうろ renraku tsūro connecting passageway

  99 自

  ji, shi

  ジ、シ

  self

  自 derives from a pictograph of a nose. In Japan, pointing at one’s nose indicates I or me.

  自分 じぶ、ん jibun oneself, one s own

  ________

  じゆうな jiyū na free, unrestricted

  じたく jitaku one's own home/house

  しぜん shizen nature

  100 動

  ugo-ku, dō

  うご・く、ドウ

  move

  動 combines 重, man standing on a pile of heavy things on the ground, and 力 force (cf. 67 男). Even heavy things will move if great forces are exerted on them.

  動く うごく ugoku to move (vi.)

  自動 じどう jidō automatic

  ______

  手動 しゅどう shudō manually operated, hand-powered

  うんどうする undō suru to exercise, to campaign, to move

  101 小

  ko, chii-sai, shō

  こ、ちい・さい、ショウ


  small, little

  小 depicts a stick shaved on both sides to make it slender and small.

  小さい ちいさい chiisai small, little

  小学生 しようがくせい shōgakusei school children

  ______

  こづつみ kozutsumi parcel

  しょうせつ shōsetsu novel

  小児科 しようにか shōnika pediatrics

  大小 だいしょう daishō large and small, size

  102 人

  hito, jin, nin

  ひと、ジン、ニン

  human being; person

  人 derives from a pictograph of a man. When used as a radical, 人 is written イ.

  人 ひど hito person

  曰本人 にほんじん nihon jin a Japanese (person)

  本人 ほんにん honnin the person himself/herself, the said person

  大人 *おどな otona adult

  二人 *ふたり futari two people

  ________

  しゅじん shujin husband; shop owner

  人間 にんげん ningen human being

  103 全

  zen

  ゼン

  all, whole; entirely

  全 represents a mound of 土 earth containing everything or covering the whole area underneath.

  全線 ぜんせん zensen all (train/bus) lines, all along the line

  全学 ぜんがく zengaku the whole university

  全部 ぜんぶ zembu all, whole

  ________

  全国 ぜんこく zenkoku the whole country

  ぜんたい zentai the whole

  ぜんいん zen'in all members

  かんぜんな kanzen na perfect, complete