地 (chi) means â€ground.†The left side indicates soil and the right side indicates a moving snake. Together, these characters represent the uneven and changeable nature of the ground and the Earth. çƒ (kyu) means “round ball†and this character represents its shape. æ„Ÿ (kan) means “feeling.†The top lines indicate a fruit tree, the […]
The Heart of Kanji
THE HEART OF KANJI: Prayer and leaving it to Kami/Universe
October 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This is the fourth rule for a harmonious relationship. 祈 ã‚Š (ki, inori) means “prayer.†The left side represents an offering on a table for Kami, and the right side indicates an axe. After hunting animals with the axe, you can offer the animal to Kami on the altar. ä»» ã™(nin, makasu) means “leave up.†[…]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Your own happiness
May 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This is the third rule for a harmonious relationship. 自 (ji) means “own.†This indicates a nose. When Japanese people introduce themselves to other people, they point to their own nose. 分 (bun) means “divide into two.†The bottom lines of this character are a knife and the top means to cut one thing into […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Unconditional, without expectation
April 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This is the second rule for a harmonious relationship (to read the first, please see the March 29, 2018 issue of the Nichi Bei Weekly): ç„¡ (mu) means “nothingness.†The bottom four dots are fire flames. The middle lines represent a house and the top lines represent a new life growing from the ground. The […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: 100 percent effort
March 29, 2018 by Leave a Comment
百 (hyaku) means “hundred,†which indicates the shape of a nose. You can breathe in and out of your nose 100 or more times. 努 (doo or tsutomu) means “effort.†女 (onna) means “woman,†which represents the sitting form of a woman. åˆ (mata) means “the crotch†and 力 (chikara or ryoku) means “power,†which […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Inu Doshi — Year of the Dog
January 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
戌 (Inu) means “dog.†This character represents an axe, a symbol for power, and the number one. So the dog can use the axe to gather many things into one. å¹´ (Toshi or Nen) means “year or age.†The top two lines of this character indicate a rice plant, and the lines below indicate a […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Nothingness
January 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
ç„¡Â (mu) means “nothingness.†The bottom four strokes indicate fire flames, the character in the middle indicates a house, and the top lines represent a new life emerging from the burning home. When the house burns down and becomes ashes, new life can grow from that. The kanji (mu) teaches us that although we may lose everything, […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Love of heaven and earth
April 13, 2017 by 1 Comment
天 (Ten) means “heaven.†The top line indicates the sky or universe and the bottom lines indicate a big person who is standing with open hands. 地 (Chi) means “earth or soil.†The left side represents the ground and the right side symbolizes a snake. This is to show that the earth is not flat, […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Life of flower
March 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment
花　(Hana) means “flower.†The top indicates a plant. The left side below the plant indicates a person, and the right side indicates the person who is upside down in the ground, meaning death. A flower begins as a plant, blooms as a flower, and then it eventually dies. 命　(Inochi) means “life.†The top indicates a […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: First shrine or temple visit of the Japanese New Year
January 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
åˆÂ (Hatsu) means “first†or “beginning.†The left side of this character represents clothes or kimono. The right side indicates a knife. To make a kimono, one must first cut the cloth. è©£ (Mode or mairu) means “to visit a shrine.†The left side of the character indicates talking. The top of the right side indicates people and the bottom of the right […]
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