æ°´ (mizu) means “water.†This character comes from the splashing of water. 空 (kuu or sora) means “empty†or “sky.†This character comes from a big empty room or cave. æ°— (ki) means “spirit†or “breath.†This character consists of two parts. The top part represents a person’s profile including the face, mouth and nose; […]
The Heart of Kanji
THE HEART OF KANJI: Eternal peace of mind
æ°¸ (ei or nagai) means “eternal or long.†This character consists of two parts. The top forms a single drop of rain; the bottom represents water in a river. A single drop of rain flows into the waters of a river and continues on its path forever. é (en or tooii) means “far.†This character […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Divine parent
親 (oya) means “parent.†This character consists of three parts. The top of the left side is ç«‹ (tatsu), which means “stand.†Below that is 木 (ki), which means “a tree.†The right side is 見 (miru), which means “to see or look.†So parents are standing in a tree and looking upon their children […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Selfish Desires
ji ko yoku 自(ji) means “own.†This character comes from the shape of a person’s nose. 己 (ko or onore) means “self.†This character represents a person who is bending down. 欲 (yoku) means “desire†and consists of two parts; the left side is the shape of a valley and the right side is a […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Spiritual Investment
心ã®å‡ºè³‡ã€€ (Kokoro no Shushi) means “spiritual investment.†Kokoro (心) means “heart,†and its character is in the shape of a human heart. Shu or deru (出) means “go out or come out,†and its character is in the shape of a human foot. Shi (資) means “funds,†and its character consists of two parts; the […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Mt. Fuji
富 (Fu or Tomi) means “richnes.†This character comes from a shape of a warehouse which is full of crops or treasures inside. 士 (Ji or Shi)           means “samurai†who guards the King or lord. This character comes from a shape of a weapon which can protect the king or lord. å±± (San or Yama) […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Four worms in our heart
四 (yon or shi) means the number four in English, which comes from the shape of four fingers. 心 (Kokoro) means heart, which comes from the shape of a human heart. 虫 (Mushi) means worm, which comes from the shape of a worm. A few years ago, my family went to pick fruits in Brentwood, Calif. We picked […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Be Ready
The kanji character 用 (yo) means “to be able, useful†and consists of two parts. A vertical center line represents a nail. All other lines represent pieces of wood. The pieces of wood were put together by the nail. æ„(i) means “thinking in your heart,†which consists of two parts. Above is a person’s voice and below […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: The Patient Heart of a Ninja
The kanji character å¿ã€€(nin or shinobu) means “patience.†This character is made of two parts. The top is 刃 (yaiba), which means “sword or knife.â€Â The bottom is 心 (kokoro), which means “spiritual or physical heart.†Nin is when someone attacks you with a sword and almost kills you by missing your heart, but you remain patient […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Look Forward to the Future
先 (Saki) means “front†or “future,†and consists of two parts. The upper section represents the sole of someone’s foot. The character below represents a pair of legs walking. Thus, together they represent “front†or “future.†楽 (Tanoshime, Raku) which means “enjoy†or “look forward to,†is made up of two parts, as well. The upper character […]
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