|
 This
lesson contains two distinct kinds of characters--water
and gate kanji.
Water
kanji can easily be identified by three
"splash" marks on their left sides. The three
gate kanji in this lesson are primarily composed of two
figures (a P-shape and its mirror image) which form an
arch.
 |
pond |
 |
river; (also Yellow River) |
 |
river; (also Yangtse river) |
 |
bay / beach |
 |
sake (Japanese whiskey) |
 |
swamp, marsh; newer version of below
kanji |
 |
swamp, marsh; older version of above
kanji |
 |
gate; only read as mon
when paired with ma (below) |
 |
between; if only character in
name, read as hazama |
 |
relationship, check point |
Like
kawa/gawa (L1), kawa/ko and e
mean "river." Originally, kawa/ko
referred to the Huang Ho (Yellow) River, while e
identified the Yangtse. Today, all three characters can
be used interchangeably.
Above,
there are also two sawa/zawa characters. The
first one (shaped like a capital "R") is a
modern variation on the older, second sawa. Both
have identical meanings and sounds.
Gate
kanji can have rather complex relationships. Kado
usually has one pronunciation, except when it is paired
with ma; the new two-character word become
"monma." Likewise, ma only
changes when it's the lone kanji in a name, and then it
is pronounced "hazama."
Go
to Lesson 6
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