Hello! Hello!

I hope you are doing well. Here is our seventh lesson in the Learning Kanji series. This time you will see (and learn): 物事食飲行. Let’s go!

If you missed the previous lessons, here they are:

• Learning Kanji 001 – 一人
• Learning Kanji 002 – ニ三日本何
• Learning Kanji 003 – 四五山木月
• Learning Kanji 004 – 六七水火年
• Learning Kanji 005 – 八九十百円
• Learning Kanji 006 – 千万土金曜

物

• Strokes: 8
• Reading(s):
  • onyomi:
    • ブツ (or ブッ)
    • モツ
  • kunyomi:
    • もの
•  Meaning(s):
  • thing, object, matter (material)

Examples:

• 物 (ぶつ) as an object
  • ハリーポッターはかくうの人物です。(じん・ぶつ)
  • / Harry Potter / {topic} / imaginary, fictitious / {relation} / person, character / to be /
  • / Harry Potter is a fictitious character. /
  • うごいて いる 物たい の しゃしん を とる は むずかしいですね。(ぶっ)
  • / being moving / body, object / {relation} / picture / {object} / to take / {topic} / difficult / to be / {ask for assent} /
  • / taking a picture of a moving object is difficult, isn’t it? /
• 物 (もつ) as an object
  • 日本 に いきます から、に物 を つくります。(に・ほん・もつ)
  • / Japan / {destination} / will go / because / luggage / {object} / to pack /
  • / I pack my luggage because I go to Japan. /
  • びょうきちゅう さけ は きん物 です。(もつ)
  • / illness / -in the middle / alcohol / {topic} / forbidden / to be /
  • / Alcohol is forbidden when you are sick. /
• 物 (もの) as an object
  • これ は 本物 の ピカソ です。
  • / this / {topic} / genuine / {relation} / Picasso / to be /
  • / This is a genuine Picasso. /
  • 物 と 物 を うちあわせる。(もの・もの)
  • / thing / {and} / thing / {object} / to match together /
  • / To match things together. /

事

• Strokes: 8
• Reading(s):
  • onyomi:
    • ジ
    • ズ (rare)
  • kunyomi:
    • こと
• Meaning(s):
  • matter, thing, fact (non material)

Examples:

• 事  (じ)
  • あの 人 は 日本 の 事物 に あかるい。(ひと・に・ほん・じ。ぶつ)
  • / that / person / {topic} / Japan / {relation} / things / {object complement} / to be bright /
  • / That person is bright in things Japanese. /
  • 二年まえ、ここに火事があった。
  • / two / year / before / here / {location} / fire / {focus} / was /
  • / There has been a fire here two years ago. /
• こと
  • 事
  • やまださん の 仕事 は 何 です か。(ごと・なん)
  • / Mr Yamada / {realtion} / job, occupation / {topic} / what / to be / {question} /
  • / What is Yamada’s occupation? /
  • いったん 物事 を はじめた いじょう、とちゅう で ほうき して は いけない。
  • / once, shortly / thing / {object} / began / beyond, not less than / in the middle / {place of action} / resignation, renunciation / to be doing / {topic} / wrong, must not do /

物 and 事 are quiet similar in meaning, but bear in mind that the former denotes material/tangible things like a car, a building or food, while the second denotes untangible/non material things like a fact, a thought… Most often, you will encounter their kana version when they are used alone (もの, こと).

食

• Strokes: 9
• Reading(s):
  • onyomi:
    • ショク
    • ジキ
  • kunyomi:
    • く.う
    • く.らう
    • た.べる
• Meaning(s):
  • eat
  • food

Examples:

• 食 (しょく)
  • 食事 が おいしかった です。(しょく・じ)
  • / meal / {focus} / was tasty / to be /
  • / The meal was tasty. /
  • ちょう食、ちゅう食、ゆう食
  • / breakfast / lunch / dinner /
• 食 (じき)
  • まいしゅう 土曜日 に だん食 します。(ど・よう・び・じき)
  • / every week / Saturday / {moment} / fasting / to do /
  • / (I) do fasting every week on Saturday. /
• 食 (く).う (male, casual) – to eat, to consume
  • たいぎょ は こざがな を 食う。
  • / big fish / {topic} / small fish / {object} / to eat, consume /
  • / Big fishes eat small fishes. /
  • ぼく の くるま は ガソリン を 食う。(く)
  • / me (male, casual) / {realtion} / car / {topic} / gazoline / {object} / to eat, to consume /
  • / My car consumes (a lot of) gasoline. /
• 食 (く).らう (vulgar) – to eat and/or drink, to receive (a blow)
  • ラーメン を 食らう。(く)
  • / ramen / {object} / to gobble /
  • / (He is) gobbling ramen. /
• 食 (た).べる – to eat, to subsist on
  • まい日、ゆう食にりんごを食べます。(にち・しょく。た)
  • / every day / dinner / {moment} / apple / {object} / to eat /
  • / (I) eat an apple at dinner every day. /
  • あまい 食べ物 は だいすき です。(た・もの)
  • / sweet / food / {topic} / loved / to be /
  • / (I) love sweet food. /

飲

• Strokes: 12
• Reading(s):
  • onyomi:
    • イン
  • kunyomi:
    • の.む
• Meaning(s):
  • drink

Examples:

• イン
  • ここ に は 飲食 は きんし です。(いん・しょく)
  • / here / {location} / {topic} / drinkins and food / prohibited / to be /
  • / It is prohibited to eat and drink here.
  • かれ は その ゆう に つう飲 した。(いん)
  • / he / {topic} / that / night / {moment} / heavy drinking / did /
  • / He did drink a lot that night. /
• の.む
  •  何か飲む? (なに・の)
  • / something / to drink /
  • / (do you want) something to drink? /
  • だめ！これは飲み水じゃない。(の・みず)
  • / no good, must not / this / {topic} / drinking water / not to be /
  • / Don’t (do this)! This isn’t drinking water. /
  • 食う物 も 飲む物 も ない。(く・もの・の・もの)
  • / food / even, also / beverage / even, also / not to exist /
  • / (There is) nothing to eat or drink. /

行

• Strokes: 6
• Reading(s):
  • onyomi:
    • コウ
    • ギョウ
    • アン
  • kunyomi
    • い.く
    • ゆ.く
    • あこな.う
  • jukujikun:
    • 行方（ゆくえ）(one’s) whereabouts, outcome
• Meaning(s):
  • weekday

Examples:

• 行 (こう)
  • 一とう で りょ行 する は たかい です。(いっ・こう)
  • / first class / {mean} / travel, tour / to do / {topic} / high, expansive / to be /
  • / Travelling first class is expansive. /
• ぎょう
  • らいしゅう の 金曜日 に たいまつ 行れつ が あります。(きん・よう・び・ぎょう)
  • / next week / {relation} / Friday / {moment} / torch / procession / {focus} / to exist /
  • / Friday next week there will be a torchlight procession. /
  • か行 の ひらがな は「か、き、く、け、こ」です。(ぎょう)
  • / ka – line, row / {relation} / hiragana / {topic} / ka, ki, ku, ke, ko / to be /
  • / The hiragana of the row ka are “ka, ki, ku, ke, ko”. /
• あん
  • まい年 ふじ山 に 行ぎゃ します。(とし・さん・あん)
  • / every year / mount Fuji / {destination} / pilgrimage, travel on foot / to do /
  • / (I) do a pigrimage to mount Fuji every year. /
• いく – to go
  • 水曜日えいがをみに行きませんか。(すい・よう・び・い)
  • / Thursday / movie / {object} / look / {purpose} / not to go / {question} /
  • / (Wouldn’t you) go to the movie on Thursday? /
• ゆく
  • わざわざ そんな ところ へ でかけて行く 人 は すくなかった。(ゆ・ひと)
  • / expressly / such / place / {direction} / to go out to go / people / {topic} / were little /
  • / Few people were going out to go to such a place. /

Note: いく and ゆく both have the same meaning of “to go” and can be use interchangeably, but ゆくis bearing the meaning of “going naturally” (as time passes by for instance) and is les frequently used nowadays,  whereas いく bears more the notion of “intentianlly going” (go to the movie…) and is quite common. Note that there are a certain number of set expressions where 行く has to be read ゆく:

• 立(た)ち行 / to last, to keep going /
• 亡(ほろ)び行く / to go to ruin, to become extinct /
• 更(ふ)け行く / to go further /
• 消(き)え行く / to gradually disappear /
• 行方(え) / one’s whereabouts, outcome /
• 行く末(すえ) / one’s future, fate /
• 行く手(て) / one’s way, path/
• 行く春(はる) / fading Spring /
• 行く行く（は）/ on the way, someday /
• 明(あ)け行く / rising dawn /
• 移(うつ)り行く / to shift, to come and go /
• 暮(く)れ行く / to darken ,to wane /
• 過(す)ぎ行く / to pass, to go past /
• 行く秋(あき) / fading  Fall /
• 行く年(とし) / the passing year, the old year /

• 行(おこな).う (or 行なう) – to perform, to carry out
  • 行い は ことば よりも ゆうべん である。(おこな)
  • / deeds, actions / {topic} / words / rather than / eloquence / to be (written) /
  • / Actions speak louder than words. /

Note: 行い and 行う can also be written 行なう and 行ない to make their reading more obvious.

And that makes 32! Carry on!

またね!

Stéphane

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