Page 40 - Japanese Character Writing for Dummies

inside

The word uchi refers to everything inside, to a circle of people, to a space, or to a community.
When you learn Japanese culture, you may hear the concept of uchi and soto. For example,
NAI/uchi your family members are considered uchi, but your colleagues are people from soto. How-
ever, if you are in the workplace, your colleagues are people associated with uchi. Yes, it is a

bit complicated. You may see this kanji in expressions such as uchi no ko (my child)

and naiyō (content).

Radical: ⼌ Number of strokes: four

middle, center, inside

This kanji is very simple to create and easy to remember. As shown here, you draw a flat-
tened box and a long line in the middle. Remember, you should draw the left vertical line of
CHŪ/naka the box first. kaban no naka means “inside the bag” and Chūgoku is

China, the middle country. Combining this kanji with the kanji for “heart,” you get
chūshin (central, in the center).

Radical: ⼁ Number of strokes: four

34 Japanese Character Writing For Dummies