Page 45 - Japanese Character Writing for Dummies

water

When you see this kanji, you can assume that the word is related to water. Mizu simply means

“water.” When we ask for water, we often say omizu (water). There are many compound
SUI/mizu words with this kanji. For example, a light blue may be described with mizuiro (liter-

ally color of water). When it’s combined with the kanji for “ball,” it becomes mizutama

(literally water ball), which means “polka dot.” When you cook, your recipe may say

mizuni’suru (boil in water). This kanji is also found in suiyōbi (Wednesday).
Radical: 水 Number of strokes: four

wind

When you say kaze, it simply means “wind.” You can enjoy a pleasant breeze, soyo-

kaze, in early summer. But Japan is regularly hit by natural disasters, such as taifū
FŪ, PU/kaze
(typhoons). As a result, the archipelago is swept by high winds described as kyōfū.

This kanji also indicates manners or styles. For example, fūshū means customs
practiced in a society.

Radical: 風 Number of strokes: nine

CHAPTER 3 105 Characters 39