From: stueber@vax.mpiz-koeln.mpg.dbp.de
Newsgroups: fj.mail-lists.nihongo
Subject: kanji of the day ?42
Date: 11 Sep 92 14:46:01 GMT
Distribution: fj

KANJI OF THE DAY # 42

                  1*
                  ******
                  ****
                  ****
                ****          ****
                ****2***************
                ****          ****
              ****            ****
              ****          ****
            ****            ****
            **              ****
          **              ****
        **                ****
    ****                ****  3*
                        ****  **
                      ****      **
                    ****        **
                  ****            **
                ****              ****
              ****                  ****
            ****                    ******
          ****                        **********
      ****                              ******
******                                    ****

(Numbers indicate order and beginning of strokes)

JIS      = 1935 (serial number)
shiftJIS = 8B76 (hexcode)
NELSON   = 153
MIYAMOTO = 3-11
KUNZE    = 34-22

   OnYomi: KYUU, KU
  Kunyomi: hisa(shii)  -  long, long-continued, an old (story)

Mnemonics:  "A couple walking close together" signifying a long timespan.
            KUNZE says it looks more like a man pulling something which
            also may take a long time span.


Derivation:

                  **
                  ****** <-- person 1
                  ****
                  ****
                ****          ****
                ********************
                ****          ****
              ****            ****
              ****          ****
            ****            ****
            **              ****
          **              ****
        **                ****
    ****                ****  ** <--- person 2
                        ****  **
                      ****      **
                    ****        **
                  ****            **
                ****              ****
              ****                  ****
            ****                    ******
          ****                        ********** <-- something pulled ?
      ****                              ******
******                                    ****

Compounds:

HISABISA   -   a long time, many days
KUon       -   eternity
eiKYUU     -   eternity, immortality

HISAshiburi  -   after a long time, a long time, many days.
       V
      the BU(ri) is written with JIS #2842 the kanji for
      SHIN or fu(ri) - to wave, to shake. But I also have seen
      it written only with hiragana in modern texts. This seems to
      be a matter of style.

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From this kanji the hiragana KU as well as the katakana KU has been
developed.

Some time ago I read, that the ability to read and write (western)
letters is located in one side of the brain (left or right, I can't
remember) and when tested with Chinese/Japanese people, these subjects
used quite a different part of the brain.

Learning Japanese expands your brains capabilities!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kurt Stueber
e-mail: stueber@vax.mpiz-koeln.mpg.dbp.de
Tel:  +49-221-5062537
Fax:  +49-221-5062513

This is Nr. 0042
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