The next installments : for preview or prep

The KLC vocab for the next background installments will bring us to kanji 99.

0100 may get its own POST.

Here are the current drafts awaiting publication :

The mixer  44 to 50 incl.

First Try  51 to 56

Conversation  57 to 65

Date for Saturday  66 to 71

Saturday morning  72 to 82

Sketch for a Letter  79 to 83

Waiting Outside  84 to 90

First Date  91 to 99 inclusive.

I recommend the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course free flashcard sets at http://www.memrise.com/course/196282/the-kodansha-kanji-learners-course/

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First Week

The month of September would be a short month.

小の月

School only started in the second week of August and the first two days were just orientation. There were only classes scheduled for Thursday and Friday. And a dry mixer was scheduled for at least two dorms and one or more faculties for Friday and Saturday.

Most of Kate's classes were on Mondays and Wednesdays, so she was focussed on meeting people. And guys. That had been on her mind since her parents left for home on Monday evening.

Fumio, on the other hand, was not off to a good start. He arrived late and missed commencement on Wednesday : it was mid-day Thursday when his plane touched down.

"Today is a complete wash," he thought to himself as he stood in line with his new luggage, student visa and passport waiting for his turn to pass through US Customs.

He was so late because he had missed his connecting flight in L.A. Tired and a little irritable, he now felt very far from his native eastern Japan. Not only was yesterday supposed to have been his first day at a university, today was now his first day outside an airport in North America - but he felt no excitement.

At the airport curb he gave a taxi driver the name and address of his dorm and tried to explain that he was a foreign student. He should have been met by someone at international arrivals, or failing that, he should have taken a cab only as far as the commuter rail station. It was an expensive first trip to the college.

月曜日  げつようび moon-weekday-day Monday
火曜日  かようび
水曜日  すいようび
木曜日  もくようび
金曜日  きんようび
土曜日  どようび
日曜日  にちようび

月水  KLC 27.e  Mon, & Wed.
月水金  げっすいきん  Mon-Wed-Fri
土日  weekend  どにち

曜 day of the week ヨウ an On-yomi-ONLY kanji

本日 today ほんじつ

東日本  ひがしにほん  eastern Nihon
大学  だいがく university
中日
留学生  りゅうがくせい  overseas student ; exchange student

25,曜,day of the week
26,火,fire
27,水,water
28,木,tree ; wood
29,金,metal ; gold ; money
30,土,soil ; (land)
31,本,basis (origin ; root) ; book ; this
32,東,east
33,大,big ; university
34,小,small
35,中,middle ; in (throughout) ; China
36,生,life (grow); be born (give birth to); student

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From Day One

From day one of Kate's first year at college, her mother saw her as both 'green' and naive. If she had known how soon Kate would become involved with a boy met at a first-week mixer, Jean would have had her home those first few weekends instead of "getting used to being on her own."

初日
しょにち

初日から、彼女は間違っていた。
しょにち  から、 かのじょ  わ  まちが って いた。
From day one, she was wrong.

Denshi Jisho has

間違い
まちがい
1 : mistake, error, blunder
2 : accident, mishap, trouble
3 : improper conduct (e.g., between man and woman) ; indiscretion
common word ; noun

間違う
まちがう
to make a mistake, to be incorrect, to be mistaken
common word, Godan verb with う ending

Perapera browser plugin gave me

初日    しょにち    (n-adv,n-t) first or opening day; (P)
初日    はつひ    (n) New Year's Day sunrise
初    はつ    (adj-no,n-pref,n) first; new; (P)
初    うい    (adj-no,n-pref,n) first; new; (P)
初    うぶ    (adj-na,n,adj-no,n-pref) innocent; naive; unsophisticated; inexperienced; green; wet behind the ears; birth-
初    ぞめ    (suf) first doing of ... (ever, in one's life, in the new year, etc.)

Google translate gives

それは彼女の初めてだった。

for

It was her first time.

and

それは、家から離れて彼女の初めてだった。

for

It was her first time away from home. 

NOTE: also from Denshi Jisho web pages :

グループ１動詞
グループいちどうし
godan verb
noun
 
子音動詞
しいんどうし
consonantal verb (e.g. godan verb); consonant stem verb
noun

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Memrise flashcard sets for the Kodansha KLC (Kanji Learner's Course)

There are 23 Memrise sets for the KLC kanji. Even if you are using Anki for flashcards, Memrise is worth a look.

The first Memrise set covers our first 100 backgrounders to our Kate and Fumio story.

1,日,sun ; day ; Japan
2,一,one
3,ニ,two
4,三,three
5,十,ten
6,四,four
7,五,five
8,六,six
9,七,seven
10,八,eight
11,九,nine
12,丸,round
13,円,circle ; yen
14,〇,zero (placeholder) ; circle mark (‘blank’)
15,人,human being
16,百,hundred
17,千,thousand
18,万,ten thousand ; (myriad : all)
19,口,mouth
20,田,rice field
21,目,eye ; item (subdivision ; order)
22,川,river
23,月,moon ; month
24,明,bright (cheerful) ; clear
25,曜,day of the week
26,火,fire
27,水,water
28,木,tree ; wood
29,金,metal ; gold ; money
30,土,soil ; (land)
31,本,basis (origin ; root) ; book ; this
32,東,east
33,大,big ; university
34,小,small
35,中,middle ; in (throughout) ; China
36,生,life (grow); be born (give birth to); student
37,山,mountain
38,出,go out ; put out
39,入,enter ; put in
40,下,down ; (lower ; below)
41,上,up ; (rise ; raise; above)
42,止,stop
43,正,right (upright ; correct ; exact)
44,足,foot (leg ; step) ; suffice
45,定,fix ; (decide ; settle)
46,手,hand (arm ; labour ; skill) ; performer of action ; ( –er)
47,用,employ (use) ; things to do (business)
48,無,without ; nothing
49,不,not ; ( un– )
50,回,turn round ; time
51,言,say ; speech (word)
52,舌,tongue
53,話,speak
54,活,active ; live (lead one’s life)
55,行,go (proceed) ; act (perform) ; line (of print)
56,心,heart (mind ; centre ; core)
57,耳,ear
58,又,again (also) ; or (in other words)
59,取,take
60,身,body ; one’s person ; social position
61,休,rest ; (suspend)
62,体,body ; form
63,信,believe (trust) ; message (signal)
64,付,attach (be attached to ; hand over)
65,受,receive
66,以,by means of ; to the … of
67,立,stand ; establish
68,部,section ; (division ; department)
69,倍,times (–fold) ; double
70,成,become (form) ; achieve
71,代,replace (substitute) ; generation (age) ; charge (fare)
72,王,king
73,玉,gem ; (round or spherical object)
74,宝,treasure
75,国,country
76,白,white
77,皇,emperor
78,全,whole (all)
79,書,write ; book
80,事,affair ; abstract thing
81,自,self
82,貝,shellfish
83,見,see
84,力,power
85,刀,sword
86,切,cut (sharp)
87,刃,blade
88,分,divide ; part ; minute
89,公,public
90,別,separate ; another
91,長,long ; chief (senior)
92,男,man
93,女,woman
94,子,child (son) ; noun suffix (small object)
95,好,like ; favourable
96,安,peaceful ; inexpensive
97,案,proposal (plan ; idea)
98,字,character
99,学,study ; school
100,父,father

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Kate's mother, Jean

Jean, Kate's mother, had not yet seen a daughter through the years 19 to 25 and it did not occur to her that this would be her one chance, as their son was only feared to be gay. Nothing had been proven. Not incontrovertibly.  The word effeminate had somehow slipped from the family vocabulary. Perhaps it lurked as a threat during a game of Scrabble on a Sunday evening. Jean was still winning most of those games.

19,口,mouth
20,田,rice field
21,目,eye ; item
22,川,river
23,月,moon ; month
24,明,bright ; clear
25,曜,day of the week

Jean had been raised on the north-side of the River Cowan and her first photos were not in a silk gown.  Her father, Dan, had kept them living from hand-to-mouth in the eye of her mother, who said it would be a blue moon before they made it through a month with a penny to spare. Dan worked every day of the week, but was still inclined to see things on the bright side. But it was clear to his wife, Irene, that the charm of the young man who said 'Ta !' should have been a cue to her own mother.

But what sense could there be in an old saw, "Get sued or get sent down the river ?"  Like her own mother, Irene, so Kate's mother Jean could not abide puns.

"May yer load be light and beaucoup tes amis."

Dan would say "Bow-coupe" for "bow-coo" ... and "Mo' coo' fer yer café ?" One more item that was more than a mote in her eye.

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Acquiring Kanji using KLC

A.S. Conning is of the view that you just absorb the ON-yomi as you go. Let's set THAT notion aside.

Where we agree is in not using rōmaji. I have no idea whether I will follow the use of lowercase and BOLD uppercase as he does in his book.

All that you need is to know to follow this story is hiragana script and the first 100 kanji in his book ( we start at 101. )

But I will help by giving the backstory using those first 100.

On day one you accept his way of working through the book. Or else. Day one. 日 and 一.

Or someone may say,

 初日から彼が問題となっていた。

But I doubt that I will have to say that about you !

Let's suppose that the following gave you no trouble :

  2,一,one
  3,ニ,two
  4,三,three
  5,十,ten
  6,四,four
  7,五,five
  8,六,six
  9,七,seven
10,八,eight
11,九,nine
12,丸,round
13,円,circle ; yen
14,〇,zero (placeholder) ; circle mark (blank)

Be sure that you recall the stroke order of 九 and 丸 .  Do you remember what the intro to the book says about his use of circle marks ?  ( his page 20, for example. )

If you are reading this, but do not have the book, I cannot be expected to save you from yourself.

That last phrase sounds like one Kate's mother might have used.

She probably only had a hundred of those old saws, but to Kate it seemed more like a thousand saws and had the effect of ten thousand on a bad day.

But she was only human, and her mother could rightly say that she, for one, was only one person, and that there is, after all, only so much that you can expect one person to be able to do ( speaking for herself, that is, not for daughter Kate. )

The summer had ended with Kate taking the slight nut-brown of her bobbed hair and taking it to a burnt orange with henna from the drugstore. Nietzsche no where mentions henna.

15,人,human being
16,百,hundred
17,千,thousand
18,万,ten thousand

But Kate was already 18 and at 19 would be able to enter bars with any number of tattoos exposed ... and not likely the henna of childhood summers ... but her mother could not see that.

When do we first forget to take life one day at a time ... and not to juggle more than 5 new things on a single day.

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Fumio, the uncommon ふみ of ふみよむ

If you step outside the bounds of Common Words on Denshi Jisho you will find

   文読む月日  ふみ よむ つき ひ  days of reading

How many days will you devote to reading kanji before we get to the love letter, こいぶみ ?

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Fumio, Kate and KLC kanji 100 to 103 (inclusive)

The KLC kanji 100 to 103 (inclusive) are ( from my CVS file )

100,父,father
101,文,writings (learning ; culture) ; letter (script)
102,交,intercourse (association) ; cross (intersect ; interchange)
103,校,school ; proofread

Now I think of 交 as mix, but you might think of a college mixer as a place fostering social intercourse in the otherwise shy or bashful.  First, write your name on a name tag and stick it on your breast. That is what Kate did, and it was the first step towards her meeting Fumio*.

*Any resemblance to Kate Millet (sic) and the late Fumio Yoshimura is unintended and purely a matter of chance through free association. At a mixer, we associate freely …

Fumio was well aware that his father 〔 父 〕 had misgivings about American college girls, but Kate was a young woman (and this story is not about the older Yoshimura père's fantasies … anymore that it is about mine.)

And those nice parens btw are from my MIT Curl browser applet ( now Tokyo's SCSK Curl programming language ) at kanji.aule-browser.com ( Psst! Their RTE browser plugin for Surge is VERY safe and has been quietly used in VERY big corporations for years to track risk safely on the laptops of auditors and managers in very big global enterprises. Always read the fine-print on non-disclosure and non-compete paperwork BEFORE signing, btw.)

His father had written him a letter the day he flew out of Narita reminding him that he was sent to the USA to focus on school 〔 校 〕 and not, you know, intercourse.

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Love letter and kanji 0101 of the KLC

Kanji 101 of the KLC book* is 文 as in my CVS entry for

101,文,writings (learning ; culture) ; letter (script)

but do you know what a SINGLETON is ?

Regardless, this is a kun-yomi singleton in most textbooks : the 訓読み for 文 is ふみ.

But where does such a reading occur ? According to Denshi Jisho it is in 恋文 or love letter as in こいぶみ — which means that our singleton in real life is not ふみ but ぶみ !

So ... if your hiragana is rusty, spend a day or two on that and come back for our story ... it all starts with a love letter.

*Andrew Scott Conning, The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course [KLC]

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A story begins : the KLC kanji 101

These are the kanji of the KLC book :

日一ニ三十四五六七八九丸円〇人百千万口田目川月明曜火水木金土本東大小中生山出入下上止正足定手用無不回言舌話活行心耳又取身休体信付受以立部倍成代王玉宝国白皇全書事自貝見力刀切刃分公別長男女子好安案字学父文交校母毎海者工式弐武糸前後午牛年件条化花北比背車気汽性畑青麦素毒先洗元光去法走当思早草朝潮形発廃音意作昨雨電頁首道通乳豆頭予矛預句旬勺的約勿物方防面画両岡満顔産同向尚高圧地池他集進込斤近辺最皿血温湿爪瓜巾布市吊泉原源線綿絹錦願内肉猪豚家吾我語伝転芸会合今令念印命亡米粒和私広細林森松竹都京政府戸所至致屋室古居局故胡湖固箇個且組夕外多汐名天未末味来新親欠次席度渡限銀根良郎廊食飲官館宿犬太器凶区図番号品楽薬周週調束整数類示禁礼社申神員質党堂常賞償掌覚悟感央映決快英並平半馬尺尽駅鳥島角虫触解独店占点士商買売続読共供洪昔冬寒春夏秋主住駐注志誌仕任支反坂阪飯返雑乱寸寺時持特待得侍詩即節筋等均季委穴空友有左右石若苦在存干刊汗竿利害益溢割憲羽翌習弓引強弱風己記紀改起姓由油井囲丼丁寧町灯庁貯易賜場湯門間閉開関問聞訪送券包巻圏勝戦単簡過骨昼夜液戒幾畿磯機械飛氏民紙低抵邸底巨臣基期毛尾育羊洋魚鮮蘇詳祥美業実養様企曲典興輿竜滝籠辰農濃豊吉詰結投役没設段殺刹刈絵給巴色声眉里理埋野黒墨童量重動働労協種亜悪要価必証歪否処拠計針総窓矢知医短失鉄夫朱株族旅遊施旋旗放激牧位泣笑専恵連軍運蓮隊呈程聖丑紐革靴鞄皮破彼波果課巣菓茶世葉棄緑録剝縁介界浮将奨状病症痛憶臆億視規則側測考老孝厚教完院奈宗祭際察祈祖助仲忠沖保呆守団対村才財材沈枕丈杖偉緯衛韓違抱砲泡丹舟船舶般搬盤歯冷齢少砂歩渉省相想称弥互務柔軟軌軒軸較庫蔵倉創告造衣依袋褒裏表現著制製初裸難准準備死葬列烈裂例刑型研厄危範怨苑宛碗腕却脚犯狂獄非排俳罪罰伴判評批帥師座坐卒率傘笠星汁斗料科然燃黙獣猟漁狩猛煙焼暁旧児亦赤変蛮恋愛憂優栗票標漂遷各客路格絡略閣落南西酉酒洒配酸猶尊遵導敬警驚散敢厳仏払拡可何苛荷河阿司伺詞飼冊嗣覗歌唄負敗責積債漬紡績具真直植殖値置県州洲接継断応床麻歴暦臨園遠与写移卸御複腹復往柱征従徒縦延伸紳縮誕廷庭艇展殿異翼累塁吏使史更便硬能態熊罷羅雲曇雪雷零震振久賑丘兵岳浜舎再虎寅演黄横構講購溝仮片版板販義議儀犠牲旨指揮輝刺策差着看到倒論倫輪輸諭愉癒台治冶療僚瞭寮始終了承蒸舞隣瞬夢枝技伎岐峠阜急争情清晴精請静浄算答符博縛簿薄采菜採彩杉街術述余除徐叙斜途塗漆仙垂乗兼剰睡眠郵錘華侵浸寝掃婦帰戻涙射謝討訂打撃拭試検験険倹剣谷欲浴容溶俗裕寛甘紺紅攻功巧朽枯汚升弁昇登澄充銃統流硫盲忘忙荒慌望希稀括拘拾捨孤弧弾禅系係孫懸偏遍編篇普譜職織識殉退眼智仁忍認求救球駐純鈍召招沼紹詔勅昭照超越趣赴訃朴掛摘滴嫡適敵授援媛緩暖観勧権歓鶴確慢漫卯抑仰迎柳卵疎速遅辻迅加減滅威嚇或惑域収納献貢貪貰貧賃貸貨資賛替潜貿留溜賀架染梨傑貴潰遺遣追迫泊伯拍弔沸煮費弟第剃兄只税鋭説脱閲祝況悦克競姉妹珠殊序秩迭喜善繕膳憾恨惜措借錯曽増層憎僧贈賄賂賦賊帯滞渋摂為偽参惨呂侶宮営蛍栄誉挙拳桜妥咲朕茎径怪軽経斉斎済剤剖陪培賠貼粘衡換喚絶免逸勉晩許象像彫景影撮就涼鯨隔融肖消硝梢削宵宴郷饗響城誠盛旺盆蓋盗盟塩傷揚暢陽陰隠穏穂稲愁裁載栽赦跡踪痕蹴踊踏躍濯奇寄騎椅崎埼岬模膜漠幕墓募暮慕添恭暴爆沿礎疑凝擬倣似俵俺庵僕撲叩伐閥闘闇閑脈派缶揺謡遥陶陳陣陥隆降峰逢縫蜂蜜密秘欧枢殴駆馳騒旭旦但担亘恒垣宣喧嘩唾壷1畔衆伊君群郡那邦郊効絞搾紋菊帝締諦享郭亭停昆混皆楷諧階陛陸睦勢熱熟塾陵菱俊唆筈箸暑署曙賭諸儲緒翁婆姿恣妄萎妻凄章彰障辛宰辣辞壁璧癖避幸服報執摯達朗浪呉娯誤富副幅福祉禍渦鍋蘭欄潤淵滑稽肩脅肯双江湾港選択沢訳釈敷傲贅審藩翻翔査租粗阻狙宜畳甲乙丙柄押抽捜届宙笛袖襟衿裾据握揃撫託宅詫宇芋寿鋳銘鏡境環還盾循巡這逓息憩鼻孔臭嗅奥尖突窒窃衝契喫潔侮梅悔敏繁繋茂橋矯稿縞箋残桟銭践浅洩壮荘装冥暗韻損捕挿補浦哺舗掴捉促筆津律逮建健康庸粛繍唐糖粧糧粉紛糾粋砕枠酔醒酬酷凡凧帆汎恐怖築尋訊諮抗航坑拝耕耗崇灰炭岸岩崩嵐崖催焦礁奮奪隻獲穫護譲嬢醸壌壊懐徳聴恥羞爵侯喉候修悠是提堤題匙冒昌唱晶帽棟凍氷永泳詠札枚杯析折挫捻誓逝哲斬漸暫斥訴訟究窮極函探深慄惧慎鎮塡婚囚困梱因姻咽恩菌漢嘆勤謹僅索牽牢啓庶遮燕雀劣抄秒妙沙汰煎炒炊焚薪乃之此其乏芝及扱級吸吹呼吐叶叱叫吟含琴迷謎逆遡塑勲薫芳香秀誘拐透携雄雌些柴紫髪髭詐欺棋碁甚勘堪匹匠匿諾乞迄乾幹操燥繰藻噴墳憤牙芽雅邪既概慨苗描猫萌兆眺逃桃跳挑拙屈掘堀封筒管棺轄洞窟淫妊娠唇辱襲伏吠噛班斑輩悲忽惚猿哀衰衷喪忌卓悼貞偵覇覆履属嘱偶隅隙遇愚曹遭槽妨坊傍於房扇扉雇顧屑糞尿泌尻炉窯釜爺窪佳涯暇霞雰霧露霜箱籍貫慣頂戴項頃傾頑頒頓顕領頻捗順馴訓須額頼瀬峡狭挟頰顎煩串患疾痴疫痢痘瘍癌痩疲被披抜控扶抹拓拷楼壇塔搭寡賓飾飽餓飢机冗冠離胸悩脳臓胃炎談淡災肝肺胆腺胞腸胎腰肘膝股肢胴脇脂詣肪肌膚慮虐虞劇虚虜勇湧戯繊緻嘘噂樽距拒嬉鼓樹膨脹張帳腫肥把誇覧監鑑艦濫藍賢腎堅緊勃励栃茨羨歳戚叔淑寂督奴努怒隷款殻穀臼毀廉鎌嫌謙遜亀練錬鍛鉱銅鉛銑鋼剛綱網縄鉢鎖絆鍵釘錮錠綻鈴鐘瞳憧憬卑碑痺鬼塊醜魂魅魔畏刷擦摩磨凹凸奉奏泰俸棒捧耐霊需濡儒端壱尼泥漏氾彙某謀媒尉慰酪酵醤酢酎酌釣畜蓄玄眩呟囁喋喩鬱弦舷舵幻幽幼稚維推堆椎脊雛誰唯鳴亥刻劾核骸咳該診珍瓦併瓶屏塀餅餌呑沃妖呪艶慈滋磁擁腐芯蒔撒撤徹微徴懲殆后垢妃姫如茹婿娘嫁稼塚豪蒙墾懇貌逐遂墜堕随附髄怠惰佐玩弄嘲奔弊幣蔽朋棚柵桁栓詮塞梗柿藤騰謄麺拉晃幌厘畝匁匂勾挨拶曖昧瑠璃嫉妬鹿塵麓麗薦慶兜睨鼠溺潟濁渇褐葛喝謁掲戌尤駄駒篤罵蔑罠烏鴨鳩鶏渓鷹鷲璽爽綴桑蚕蛋蟹蚊巳蛇繭蝶虹

We have a story to tell ...can you see where we will start ?

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