Kanji Shortcuts
Many people think of kanji characters as unnecessary, headache-inducing complications. Sorry, but if you want to learn Japanese—unless you are content with limited conversational skills—you have to tackle kanji. While the thousands of kanji characters are a major challenge, there are many benefits for learning kanji.
For example, being able to "think" in kanji can give you the super-human ability of understanding some unknown words the first time you hear then. If you can visualize which kanji might be behind the word you hear, you can piece together the meaning then and there.
Since kanji have both meaning and pronunciations, combining certain kanji with other kanji or words can change the meaning of that word in a logical way. Studying these "kanji shortcuts" can make your study time very efficient, allowing you to multiply your vocabulary quickly.
It's like a SOGO deal! Study One (word), Get One FREE!
Multiply your Japanese Vocabulary
Multiply your Japanese Vocabulary with 大! Click here: https://www.thejapanesepage.com/multiply-your-japanese-with-大/Biggify a Word
First, let’s look at a few simple examples that you may already know using 大 (big) with the pronunciation of だい. Take the word for “to like”:
好き
to like
Now, let’s add “big” behind it.
大好き
to like very much; to love
Here is the word for “dislike”:
嫌い
to dislike
Can you think of how to say “hate” or “dislike very much”?
大嫌い
to hate
Other Examples
While all of the following are useful, some may be more advanced. They all use 大 pronounced as だい. Can you think of others? If so, please post in the comments below!
事件
| 大事件
|
事故
| 大事故
|
学生
| 大学生
|
都市
| 大都市
|
画面
| 大画面
|
災害
| 大災害
|
洪水
| 大洪水
|
容量
| 大容量
|
旋風
| 大旋風
|
震災
| 大震災
|
宇宙
| 大宇宙
|
病院
| 大病院
|
Since だい is an 音読み onyomi (click here to learn about this), the examples above are also 音読み. Notice that they are mostly 熟語 jukugo (kanji combinations).
Another common reading for 大 (big) is おお. Since おお is the 訓読み kunyomi (again, learn about this here), the examples below are also 訓読み.
Let's look at a few words that are "biggified" with おお.
物 | 大物 |
型 model; type (of machine); patter; mold | 大型 |
雨 | 大雨 |
雪 | 大雪 |
嘘 | 大嘘 |
芝居 | 大芝居 |
岩 | 大岩 |
皿 | 大皿 |
けが | 大けが |
空 | 大空 |
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