Kanji Card – 寒

寒

5DB2 - 寒

Meaning: cold

Onyomi: KAN

Kunyomi: samu(i)

Strokes: 12 (click on the pic to start the video)

Vocabulary:

寒い – samui – cold

寒気 – kanki – chill, shivering, cold air

Kanji Card – 漢

漢

6F22 - 漢

Meaning: Han-dynasty, China, man

Onyomi: KAN

Kunyomi: –

Strokes: 13 (click on the pic to start the video)

Vocabulary:

漢字 – kanji – Chinese character, Kanji

i-adjectives: the sa-form

The Japanese language is very flexible with adjectives. The sa-form allows to use an i-adjective as a noun or in other words to add ~ness to it (e.g. useful => usefulness, powerful => powerfulness, etc.)

It is very easy to build. Just replace “i” at the end of the word with a “sa”. So 楽しい (tanoshii, enjoyable) becomes joy as 楽しさ (tanoshisa). Here are a few more examples to make it clear.

Plain Form Romaji Meaning sa Form Romaji Meaning
楽し tanoshii enjoyable 楽し tanoshisa joy
美し utsukushii beautiful 美し utsukushisa beauty
新し atarashii new 新し atarashisa newness
akai red akasa redness
大き ookii big 大き ookisa size, dimensions

Example sentences:

日本のお寺の美しさが好きです。

nihon no otera no utsukushisa ga suki desu.

I like the beauty of Japanese temples.

Related articles:

Kanji Card – 館

館

9928 - 館

Meaning: big hall, building

Onyomi: KAN

Kunyomi: –

Strokes: 16 (click on the pic to start the video)

Vocabulary:

本館 – honkan – main building

別館 – bekkan – side building

旅館 – ryokan – Japanese style hotel

Vocabulary Card – 楽しい – tanoshii

kanji: しい

furigana: たのしい

romaji: tanoshii

Meaning: enjoyable

Level: JLPT N5

i-adjective

Form Kanji Furigana Romaji
plain form 楽しい たのしい tanoshii
past 楽しかった たのしかった tanoshikatta
negation 楽しくない たのしくない tanoshikunai
past negation 楽しくなかった たのしくなかった tanoshikunakatta
sa form 楽しさ たのしさ tanoshisa
sou form 楽しそう たのしそう tanoshisou