Japanese with anime voice: episode9
Hello, I’m Sachi.
Is everyone catching a cold? Are you okay? Actually, I’ve had a cold since last night. I have a fever and every muscle in my body aches. I’ve had a cold once a month since November, but the spans have been so short that I feel like I’ve lost control of my body! Well, I can’t let myself be spoiled by saying that, so I’m not going to let the cold get the better of me, and I’m going to be fully active again this year, starting from today!
Today, I would like to talk about something that will blow your sick body out of the water. Did you know that in Japan, at the end of each year, there is a custom of using a single kanji character to express how the year has been? It is not such an old custom, but a custom that started when I noticed it, and it was started in 1995 as part of an educational campaign to convey the beauty and profound significance of kanji. Kanji characters are solicited from all over Japan, and the kanji with the highest number of entries will become this year’s “Kanji of the Year.
And one of my favorite influencers said something interesting about that at the beginning of the year. She said, “The kanji character will be decided at the end of the year when we look back on the year, but why don’t you decide in advance what kind of year you want to have?” Well, this is a spiritual story, but just as thoughts become reality, by deciding in advance what kind of year you want to have, your brain will naturally take action toward it. I thought this was a great idea.
The reason why fortune-telling can predict the future is because you believe in it and act accordingly. For example, if you are told by a fortune teller that you will meet someone in the year 2024, you believe it and naturally go to the place where you are likely to meet someone. Human beings are like that. In the end, it all depends on your own actions. If you just spend your time without thinking, nothing will happen. Because you are not acting to make something happen. This is exactly what you want to do. If you think, “I will definitely make this year my year,” the stronger your will is, the more it will become your driving force.
I have decided to make the year 2024 a year of leaps and bounds, so I have chosen the name “躍” from 飛躍! The character “躍” has the meaning of “to leap,” “to leap,” or “to jump. So I thought this character would be perfect for this year. This year is also the year of the dragon, and the character for “躍” fits the dragon perfectly.
Kanji is difficult, isn’t it? I often hear that people have a hard time with Kanji and Keigo when studying Japanese. But sometimes, it is good to take a break and play with kanji not only as a study but also like this. You might be able to fall in love with kanji, you know? What is wonderful about kanji is that you can express the meaning of a single character. And if you know the meaning, you can get an image of the character just by looking at it. For example, the character I chose, “躍”, gives me a sense of movement. I think this is very interesting. I would like you to experience it for yourself.
By the way, I couldn’t decide on just one character, so I also decided on “裕” for 裕福. LOL This kanji has two meanings: to have plenty of things and to be spacious, and to have an open mind and not to be too busy. I chose this kanji to mean “to enrich one’s life,” but it also means to have room for many other things. I would like to have more time and space, not only financially, but also in terms of time and mind.
So, what kind of year do you want 2024 to be? Or, do you declare that you will? As a first step to becoming a Kanji lover, please look up and know the meanings of various Kanji, and then think carefully about it and decide! Please let us know what kanji you have decided on in the comments section.
Finally, I would like to introduce one kanji that I personally recommend. I know this may seem to be limited to those who did not have a very good year in 2023.
The character “祥” in “吉祥” or “発祥”. Shou is a kanji that is often read as “しょう,” but there are many ways to read it in Japanese names. My name is Sachi with this character. It has a very good meaning. It means that you will change from “凶” to “吉”.
“凶” means bad things, and “吉” means good things. If you had a hard time in 2023, why don’t you decide to make this year 2024 the year of “祥” so that this year will be a good one?
I have decided to use this character as the kanji for the year 2024, too. I have three kanji for this year. Am I being too greedy? LOL!
