[For Seniors] Quiz on Kanji with Many Strokes

Junko Rokai

This is a four-character idiom that expresses a strong longing for one’s hometown. Each character represents a hometown dish, and it originates from the story of Zhang Han in China, who missed the flavors of his home so much that he quit his job and returned. “蓴” has 14 strokes, “羹” has 19, “鱸” has 27, and “膾” has 17, making a total of 77 strokes.

ghouls and goblins

It’s a general term for monsters that harm people, and by extension it’s also used as a metaphor for individuals who operate in the shadows for their own selfish gain. Each character carries meanings related to spirits or specters, and when placed together they evoke an image of innumerable ghosts and monsters. The character 魑 has 21 strokes, 魅 has 15, 魍 has 18, and 魎 also has 18—making a total of 72 strokes for the word.

hustle and bustle; working busily; scrambling

It’s a word that describes being fussy and unable to settle down. As the radical suggests, it’s a character related to “teeth,” and each character conveys the sense of restlessness, as if the teeth were moving finely. “齷” has 24 strokes and “齪” has 22, making a total of 46 strokes for the word.

dust brush (a Buddhist monk’s reishaku/duster); dust

Dust (塵) is a 14-stroke kanji read as “jin” or “chiri,” and it represents things like dust or tiny grains of sand. The character 麈 has 16 strokes and is read as “ōjika”; it refers to a Buddhist ritual implement called a hossu, used by Zen monks to brush away worldly desires, as well as to a large deer with a tail used to make the hossu.

jade (a piece of jade); wall (archaic); flawless gem; something perfect

Kabe is read as “kabe” and is the kanji used to denote room partitions or the enclosing walls of buildings. Meanwhile, 璧 is read as “tama” and is considered the kanji representing a ring-shaped ceremonial object used in ancient China. Since both are read as “heki” in on-yomi (Sino-Japanese reading), they are a classic example of easily confused characters. ‘壁’ has 16 strokes, while ‘璧’ has 18.

knowledge; recognition; to identify (Chinese character: 識)

Shiki is read as “shirusu,” and as in the word “chishiki” (knowledge), it is a character that represents discerning and distinguishing things. Ori is read as “oru,” and starting from the meaning of weaving cloth, it is also used to express assembly and combination. Both are kanji read as “shiki”; ori has 18 strokes, and shiki has 19 strokes.

brazier

“鑪” is the kanji read as “irori,” referring to a brazier or hearth, and “fuigo,” a bellows used by blacksmiths to stoke a fire. “鑢” means “yasuri,” a tool used for polishing or chamfering—i.e., a file. Visually, the only small difference is whether the lower-right component is the ‘dish’ (皿) or ‘heart’ (心) radical, yet this alone changes the meaning considerably. “鑪” has 24 strokes, and “鑢” has 23 strokes.