name information
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This ain’t your run of the mill name section! Here I’ll attempt to explain some of the basics of the Japanese writing system, with a particular focus on how it relates to Tenshinhan’s name. Ever want to learn how to write “Tenshinhan” in Japanese? Hopefully this section will help you on your way!
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it’s so punny! the name pun, explained
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Tenshinhan is the Japanese reading of a popular Chinese-style dish whose exact origins are up for debate. It’s said to have come from the region of Tianjin in China, but some sources say that tenshinhan is a Japanese dish that was simply inspired by Chinese cuisine. It consists of a crab omelette on top of rice which is then covered in a thick sauce. You can read more about this tasty dish here.
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the japanese writing system
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Japanese kanji are based on Chinese characters. Without delving into excruciating detail, we’ll stick with the two main readings that any given kanji may possess.
First of all, there can be one or more Chinese readings, called the on (“ohn”) reading, which is based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character. There is also the Japanese reading(s), or kun (“koon”), which is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. The on reading is usually used in words that are made up of more than one kanji; the kun reading is typically used in single-kanji words.
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stroke order & the kanji in “tenshinhan”
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One of the first things that gets pounded into your head in Japanese class, whether you’re learning it as a first or second language, is the importance of stroke order when writing kanji. This refers to the sequence in which you write each line of the kanji. Maintaining the correct stroke order is supposed to aid memorization and ease of writing.
The following entries are written kanji first, followed by the on reading in green letters, the kun reading(s) in orange, and the English meaning in quotation marks. Below each entry is a description of the character, plus an image that depicts stroke order.
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1) 天 TEN ame ama “sky, heaven”
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This relatively simple character is involved in a lot of words that have to do with the sky or celestial bodies. For instance, 天国 TENGOKU, which means “heaven, paradise,” and 天気 TENKI, which is “weather.” Pictographically, it’s a person standing with arms outstretched - 大 - with a bar overhead signifying that which lies above one’s head (i.e. the heavens).
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2) 津 SHIN tsu “harbor”
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Together, the first two characters, 天 TEN and 津 SHIN, make up Tianjin, the name of the region in China from which the dish is said to have come. An alternate reading, using the kun pronunciation, is amatsu, which is an archaic word meaning “imperial” or “heavenly.” Tenshinhan’s name is quite stately. :) 津 is also the first character in 津波 tsunami, literally “harbor wave.”
The three strokes on the left 氵make up a radical called sanzui. Kanji are often made up of such radicals, or parts; this one means “water” and it shows that the character’s meaning relates to water.
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3) 飯 HAN meshi “cooked rice, meal”
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You may recognize this kanji from Gohan’s name. The radical on the left side is 飠 shokuhen, which comes from the kanji 食 SHOKU (the kun reading is ta(beru), as in 食べる taberu “to eat”). Shokuhen is involved in kanji relating to food or consumption, such as 飲 IN no(mu) “drink” and 飽 HÔ a(kiru) “satiated (have a full stomach).”
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Sometime in the future, I’d like to expand the section to include an explanation of kana, but for now I hope you had fun learning about Tenshinhan’s name and the Japanese writing system!
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This section was written in Dec. 2010 by Meghan M.
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