What does 終 mean in Japanese? 終 means to end or finish. Like its counterpart 始 (begin), it has both an intransitive form — 終わる (owaru, something ends) — and a transitive form — 終える (oeru, to finish something). The pair 始まる/終わる or 始める/終える lets you describe the full arc of any event or task. … Read more
What does 始 mean in Japanese? 始 means to begin or start. The two kun’yomi — 始まる (hajimaru, intransitive: something begins) and 始める (hajimeru, transitive: to start something) — are among the clearest and most useful examples of the intransitive/transitive verb pair pattern at N4. 始 also functions as a highly productive auxiliary verb suffix. … Read more
What does 進 mean in Japanese? 進 means to advance or move forward. The two kun’yomi — 進む (susumu, intransitive: to advance) and 進める (susumeru, transitive: to move something forward) — cover the core grammar. Beyond movement, 進 carries the idea of progress and development in many compound words. A key distinction for learners is … Read more
What does 止 mean in Japanese? 止 means to stop or halt. The most important homophone for learners is 泊まる (tomaru, to stay overnight) — covered in seed_id 182 — which sounds identical to 止まる (tomaru, to stop). The key to telling them apart in writing is the radical: 止 has no water radical, while … Read more
What does 動 mean in Japanese? 動 means movement or motion. The two kun’yomi — 動く (ugoku, intransitive: something moves) and 動かす (ugokasu, transitive: to move something) — are a clean intransitive/transitive pair, one of the clearest examples of this grammatical pattern at N4. 動 appears in high-frequency compound words that go well beyond physical … Read more
What does 走 mean in Japanese? 走 means to run. The kun’yomi 走る (hashiru) is the everyday verb for running and applies to both people and vehicles. 電車が走る (a train runs / is in service), 車が走る (a car drives along), バスが走る (a bus is running this route) — all use the same 走る. 走 builds … Read more
What does 歩 mean in Japanese? 歩 means to walk or a step. The everyday verb is 歩く (aruku, to walk). A secondary reading あゆむ (ayumu) also means to walk but carries a more literary or deliberate nuance — stepping forward with purpose — and appears in names as well as formal writing. 歩 builds … Read more
What does 遠 mean in Japanese? 遠 means far or distant. The kun’yomi とお-い (tooi) contains a long double-o vowel that beginners frequently shorten to ‘toi’ in romanization — catching this is important for both spelling and pronunciation. 遠 pairs naturally with 近 (chikai, near) as the near-far contrast pair, which you have just covered. … Read more
What does 近 mean in Japanese? 近 means near or close. The natural partner is 遠 (tooi, far), and learning the two together gives you the complete near-far contrast. As an adjective: 近い (chikai, nearby). As a noun modifier: 近く (chikaku, nearby / soon). As a verb: 近づく (chikazuku, to approach). The challenge for learners … Read more
What does 旅 mean in Japanese? 旅 means travel or journey. The kun’yomi たび and the on’yomi リョ each have a distinct feel. たび (as a standalone word) carries a slightly literary or evocative nuance — being away from home, on the road. リョ (in compounds) is practical and everyday: 旅行 (ryokou, trip), 旅館 (ryokan, … Read more
