10 Fun Kanji Origin Quizzes! Japanese Lessons That Captivate Everyone from Elementary Students to Adults
Hello! My name is Ryoyan, and I run a blog called Kyoiku LIBRARY.
“There is nothing as interesting as kanji.”
As a former elementary school teacher, I often thought this during my teaching days.
When I first became a teacher, I struggled with how to teach kanji. I didn't even know how to get students to memorize new kanji, and I would sit in the staff room with my head in my hands...
When I consulted other teachers, saying, 'That child never gets above 50 points...', it often ended with a simple, 'Well, isn't it because they don't study at home?', leaving me feeling frustrated and unresolved...
I decided, 'If that's the case, I'll investigate it myself!' and began researching teaching methods by asking for advice from various books and people who had achieved results.
And, after much trial and error, I began to understand how to teach kanji in a way that suited even children who 'disliked kanji'.
However, a sense of unease still remained in my heart.
“Sure, they became able to memorize kanji. But does that just mean they are 'simply able to get better scores now,' while their sense of tediousness or aversion toward kanji itself hasn't changed?”
That is what I was thinking.“If possible, I want them to feel that studying itself is 'fun!'”Having such strong feelings, I felt a sense of 'coercion' in kanji instruction that only focused on raising test scores.
And above all, it was also an expression of my own feelings as someone who didn't really like monotonous studying: 'I don't want to make them do the kind of studying I thought was boring when I was a child' lol
So, what should I do...?
After much exploration, the conclusion I reached was“to teach the origins of kanji.”
When you teach the origins of kanji, children's eyes suddenly begin to sparkle. As I conducted quizzes regularly, children who would look things up for independent study and children who would make their own quiz collections began to appear.
I felt that much of a change in the children, where theybegan to have intellectual curiosity about kanji itself.
I myself also felt more energized in class and excited.
In this article, I, having researched various dictionaries and interesting classes from all over the country, will introduce 10 carefully selected fun kanji origin quizzes.
“If you read this, you should be able to think, 'Kanji are actually quite interesting...!'”
That is the thought with which I wrote this article. There are many interesting kanji, so please take a look.
1. Kanji related to 'Big' (大)
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Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Target Grade: 1st Grade and up
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This quiz starts with the very simple kanji "大" (big). By adding just a tiny change to this "person with arms and legs spread out," one interesting kanji after another is born.
Since all of these are kanji learned in the first grade, they are easy to understand, and the feeling of being almost able to solve it but not quite provides just the right level of difficulty.
This is an origin quiz where the idea that "a person who rules over heaven and earth" equals "王" (king) feels truly cool. After taking this quiz, I think you will come to love the kanji "天" (heaven) and "王" (king) even more.
❷ Kanji related to "止" (stop)
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Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Target Grade: 2nd Grade and up
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The kanji "止" was formed from the shape of a footprint. (There are various theories.) Just by adding one more foot shape or drawing a line, it transforms into a kanji with an origin that makes you think, "I see!"
Please try reading through it in a quiz format, guessing the answers as you go.
It is important to present kanji origin quizzes in order from "easy" to "difficult." By making them feel like "I might be able to solve this too...", it sparks motivation within the children.
The most difficult one in the "止" series is "出" (exit), but when told that the appearance of "coming out" from a line represents its origin, I was moved, thinking, "Indeed! Now that you mention it...!"
I will continue to introduce origin quizzes from here on that are sure to create that joy of discovery that moves the heart.
❸ Kanji related to "雨" (rain)
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Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Target Grade: 3rd Grade and up
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The third set is kanji related to "雨" (rain). The origins of kanji are very well thought out, and kanji with the "rain radical" (雨かんむり) gather meanings related to moisture and weather.
The most interesting one among them is "雪" (snow). I will structure the quiz steps so that the origin of snow becomes the climax.
The idea that "the appearance of a god cleaning the ground until it is pure white" equals "箒" (broom) feels quite romantic. It is interesting because it shows just how rich the imagination of people in the past was.
❹ Kanji related to "土" (earth/soil)
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Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Target Grade: 1st Grade and up
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This quiz is composed entirely of kanji learned in the first grade. It can be done in any grade, and it is the perfect quiz as an entry point to get interested in the origins of kanji.
It is quite difficult for children to come up with the idea that "two sprouts stacked" equals "life" (生). This is likely because when they look only at the appearance, they keep suggesting kanji like "exit" (出) or "king" (王).This "feeling of being on the tip of one's tongue" creates excitement.
In a classroom setting, I tell them, "Bring it to me as soon as you've written it in your notebook," and then I repeatedly say, "That's wrong!" to those who bring it up. It is truly fun to have them challenge themselves in an atmosphere where "it's okay to be wrong as many times as you like" and "it's natural to make mistakes."
❺ Kanji related to "numbers"
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Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Target Grade: 3rd grade and up
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A quiz that starts with the simplest number, "one" (一). However, the final question is content that tickles intellectual curiosity, making you clap your hands and think, "I see! So that's why!"
The fact in the final question that "three tens are truly contained within the character for 'generation' (世)" and "a generation is counted as thirty years, so there are three tens" is surely a satisfying realization that makes you groan in admiration.
In my own classroom, the number of children showing interest in kanji increased dramatically after the quiz, with some muttering, "So that's why there are three tens!" and others asking various questions about kanji even during break time.
❻ Kanji related to "heart" (心)
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Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Target Grade: 3rd grade and up
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Next is "heart" (心). In modern times, it has been proven that "it is the brain that feels emotions," but how did people in the past perceive feelings and emotions?
Even those of us living in the modern age surely have many people who think, "I know the brain sends signals, but I feel emotions somewhere around my chest."
Being able to feel a kind of human nature that mysteriously connects people of the past with those living in the present leaves one with an indescribable feeling.
As a bonus, the fact that "thought" (思) is structured by linking the heart and the head to think and feel also makes me think, "How profound."
Kanji are indeed deep and full of flavor.
❼ Kanji related to "moon" (月)
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Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Target Grade: 1st grade and up
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This is a quiz about "bright" (明), which is related to the "moon" (月). This is structured as a standalone piece without many steps. Therefore, it can be done easily and quickly.
First-grade textbooks use illustrations to show that the origin of the kanji '日' (sun/day) comes from the sun. Therefore, the fact that one might assume the '日' on the left side of '明' (bright) is also the sun serves as material to create the surprise of the answer.
Even though they are written as the same '日' in currently completed kanji, in the drawings of their origins, the '日' in '明' has a different shape than the standalone '日'.
This is a quiz that teaches the diversity and uniqueness of kanji origins.
❽ Kanji related to '口' (mouth)
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Difficulty... ★★★★☆
Target Grade... 2nd grade and up
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The kanji that appear, '口', '言', and '音', are simple and very commonly used, but they are gathered here because they have very surprising origins.
This is a quiz that offers a glimpse into the fact that kanji origins have a slightly scary side.
I think it is an origin quiz that teaches the convenience and the scariness of 'words'.Precisely because of this, it can be connected to discussions about 'let's cherish the words we speak,' making it applicable to various situations.
❾ Kanji related to '示' (show/altar)
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Difficulty... ★★★★★
Target Grade... 5th grade and up
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Two questions left. From here on, I will introduce high-difficulty origin quizzes. As the name 'shimesu-hen' (the radical for 'show') suggests, this is a quiz centered on the fact that the root of its origin is '示'.
Since many divine kanji are gathered here, I think there will surely be readers whose intellectual curiosity is stirred.
The origin of the kanji '神' (god) is '雷' (thunder), and the Japanese word itself is based on 'kaminari' (god's roar).It is a character that clearly shows that not just the kanji, but the etymology of the Japanese language is something that has been thought about very deeply.
Words are truly interesting, aren't they?
❿ Kanji related to '虫' (insect)
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Difficulty... ★★★★★
Target Grade... 4th grade and up
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Finally, this is a kanji quiz that gets up close to the background of how kanji were created and the way people thought in the past, concluding with the coolest kanji.For teachers, it is perfect for class observation, and for families, it will make boys fall in love with kanji related to 'insects' in one go.
The episode that 'dragon' was likened to 'rainbow' is super cool, isn't it?I am filled with admiration that people in the past really put meanings into kanji that leave a lasting impression on the human heart.
In this way, when you know the world one step behind the kanji you see every day, you will come to think about things from a deeper perspective.
Language is something you will be with for your entire life. Knowing the depth of kanji leads to adding depth to the words a person speaks.
Please feel free to use these for children's quizzes or for adult education.
Summary
How was it?
When I read a dictionary of kanji origins, I found it so interesting that for a while,my favorite book was a kanji dictionary, haha.
More than just increasing my knowledge, I was moved by the richness of the imagination of people in the past.
Even if you think, 'What is the use of this at first glance?', you should pursue the things you are curious about in detail.
I believe that theexcitement and wisdom encountered along the way will surely enrich a child's life.
I was excited imagining the future of children, thinking that the repetition of having an interest, researching it yourself, and feeling moved would nurture intellectual curiosity.
If you have children, I hope you will enjoy this journey that sparks intellectual curiosity together with them.
If there is anyone who wants to know more about the origins of kanji, please refer to the following books.
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"Todo Format / Elementary School Edition Kanji Origin Dictionary" Kyōikusha Publishing
"Jōyō Jikai" by Shizuka Shirakawa
"Learning from Shizuka Shirakawa's Literature: Kanji Origin Book Grades 1-6" by Nobuo Ito
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Thank you for reading until the end.
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