Bitterness or Suffering

by Nao

niga-i, niga-mi, kuru-shii, kuru-shimi, kuru-shimu, ku

Although this character doesn’t have fancy meanings, it gives us a good opportunity to talk about how to inflect Japanese adjectives to make nouns.

This character generates two adjectives. One is nigai, meaning bitter; the other is kurushii, meaning hard. By changing the ending of each adjective, you can make nouns.

• Nigami … bitterness
• Nigasa … bitterness, or the degree of bitterness

• Kurushimi … sufferings
• Kurushisa … sufferings or how painful one feels

The noun “ku” means sufferings or trouble. Kuraku is sufferings and joys that you share with your partner or your close friends. You can say, “kuraku wo tomoni shita naka” to imply a long and close relationship. It means a relationship in which you suffered and enjoyed together.

Kujō is a complain often made about a product. Kugen is criticism offered by your supporter or adviser. Those who care about you give you this kind of criticism thoughtfully. It usually accompanies the verb “teisuru,” meaning “to offer politely.” The particle between the verb and object is “wo,” so criticizing in this way is expressed as “kugen wo teisuru.”

1. Draw the dot from the top left.
2. Draw the horizontal line crossing the first dot.
3. Draw the sweeping dot from the top right.
4. Draw the horizontal line in the middle from the left to the right.
5. Draw the vertical line.
6. Draw the left side of the rectangle.
7. Draw the upper and right sides of the rectangle.
8. Draw the lower side of the rectangle.

[Via http://calligraphernao.wordpress.com]