Column #94 Kanji Clinic, The Japan Times, December 16, 2008
"Let's dwell on the negative... kanji, that is"
Prime Minister Taro Aso is notorious for making insensitive off-the-cuff comments to the media, and on more than one occasion recently, he has also raised eyebrows for mispronouncing kanji in his scripted speeches. Last month, speaking at prestigious Gakushuin University about the May earthquake in Sichuan, China, Aso tripped over the pronunciation of the third kanji in 未曾有 (mizo-u, “unprecedented”), morphing it into nonword “mizo-yuu.” (YUU is a possible reading for 有 in other compound words but not in 未曾有).
未曾有 (literally, “not yet-formerly-existing”) is one of a great many Japanese double- or multiple-kanji compounds beginning with a kanji of negation, and it may be helpful to remember one distinct core meaning in English for the most commonly used of these: 未 (MI, not yet), 不 (FU, not), 無 (MU, without), and 非 (HI, is not). These four powerful word builders are comparable to the English prefixes “non-,” “un-,” and “in-.” All have Chinese-derived pronunciations (音読み, on-yomi) and are typically conjoined with other on-yomi, but may also appear with native Japanese words (e.g., 未払い, mihara-i, not yet-paid, unpaid) or foreign loanwords (e.g., 非ステロイド, hisuteroido, is not-steroid, non-steroid).
未 (MI, not yet), the first kanji in Aso’s nemesis, 未曾有, pictures a tree (木) with a short branch at the top, an indication it is still growing (e.g., not yet complete). (Don’t confuse 未 with its near clone 末 MATSU, which has a long upper branch and means “the last part.”) Kanji following 未 in compounds usually represent an action. Examples are: 未来 (mirai, not yet-come, the future), 未定 (mitei, not yet-decided, pending), 未婚 (mikon, not yet-married, single), and 未成年者, miseinensha, not yet-grown-years-person, minor).
不 (FU, not), the general prefix of negation, is the most frequently used of the four kanji and can be seen in a plethora of everyday words. Dispose of your non-burnable garbage in a bag marked 不燃物 (funenbutsu, not-burn-thing). At the convenience store, pay a fee to have larger 不用品 (fuyouhin, not-used-goods, unwanted articles) like broken electrical appliances carted off by your local sanitation department. Need a real estate agency? Scope out a signboard marked 不動産 (fudousan, not-mobile-property, real estate) in your neighborhood. In conversation, you may hear people complaining about law-breaking teenagers, disparagingly known as 不良 (furyou, not-good), and the current economic recession (不況 fukyou, not-good condition) is on everyone’s lips.
無 (MU, without) implies a lack of something and is generally followed by noun-kanji. 無料 (muryou, without-fee, free of charge), as in 無料配送 (muryouhaisou, free delivery), is a compound worth knowing. In the supermarket, look for 無脂肪 (mushibou, without-fat-animal fat, non-fat) dairy and 無添加 (mutenka, without-attachments-added, additive-free) packaged food products. 無我 (muga, without-ego, selflessness) is a fundamental concept in Buddhism and 無口 (mukuchi, without-mouth) is “taciturn.” 無理 (muri, without-logic) means “impossible,” and a currently popular slang take-off, 無理っぽい (murippoi, impossible-like), translates as “not likely to happen.”
非 (HI, is not) depicts bird wings spreading in opposite directions and usually carries a nuance of contrariety, often with strong negative overtones. 非人間的 (hiningenteki, is not-human-like) means “inhuman.” If you hear a fire alarm, head straight for the 非常口 (hijouguchi, is not-normal-doorway, emergency exit). 非常識 (hijoushiki, is not-normal-knowledge, lacking in common sense) is a word parents frequently
use when scolding their 非合理的 (higouriteki, is not-logical-like, irrational), hormone-driven teenagers.
Foreign residents of Japan from non-kanji using countries are known as 非漢字系 (hikanjikei, is not-kanji-lineage). Being 非漢字系 myself, I have had plenty of kanji-egg
on my face owing to mispronunciations, so I sympathize with Mr. Aso over
his kanji blunders. Maybe his speechwriters should add furigana (tiny hiragana
typed over kanji to indicate their pronunciations) to the kanji that trouble
him most.
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QUIZ
Match the following negation-kanji compound words with their English meanings
and Japanese pronunciations. Answers are below.
1. 不満 (not-full)
2. 非常勤(is not-normal-employment)
3. 未熟 (not yet-ripe)
4. 無職(without-work)
5. 未亡人 (not yet-dead-person)
6. 無限 (without-limit)
7. 不可(not-possible))
8. 無人 (without-person)
9. 不公平 (not-public-equal)
10. 非番 (is not-one’s turn)
a.unfair (fukouhei)
b.dissatisfaction (fuman)
c.a grade of “F” (fuka)
d.unemployed (mushoku)
e. infinite (mugen)
f.unmanned (mujin)
g.inexperienced (mijuku)
h.widow (miboujin)
i.off-duty (hiban)
j.part-time work (hijoukin)
ANSWERS
1.b 2.j 3.g 4.d 5.h 6.e 7.c 8.f 9.a 10.i