未
Not Yet
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| み | ま.だ | 木 + 一 |
Meaning: Not Yet
The tree is under the ground, and trying to push up to get outside and become a real tree. Unfortunately, it’s not yet able to get out.
One thing that you have to know about this kanji is that there’s another kanji (末) that looks almost exactly the same. The difference is that the ground radical is longer in the other one, and this kanji has a shorter ground radical. Why is this one shorter? Because there’s still hope… hey may be able to get out, that’s why we’re saying not yet. With the other one, the ground has gotten bigger and heavier, so for that one it’s the “end” of the tree (because that other kanji means “end”).
Reading: み
To remember the on’yomi み, we’re going to use the word “meat.”
It’s not yet able to get out of the ground, but in order to get stronger, this tree has been eating meat.
Imagine it underground, chomping down on steaks and other meat products. Imagine the tree with a face and sharp teeth, covered in blood. It’s a meat eating tree… yet it’s not yet able to get out of the ground, despite how many moles it ate in the last couple weeks.
Vocabulary
Only one word you have to learn right now – the other word will come soon enough, though, so take a look at it!
a 未だ（まだ）＝ Not Yet
- Meaning: Same as the kanji.
- Reading: The kun’yomi reading… that being said, you actually don’t have to learn this reading. It’s almost always written in kana alone (like this: まだ) but I wanted you to see it with the kanji. So, don’t spend a lot of time on the reading, it’s kana-tastic.
Notes:
Make sure you don’t confuse this one with 末 (which is the next kanji). It looks almost the same, but the difference is that the top line in 末 is a little longer. The shorter lined one is “not yet” because the top branch is still growing. When someone asks if it’s as long as it can be, you say “not yet.”