間
Interval
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| かん | あいだ, ま | 門 + 日 |
Meaning: Interval
Think of a gate that the sun has to go through every time it revolves around in the sky (I know, the sun doesn’t move, but let’s pretend it’s ancient China, okay?). Someone at the gate checks the time, and makes sure the interval is correct, then waves it through the gate for another circling, where it creates its next interval of time.
“Interval” is a weird word to remember, but just think of the sun going around the earth and through the gate just like clockwork. Every 24 hours it passes through the gate, and each interval is exactly the same.
Reading: かん
The interval is perfect… at least, until now. Genghis Khan and his Mongol horde come down on the gate and destroy it, delaying the sun by several hours. Now the interval is all messed up due to the Khans. Time to build a great wall, or something, to protect.
It’s not too out there to assume a Khan attacked something Chinese (remember, we’re pretending this interval sun gate is Chinese!). That’s what Genghis, Kublai, and all the other Khans were known for, after all – attacks on China!
Vocabulary
a 間（あいだ）＝ Interval Of Time
- Meaning
- Reading
a 時間（じかん）＝ Time
- Meaning
- Reading
a 〜間（かん）＝ Amount Of Time
- Meaning
- Reading
a 人間（にんげん）＝ Human
- Meaning
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a 間に合う（まにあう）＝ To Be In Time For
- Meaning
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a 間もなく（まもなく）＝ Soon
- Meaning
- Reading
a 仲間（なかま）＝ Comrade
- Meaning
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a 空間（くうかん）＝ Space
- Meaning
- Reading