世
Generation
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| せ, せい | よ | 世 |
Meaning: Generation
The generation radical and the generation kanji are the same.
The same can’t be said for different generations of people… they are not the same. Count your lucky stars that radicals and kanji can be, though.
Reading: せ, せい
The readings せ and せい sounds almost the same, so we’ll rely on something that sounds kind of like both as well as the vocab which will help you to differentiate between the readings as well, later on, as you learn them. For the reading, when we need to remember せい, we think Hard Gay, because he says “SEI SEI SEI” a lot. – Think of multiple generations of people – what would the older generations hate more than anything? Of course, it would have to be Hard Gay (せい).
Just imagine someone of an older generation watching Hard Gay. Imagine their disgusted looks and their confusion. Hopefully you can get some joy out of their reactions, too, to help you remember the reading. Maybe they try to imitate Hard Gay’s catch phrase, and only say “Se Se Se” instead of “Sei Sei Sei” – that way you have both readings in your mnemonic!
Vocabulary
a 世の中（よのなか）＝ Society
- Combo: 世の (world’s ) + 中 (inside)
- Meaning: The inside of the world is the society.
- Reading: The reading is the kun’yomi. When you think society, think of yogurt (よ), and how it falls apart without that delicious white creamy stuff.
a 二世（にせい）＝ Second Generation
- Combo: 二 (two) + 世 (generation)
- Meaning: If you’re the two generation you’re the second generation. For example, if your parents were born in Japan, and you were born in America, you’d be second generation Japanese American.
- Reading: The reading is the on’yomi put together.
a 一世（いっせい）＝ First Generation
- Combo: 一 (one) + 世 (generation)
- Meaning: The meaning is what you’d expect. The one generation is the first generation.
- Reading: Take your on’yomi and mix.