正
Correct
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| せい, しょう | ただ.しい | 一 + 止 |
Meaning: Correct
What ground to a stop, so to speak? You’re working on grading tests. But, you run into a question that is wrong, which made you stop. Why? Because you have to correct it.
Go ahead and correct several answers. Feel like you suddenly have to stop whenever you have to correct something.
Reading: せい, しょう
To remember the reading せい we use “Hard Gay,” because he likes to say “SEI SEI SEI!” – As you’re correcting these test answers, someone grabs your pencil and throws your desk to the side. It’s Hard Gay (せい). He’s putting on a show (しょう) for you.
Imagine a really ridiculous show that he’s putting on for you. Of course, if you don’t know the type of show Hard Gay might put on, it’s obvious you need to go to YouTube right now and search for “Hard Gay” (it’s not as nsfw as you might think, surprisingly).
Vocabulary
Learn the meanings of the following words (and try to learn their readings as well, if you can).
a 正しい（ただしい）＝ Correct
- Meaning: The meaning is the same as the kanji in adjective form.
- Reading: The reading is kind of long, so I’d recommend learning it the best you can now, and then try to recall it at the end of this page (to help solidify its space in your brain).
a 正す（ただす）＝ to correct
- Meaning: This is the same as the kanji, but the verb form.
- Reading: If you’re able to remember the reading for 正しい, you should be able to remember the reading for this one (or vice versa).
a 不正（ふせい）＝ injustice
- Combo: 不 (not) + 正 (correct/justice)
- Meaning: Not correct / Injustice. 正 can also mean “justice” as well. I bet you can see the connection between the meanings “correct” and “justice,” right?
- Reading: You’ll have to remember which on’yomi reading 正 uses, but as long as you do, you’ll be able to read this kanji.
a 正月（しょうがつ）＝ New Years
- Combo: 正 (correct) + 月 (month)
- Meaning: Kind of a strange translation, but kind of makes sense, too. Just think of every new year as “the correct year.” It’s when you make new year’s resolutions to “correct” your wrong doings, or something.
- Reading: If you know the on’yomi, you can also know the reading of this kanji.