全
All
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| ぜん | すべ.て, まった.く | 王 +  |
Meaning: All
Kings with hats. Did you know that all kings wear hats?
Think of as many kings as you can think of. Guess what, every single one of them (AKA all of them) wear hats! Think of strange hats, funny hats, and normal hats. Just make sure you’re amazed by the fact they all are wearing them.
Reading: ぜん
But, as you’re going through all the kings, it turns out not all them have hats after all. The last one you come to does not have a hat. He is the king of Zen (ぜん) Buddhism. He has simple clothes and a shaved head, unlike all the other fancy kings standing around nearby.
To add to this story and make it more memorable, you can imagine the other kings getting upset, saying things like “All kings must wear hats! You are no king!” The king of Zen Buddhism just ignores them and begins to meditate.
Vocabulary
Lots of really useful vocab in this list – 全 is a very common kanji! You’re lucky, you’ll get a lot of reading practice with this kanji!
a 全て（すべて）＝ All, entire
- Meaning: Same as the kanji.
- Reading: The kun’yomi reading (one of them). You have to remember the すべ part. Give it your best shot, and try to recall it later on when you study the study cards.
a 全く（まったく）＝ Completely, Entirely
- Meaning: Pretty much the same as the kanji, but slightly different. This is “completely” or “entirely” rather than all. It’s the same thing, but a different perspective, you know?
- Reading: The reading is also a kun’yomi reading. I’d move on without bothering too much. The real practice is going to be with the on’yomi readings, below.
a 全力（ぜんりょく）＝ One’s full capacity/full effort
- Combo: 全 (all) + 力 (power)
- Meaning: All the power you have is your full effort or full capacity.
- Reading: On’yomi readings, all around.
a 全文（ぜんぶん）＝ Full text, whole sentence
- Combo: 全 (all) + 文 (writing)
- Meaning: All the writing is the whole text (or sometimes, the whole sentence)
- Reading: The on’yomi readings.
a 全日本（ぜんにほん）＝ All of Japan
- Combo: 全 (all) + 日本 (Japan)
- Meaning: All of Japan is all of Japan. “All Japan Railways” is one example
- Reading: The on’yomi readings.
a 全米（ぜんべい）＝ All-America/All-American
- Combo: 全 (all) + 米 (America)
- Meaning: America is the 米 country (back in the day). So, 全米 is all of America, kind of like how 全日本 is all of Japan.
- Reading: On’yomi readings.