Hi everyone!
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we’re going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That’s right – kanji seen and used everyday!
The theme for this week is kanji seen on an electric water heater pot. Let’s take a look!
①
給湯 (kyūtō) = hot water supply
The word written on this button is 給湯 (kyūtō), which means “hot water supply”. This is the button you press for hot water to come out.
給湯 (kyūtō) = hot water supply
● 給 (kyū) = grant, bestow
● 湯 (tō/yu) = hot water
Sample Sentence:
「給湯」ボタンを押すと、お湯が出る。
”Kyūto” botan o osu to, o-yu ga deru.
If you press the “kyūtō” button, hot water will come out.
②
ロック解除 (rokku kaijo) = lock release
This phrase can be broken up into two parts: ロック (rokku) and 解除 (kaijo).
Normally, the hot water pot is “locked” so that even if you press the 給湯 button, nothing will come out. In order to get hot water to come out, you have to first press this ロック解除 button to release the lock. The water pot will automatically lock itself again after a few moments.
ロック (rokku) = lock
解除 (kaijo) = remove, release
●解 (kai) = undo, cancel
●除 (jo) = exclude
Sample Sentence:
友達の家は、玄関のロックを解除しないと、中に入れない。
Tomodachi no ie wa, genkan no rokku o kaijo shinai to, naka ni hairenai.
To get into my friend’s house (apartment), you have to unlock the lock at the entrance.
③
保温 (ho’on) = heat retention
The small light next to the word 保温 (heat retention) lets you know that the water is being kept at a certain temperature. This helps to keep the water hot for hours after it was first boiled.
保温 (ho’on) = heat retention
● 保 (ho) = preserve, keep
● 温 (on) = heat
Sample Sentence:
ご飯を炊いた後は、保温ではなくて、冷凍庫に入れておいたほうが良い。
Go-han o taita ato wa, ho’on dewa nakute, reitōko ni irete oita hō ga yoi.
After making rice, you’d better put it in the fridge, rather than keep it warm.
④
保温選択 (ho’on sentaku) = heat retention temperature selection
This phrase is made up of two words: 保温 (ho’on, heat retention), and 選択 (sentaku, selection). This button is used when you want to change and select the temperature that the hot water in the pot will be kept at.
保温 (ho’on) = heat retention
● 保 (ho) = preserve, keep
● 温 (on) = heat
選択 (sentaku) = choice
● 選 (sen) = choose
● 択 (taku) = select
Sample Sentence:
私の選択は間違っていませんでした。
Watashi no sentaku wa machigatte imasen deshita.
My choice was not wrong.
⑤
再沸とう (sai futtō) = re-boil, resume boiling
This phrase is made up of two parts: The prefix 再 (sai), which means “re-”, and the word 沸騰 (futtō), which means “boil”. In this case, the second kanji in 沸騰 is left in hiragana, because 騰 is a difficult kanji that some people might not be able to read. This button is used when you want to re-boil water in the pot that has cooled down.
● 再 (sai) = again, second time
沸騰 (futtō) = boiling
● 沸 (fu/futsu) = boil
●騰 (tō) = inflation
Sample Sentence:
ポットの水がもう冷たいので、もう一回沸騰させてください。
Potto no mizu ga tsumetai node, mō i-kkai futtō sasete kudasai.
The water in the pot is already cold, so please boil it again.
★ If you think you can remember them all, try testing yourself with this video on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd77zjCD-HQ
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