The Reading of a Difficult Winter Kigo: How to Pronounce "冬麗"?

Deciphering Challenging Kanji: The Correct Way to Read Winter's Elegance

TOKYO, Jan 22 (News On Japan) - Dengeki Online's serialized feature "Difficult-to-Read Kanji" continues to challenge readers with a wide range of characters, from those with readings so complex they're hard to imagine, to those that seem simple at first glance but are difficult to read.

The feature is overseen by "Kyōji Yanoha," a humble calligrapher who lives with his cat. In this installment, we'll introduce kanji that might not be immediately readable, so let's think about them together!

Today's challenging kanji is "冬麗." Does it read as "winter beauty"? Here's a hint: ○yu○○ra. It's a word used as a seasonal term in haiku. The answer is "fuyuurara"! It describes a scene where, despite the cold of winter, the sunlight is bright and the weather is clear and pleasant. It's a seasonal term that expresses a serene climate.

Generally, in regions on the Pacific side of Japan, there are many clear days in winter. On the other hand, the Sea of Japan side is often associated with snow. In Pacific regions, haiku using "冬麗" can be quite popular.

Stay tuned for more introductions to challenging kanji in the future!

by Andrew Yang

Source: Dengeki

Six Students Taken to Hospital After Eating Overly Salty Pizza

Six junior high school students were taken to hospital after falling ill from eating pizza made during a home economics class in Kitakyushu last month, with officials suspecting the cause to be an excessive amount of salt added to the dough.

Osaka Fraud Losses Top 33.9 Billion Yen as Police-Impersonation Scams Surge

Losses from special fraud and SNS-based investment and romance scams in Osaka Prefecture over the past year exceeded 33.9 billion yen, marking a record high.

Japan Supplies Generators to Ukraine

A ceremony was held in Kyiv on February 11th where the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) presented generators to Ukraine as the country grapples with worsening electricity shortages following Russian attacks on energy facilities, with citizens struggling to endure severe winter conditions and international assistance for power infrastructure continuing to grow.

Water Supply Disruptions Continue in Hakone

A renewed water outage struck Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture after supplies briefly resumed on February 11th morning, with authorities reinstating water restrictions from 9 p.m. as frozen pipes and low reservoir levels linked to an intense cold wave continued to disrupt supply across the region.

Japan’s Oldest Man Dies at 111

Kiyotaka Mizuno, the oldest man in Japan and the oldest resident in Shizuoka Prefecture, died of natural causes at his home in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, on February 8th at the age of 111, according to local authorities.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Education NEWS

Japan after Hiroshima | 被爆者 Documentary

Hibakusha (被爆者) is the Japanese word for the survivors of the American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This powerfull documentary shows how the survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki travel to New York for a UN conference on disarming nuclear weapons. (TRNGL)

Osaka To Expand Free Childcare for Ages 0 to 2

Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama announced that the city will expand its policy of making childcare fees free for children aged zero to two, with the measure to be extended to firstborn children starting in September this year.

February 10 is Left-Handed Goods Day

February 10, marked in Japan as Left-Handed Goods Day through a play on the numbers “0,” “2,” and “10,” has drawn renewed attention to the daily inconveniences faced by left-handed people

British Museum’s Samurai Exhibition Explained by Curator

Rosina Buckland, curator of the Japanese collections at the British Museum, has offered a Japanese-language tour of the museum’s Samurai exhibition in London, highlighting the diverse history and cultural legacy of Japan’s warrior class beyond its popular image as fighters alone.