![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khiemtranSince my next few posts are going to be about Kyōto, it's probably worth starting off with the name of the city.
The first thing that's interesting about Kyōto's name is that is basically just means "Capital City". In fact, both characters in its name can be read as "capital", although the second is usually read as "metropolis".
The one on the left (京) is the one that gives the Kyō sound (incidentally, Japanese kanji can have many different sounds). This is also the same Kyō as in Tokyō ("Eastern Capital"), and the same character is used in Chinese for the Jing in Beijing (North Capital) and Nanjing (South Capital).
It's actually quiet easy to remember. There are only three elements to it.
京 capital
=
亠 lid
over
口 mouth
over
小 small
Can you see how the idea of a "Capital" might be conveyed by these three components?
But... wait a second. Take a look at the wooden sign at the top of the page. Notice anything different?
That's right, the first character is actually made up of
亠 lid
over
日 sun
over
小 small
This one is also read as "Capital", and I'm guessing is an older version of 京 and hence used in an older spelling for Kyōto. Both of these characters, incidentally, can also be read as miyako, a name you'll see a lot around Kyōto (I stayed three times in the New Miyako Hotel before realising this.)
Now, on to the next character, which is one of my favourites.
都
This one provides the to sound in Kyōto and is the one that is most commonly translated as "metropolis", although it can also mean capital and can also be pronounced as miyako.
The reason I like this is because of the little story I made up to remember it. First of all, the 阝 on the right means "village", which gives you a clue that it's something to do with a town or city.
Then, on the left side we have:
土 earth
over a line over
日 the sun
Which gave me a mental image of a village that shone like a sun down on the earth... a great city!
Of course, as it turned out, this isn't actually how the character is constructed, but once you've learned a little mnemonic like that, you're never going to forget it.
If you're interested, the part on the left actually has a separate meaning of "person" and is only there because in ancient Chinese it must have sounded like the word for metropolis.
You can see an example of this separate character here on this sign below, where it forms part of "pedestrian" (歩行者).
So, next time you come to Kyōto [1], you'll be able to read its name, and maybe, like me, you'll be thinking of a brilliant capital like a sun on the earth.
[1] Actually, while we're at it, note that "y" in Kyoto is more like a consonant than a vowel and that the "ō" in the first syllable is longer than the "o" in the second. So, now you know how to say it too...
The first thing that's interesting about Kyōto's name is that is basically just means "Capital City". In fact, both characters in its name can be read as "capital", although the second is usually read as "metropolis".
The one on the left (京) is the one that gives the Kyō sound (incidentally, Japanese kanji can have many different sounds). This is also the same Kyō as in Tokyō ("Eastern Capital"), and the same character is used in Chinese for the Jing in Beijing (North Capital) and Nanjing (South Capital).
It's actually quiet easy to remember. There are only three elements to it.
京 capital
=
亠 lid
over
口 mouth
over
小 small
Can you see how the idea of a "Capital" might be conveyed by these three components?
But... wait a second. Take a look at the wooden sign at the top of the page. Notice anything different?
That's right, the first character is actually made up of
亠 lid
over
日 sun
over
小 small
This one is also read as "Capital", and I'm guessing is an older version of 京 and hence used in an older spelling for Kyōto. Both of these characters, incidentally, can also be read as miyako, a name you'll see a lot around Kyōto (I stayed three times in the New Miyako Hotel before realising this.)
Now, on to the next character, which is one of my favourites.
都
This one provides the to sound in Kyōto and is the one that is most commonly translated as "metropolis", although it can also mean capital and can also be pronounced as miyako.
The reason I like this is because of the little story I made up to remember it. First of all, the 阝 on the right means "village", which gives you a clue that it's something to do with a town or city.
Then, on the left side we have:
土 earth
over a line over
日 the sun
Which gave me a mental image of a village that shone like a sun down on the earth... a great city!
Of course, as it turned out, this isn't actually how the character is constructed, but once you've learned a little mnemonic like that, you're never going to forget it.
If you're interested, the part on the left actually has a separate meaning of "person" and is only there because in ancient Chinese it must have sounded like the word for metropolis.
You can see an example of this separate character here on this sign below, where it forms part of "pedestrian" (歩行者).
So, next time you come to Kyōto [1], you'll be able to read its name, and maybe, like me, you'll be thinking of a brilliant capital like a sun on the earth.
[1] Actually, while we're at it, note that "y" in Kyoto is more like a consonant than a vowel and that the "ō" in the first syllable is longer than the "o" in the second. So, now you know how to say it too...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 05:02 am (UTC)Most interesting. Thank you.
A co-worker, in a Fruit Packing House, told me once, when I said Toe Key Oh, like most Americans, that it was To Kyo. "Two kanji. Two syllable!", she said. A wonderful lady.
Ruth Wakamatsu, I think. She made coconut candy drops out of mashed potatoes, (oh so good!) and Thumb Print cookies with a sweet Lima Bean filling. That was in the 70s.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 10:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 11:42 pm (UTC)