Please excuse me for making another new post so soon. Since Day 2 is bulkier, I thought it would be better organization-wise to separate from the main post.
๏ผๆ2ๆฅ ~ Day 2 / Back to Home
ใชใ๏ผใฉใใใฆ๏ผใฟใขใใชใใใ (1ๅนด็) - 4 pages:
The first question was โWhy are traffic signals red, green (blue), and yellow?โ
Summary
It starts off by confirming the meanings of each of the colors, which the narrator assumes the reader is already aware of. Then the narrator proceeds to answer the question - starting off with the basics of how our eyes see a color and tell the brain what action to do knowing what the given color is meant to represent.
They do explain that if the color distinctions were hard to tell, the brain canโt make a quick judgment call. But the way the brain is designed, it responds to the color red the fastest. The next color is yellow. And the third color is green (blue). Theyโve determined that the best way to protect everyone is to use that particular color order. The narrator then concludes that these colors were decided on because theyโre the same colors the rest of the world uses, and each of them have the same meaning as the rest of the world (stop, go, slow down).
Overall, this reading was very easy to understand. Even with all the hiragana, it wasnโt hard to read. There werenโt any vocab words that really stumped me (though a few I had trouble pinpointing the exact English equivalent even though I could grasp a general idea of the word to use it in another Japanese sentence). I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a few kanji I learned recently, especially ๅฝไปค which I sometimes confuse.
I want to keep a log of the hiragana I encountered that I knew the kanji for (but isnโt shown because 1st graders havenโt learned them yet). I could also add them to my kanji notebook for vocab examples for contextual reference later. It would be nice to keep a list of kanji of vocab I havenโt learned yet either.
Learned kanji
ไฟกๅทๆฉ - ใใใใใ - traffic light - Barring the last kanji, I know the first two and wouldโve probably been able to read the whole word in the context of the sentence without knowledge of the last kanji.
้ป่ฒ - ใใใ - yellow
้่ทฏ - ใฉใใ - paved road
ๅใใฆ - ใฏใใใฆ - in the beginning
ๆฑบใพใ - ใใพใ - decision
็ฅใ - ใใ - to know
่ฒ - ใใ - color
ๆๅณ - ใใฟ - meaning
่ใใ - ใใใใใ - to think
ๅไฝ - ใฉใใ - movement - Even though I could probably read this if I had seen the kanji, I couldnโt recall what the kanji was for the word when encountering the hiragana.
ไฝ - ใใใ - body
ๅฝไปค - ใใใใ - command - Actually surprised to realize these are two kanji that I just learned at level 11!
่ฆๅใ - ใฟใใ - distinction
็ใใซใใ - ใคใใซใใ - difficult to reach
้ใ - ใกใใ - difference
ๅใใ - ใใใ - to understand
ไผใใ - ใคใใ - to be transmitted
ๆฌก - ใคใ - next
ไฝฟใ - ใคใใ - to use
ๆฉใ - ใฏใใ- hurry
ๅฝ - ใใฎใก - life - Knew the meaning of the word but didnโt realize what the kanji was.
ๅฎใ - ใพใใ - to protect - Donโt think this one has been covered in WK, but I remembered it from Genki.
ๅฟ
่ฆใช - ใฒใคใใใช - necessary
ไธ็ไธญ - ใใใใใ
ใ - around the world
ๅใ - ใใชใ - same
ๆใค - ใใค - to carry
New Kanji
ๆธกใ - ใใใ - to cross
่ณ - ใฎใ - brain
ๅคๆญใใ - ใฏใใ ใใใ - to make a decision
็ด ๆฉใ - ใใฐใใ- swift
ๅฑ้บ - ใใใ - danger
้ ็ช - ใใ
ใใฐใ - alternating
Edit: I read another 4 pages. Question 2: โWhy do we say ใใใใใใwhen answering the phone?โ
Let's find out!
The narrator reiterates the question, pondering why we use that particular phrase when we answer the phone (as opposed to another greeting kids would be familiar with) because weโve got some curious first graders that are probably wondering the same thing, yeah?
Apparently this phrase has been used as far back as 100 years ago. The narrator clarifies that phones werenโt always as simple as dialing and answering but back then, there was a middle man who would connect the caller to the receiver. This part was a little confusing (thanks to vague pronouns), but it sounds like the connecter would say ใใใใใใใพใใใใใใใใพใใ(an old-fashioned way of saying ็ณใใพใ) before connecting to the receiver of the call. This meant that from now on, someone was going to talk (from what I understand, that meant the connecter was announcing the initiation of the call by the caller). Eventually, the phrase was shortened to ใใใใใใใ when a connecter was no longer necessary. And then the phrase was further shortened to ใใใใ.
The narrator concludes that English-speaking countries like the U.S. say โHelloโ when answering the phone. French people say โAlloโ (sorry if I butchered the spelling). The narrator also gives examples for China and Korea (but I have no idea how to write them in romaji so Iโll just leave it at that).
Overall, this was a lot more challenging of a reading to decipher because of the pronoun confusion, and according to my husband, the explanation was very simplified and not very well done so it was confusing. (In other words, he didnโt want me to feel bad for not understanding because itโs not my fault, lol.)
To clarify, the reason why ใ็ณใไธใใพใใwas used was because the middle man who was connecting the call needed to be polite to the โcustomers.โ Heโs not the one receiving the call but just assisting the two involved in the conversation, so as not to be rude, he used the most formal way of saying โnow speaking.โ When phones were installed in all the houses and a need for a connecter was no longer necessary, the use of super politeness was also removed which is why the phrase was shortened to the easier to say version ใ็ณใ็ณใใ and then further shortened to ใใใใใใ.
Already Learned Kanji
้ป่ฉฑ - ใงใใ - phone
ๆ - ใจใ - time
็ณใ็ณใ - ใใใใใใ - hello (answering the phone)
่จใ - ใใ - to say
ๆๅ - ใใใใ - the first
ๆๅณ - ใใฟ - meaning
ไฝฟใ - ใคใใ - to use
ไป - ใใพ - now
็พๅนด - ใฒใใใญใ - 100 years
ไปฅไธ - ใใใใ - more than
ๆ - ใใใ - long ago
ๅใใฆ - ใฏใใใฆ - first time
ๅใใ - ใใใ - to accept
็ณใไธใใ - ใใใใใใ - to state (in a polite way)
ๅผใณๅบใ - ใใณใ ใ - to call
็ธๆ - ใใใฆ - partner
่จ่ - ใใจใฐ - word
้ทใ - ใชใใ - long
่กใ - ใใ - to go
ๅ
- ใใก - inside
ๅผใณๆญขใใ - ใใณใจใใ - to call and stop
ๅฃฐ - ใใ - voice
ไป - ใปใ - other
ๅฝ - ใใซ - country
ๅผใณใใใ - ใใณใใใ - to call out to
่ฑ่ช - ใใใ - English
New Kanji
็นใ - ใคใชใ - to connect - Doesnโt seem to be written with kanji very often though.
ๆฌใ - ใใใพใ - to show respect for - This is the only word I had no idea the meaning of or kanji for.