For once, Amazon recced me a book that wasnโt already on my list (or Minato Coin Laundry), ้ฃๅ ใใใคใใ by ๅฐๅท ็ณธ, so I read the preview for that. Itโs about a woman who comes home one day from her part time job to find that her boyfriend sheโs been living with for three years has taken everything and left her, so she decides to return to her hometown and open a ้ฃๅ . The writing isnโt too difficult and the story seems it may be good, though with only 4 actual pages in the preview, itโs hard to tell. Anyway, I came across the phrase โใคใฟใชใข่ฃฝใใใฃใใคใ,โ which is so incongruous because โpetitโ is French! Why couldnโt it be โๅฐใใ (ๅฐใใช?) ใใคใโโฆ
I read ch 4 of ๅคใซใใงโข, which was 16 pages of text. This chapter just increased my feelings of not liking this volume/series, which is disappointing, because I did like the first.
I finished vol 38 of HQ, and then read ๆซๅฎใๆไบบ.
Some vocab of note:
ไธๅ็ฃ (ใตใฉใใใ) [noun] real estate
็ซใใถใ [noun, ใใ verb] feigned innocence or naรฏvetรฉ; beguiling innocence; wolf in sheepโs clothing
ไธ้ก (ใใใใ) [noun] upper jaw; palate. I knew ้ก was โchin,โ but โjawโ too.
Card Captor Sakura volume 5 โ progress report Yesterday: Continued up to page 70. Today: Continued up to page 86.
Feeling a bit under the weather today and couldnโt concentrate much. The play continues and I find myself chuckling at some of the performances such as the very convincing one of liar-kun as the wicked fairy and the less convincing but err passionate one by Shaolan as the princess. The contrast between Toyaโs and Keroโs comments being bewildered by these two or even roasting the latter and Yukito being as friendly and encouraging as always is also pretty funny to me.
Replies
Haha, itโs nice to hear that your friend is so enthusiastic about those ladder lotteries. Iโm not sure about all the things one could possibly do with them in a maths context but if I had to guess it may be probability related.
Donโt hold back on letting your excitement for Rei (simply existing) out! And let me relish in it from far away.
My book order actually arrived today. Now I have access to Aria: the masterpiece 4 & 5 โ and also to these:
I wonโt be reading the adventures of adorable magical girl and adorable magic man anytime soon, though, because I want to finish the two series Iโm currently reading first and that will take a few months.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ Word or expression of the day:
ๆผๆ - (ใใใ) - acting, performance
Honourable mention(s):
ใ็ฅใ - (ใใใใ) - congratulations, celebration, congratulatory gift
ใใธใผใฏใปใใชใผใใฆใน
ๅณใใใใใใใใผ picture book
ใใใใ ใผ leisurely
ใทใ ใผ fern
่ใ้ใใใใพใใใใใใผ to swoop down
็ฝไบ็ดใใฏใใใใใผ cretaceous period
็ตถๆป ใใใคใใคใใผ extinction
The first chapter of ใใคใฐใจ๏ผ is definitely one of the harder ones because of all the moving terminology and adults talking to each other, but donโt let that discourage you! The chapters do get a lot easier after that for a while (occasionally, when there are chapters with mostly adults talking it gets a little harder again, but most of the chapters are definitely focused on the kids). Looking at vol 1, if youโre through page 25 I think youโre definitely done with the roughest parts.
Better late than never I had every intention of joining this thread before the new year and then I forgot lol. Hopefully that isnโt an indication of how this reading challenge is going to go for me. I need to find some easily accessible reading content because my biggest challenge is becoming demotivated trying to find things online.
Anyway, hereโs to a Japanese-reading-filled winter! Cozy up ~
The fun thing about that word is that itโs now been borrowed into English as โpetty knifeโ to refer specifically to this kind of small Japanese style knifeโฆ (I donโt know if ใใใฃใใคใ is a technical cheffy word in Japanese in the way that โpetty knifeโ or โparing knifeโ is and โkitchen knifeโ isnโt.)
January 3rd
ๆฐๆธๅคช้ฃ่จ progress: 00.12% // Volume I: 01.44%
I am so glad for furigana. So many place names. I forgot how hard it is to start a new book and you get bombarded with piles of new vocab until you get used to the authorโs vocab usage.
Words found under the kotatsu
้ฃ้ฆใใใใฝใใใผ Neighbouring country ๅฝๅทใใใใใใใผ Name of a country ๅฝ้ใใใใใใใผ National fortunes; destiny of a country ้งใใใใใใใใใใผ To be driven byโฆ (emotions / impulse / feelings); to be seized by; to be stricken with; to be spurred on by; to succumb to ๆฐ้ฃใใใใฅใใใใผ Consideration; concern; worry ๆฆ้ฃๆงใใ ใใชใใพใใผ Husband (honorific); master (of a house/shop etc.) ่ฅๅบใใตใใฉใใผ Bedroom; bedchamber (seems to use ่ฅๆ now) ๆฆปใใใณใใผ Ceramic bench ๅฎตใใใใใผ Evening; early hours of the night ็ชฏๆฅญใใใใใใใใผ Ceramics; ceramic industry ๅฎ็ชฏใใใใใใใผ (Government owned) porcelain furnace // with ็ชฏใใใพใmeaning: kiln; furnace; stove ้้ใใตใใใใผ being accompanied by; being collateral with ๆฎท่ณใใใใใใใผ Prosperity ่พ่ฆใใใใใใผ Hardship; toil
Places in China & Dynasties ๆๅญๆฑใใใใใใใใผ Yangtze river (also: ้ทๆฑใใกใใใใใ) ๆฑ่ฅฟ็ใใใใใใใใใใผ Jiangxi Province ้ฅๅทใใใใใใ ใใใผ Raozhou (old prefecture, now part of Poyang county (in Jiangxi)) ๅใใใใใผ China (also used to sometimes refer to other neighbouring countries of that area) (Archaism) // also: ใใจใใใผ the Tang dynasty (618-907) ๅฎใใใใใผ Song dynasty ๅปฌๅฑฑใใใใใใผ Mt. Lushan
Character Kanji-Name List
for easy referencing later, because these will take some remembering
|| P E O P L E || Main Hideyoshi: ่ฑ่ฃ็งๅใใจใใจใฟ ใฒใงใใใ// ่ฑๅคช้คใใปใใใใใใ
I decided to try digging into this a little bit today, and discovered that this phrase itself is based on an older phrase ไบๅ ญๆไธญ, which also meant around the clock (a full day). I was like โthereโs no way this makes any sense unless japan used to have some really messed up clocks that no one has told me about.โ
Japan had some really messed up clocks that no one had told me about. A full day was divided in to 12 โhoursโ, 6 day and 6 night (hence the 2x6 = full day), but the length of those hours was based on the actual length of the day/night periods. So in the winter, the 6 night hours were longer, and the 6 day hours were shorter, and reverse in the summer. (Edit for clarification: this time system existed before the clocks, they clocks were made in a super funky way to try to capture the existing dominant way of measuring time in tokugawa/edo japan, but it was still 2x6 = one full day)
During the meiji restoration (at least, according to jp wiktionary ๅๅ ญๆไธญ - ใฆใฃใฏใทใงใใชใผๆฅๆฌ่ช็ ), this existing expression was altered to make it make a little bit more sense with a Western 24 hour day
Thoughts: This has definitely been a lot lighter of a read now that I got past the first part, just like @javerend said! To be fair there were a lot of panels without any dialogue, but where there was I was able to understand much better than the first 20-ish pages. I am enjoying it more now.
(I donโt know how to quote people on the forums yet, so I just pinged you lol)
In todayโs first DrDru story we talk about Harry Potter. Once again too many Katakana names for my liking.
In the second itโs movie time. We guess which movie it is based on the emoji presented, so there isnโt too much content to read here. Which is good because Iโm a bit dizzy today.
Today, I finished reading chapter 8 of ๆตท่พบใฎใซใใซ, and I finally feel like Iโm slowly starting to get a hang of this :3 I am considering reading a little bit more though, because Iโve been scrolling through the bookclubโs discussion on the following chapters and got a little curious
As for my side quest, I only had the energy to read the next short story from the collection about Milton and Bulka titled ะงะตัะตะฟะฐั ะฐ (The Turtle). The story was, to my surprise and delight, complete with some turtle facts - so I got a little refresher on my turtle knowledge as a bonus Sometimes I forget just how cool turtles are.
Thereโs a little one-room private museum in Tokyo with a collection of those โdaimyo clocksโ. Recommended for clock nerds, especially if you can make a stab at reading the only-in-Japanese exhibit labels.
Today I read this weekโs two stories from ใใฐใกใใใใกใฎใใใจใใ. And this concludes the book clubs for this week. I need to think what to read tomorrow. Continue with my mountain ghost stories book, or read something new?
Thatโs so cool! I knew about the uneven six hours of day and six hours of night, but had no idea there were actual clocks that could measure such a crazy time!
English reading (The Hot Rock by Donald E Westlake)
Have I mentioned how busy Iโd be for the first half of this month? If youโve missed it, then apparently I forgot to mention it in this thread because I sure have said in a number of places.
So yeah, no actual Japanese reading. Probably a sentence here or there while reading the forum, but nothing on my (Japanese) priorities.
I did however finish a novel in English Iโm reading for a workshop, so it was a prioritized read, and I do have another one of those. Which might be the only thing I read for the next two weeks, more or less.
Day 2
I have finished the third volume of U12. Even though there are still six more volumes left, letโs pretend that the manga ends with volume 3. The girls board a subway and drive to safety while running over all the pedos. What a beautiful ending.
Finished week 1 for the club, seems pretty nice so far. I get the feeling Iโm going to like it. I have to be responsible and not read more so ใใใใใใใฎ until Friday.
I might start NieR:Automata again. And I say again because I did play many hours of it until the first ending back in some previous challenge but I didnโt continue for some reason even though I was adoring the game. Iโve seen that an anime is about to release and it got me curious but I donโt want to watch it without finishing the game first. So Iโll restart it soon, maybe.
Today I read this weeks ABBC portion of Cells at Work.
I had to look up a lot of vocab, but thats to be expected when it includes words like ่ก็ฎกๅ ็ฎ vascular endothelium
Iโm not sure about all the things one could possibly do with them in a maths context but if I had to guess it may be probability related.
๏ผๆ๏ผๆฅ 
(it will not be the last)
)
I had every intention of joining this thread before the new year and then I forgot lol. Hopefully that isnโt an indication of how this reading challenge is going to go for me. I need to find some easily accessible reading content because my biggest challenge is becoming demotivated trying to find things online.
The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den 
Sometimes I forget just how cool turtles are.
