Easy, Simple
やさしい (yasashii)
Interesting Fact
Long before modern calculators and weather apps, people in China used the I Ching (Book of Changes) to think about uncertainty, decisions, and what might happen next. ☯️ The tradition is thousands of years old and became enormously influential in East Asian philosophy. The character 易 appears in the name 易経 (I Ching). What's fascinating is the connection between a character meaning "easy" and a tradition built around understanding complicated changes and patterns in life. The I Ching eventually influenced Chinese philosophy, literature, art, and Japanese intellectual culture.
Memory Trick
☀️ The sun(日) makes a banana so soft that you can easily peel it apart—that's 易!
Readings
Onyomi: エキ (eki), イ (i)
Kunyomi: やさしい (yasashii)
Example Words
Example Sentence
この問題は易しいです。
この もんだい は やさしいです。
kono mondai wa yasashii desu
This problem is easy.