記

Record, Write Down

しるす (shirusu)

JLPT N3

Interesting Fact

The Japanese word 日記 (にっき) means “diary” or “journal.” 日 means day, while 記 carries the idea of recording something. Put them together and you get the simple idea of recording each day. Japanese also has words such as 記録 (きろく), record, and 記事 (きじ), article. So one ancient character has become part of a whole family of words connected with preserving information.

Memory Trick

The speaker is talking so fast that the writer can barely keep up! He grabs his pen and writes “five” times faster, frantically recording every word(言) before it disappears—that’s 記!