Intro (単刀直入)
四字熟語（よじじゅくご // 4-character compound words）
The word 四字熟語 refers to (often idiomatic) words that are composed of four kanji strung together. I think the first one I ever learned was 一生懸命 (いっしょうけんめい // with the utmost effort; with all of one's might; [working] very hard).
You can see that this word is composed of four kanji:
一 (one)
生 (life)
懸 (suspend)
命 (fate)
↑ These "meanings" are actually the Heisig keywords (= the meanings of kanji as they are listed in James W. Heisig's Remembering the Kanji I), which I used for simplicity. Meanings of kanji are often more flexible than a single-word definition can manage. More on that later, though.
There are thousands of 四字熟語 in Japanese. In fact, I have a whole dictionary of them sitting on my bookshelf. And though we may not need to learn all of the 四字熟語 in existence, it would be in our best interests to at least learn some of the most common ones... which is exactly what we'll be doing in this series of lessons.
People do use 四字熟語 in everyday Japanese. And we'll only be introducing the 四字熟語 that a Japanese person would be likely to say. In other words, we're focusing on useful examples of 四字熟語 in this series.
If you want to know more about 四字熟語, by the way, you can read all about them on Wikipedia.
四字熟語 Lesson Format
Our 四字熟語 lessons are going to be following a specific pattern.
First, we'll start by introducing the target 四字熟語：
単刀直入（たんとうちょくにゅう // straight to the point; direct; frank）
Then we'll include a brief explanation as to how the target 四字熟語 is used:
The literal meaning of 単刀直入 is:
単 (simple)
刀 (sword)
直 (straightaway)
入 (enter)
Combine all of those, and you get the idiomatic meaning of "straight to the point," "direct," "frank," etc.
You'll find that 単刀直入 is commonly used as a precursor to saying something directly, frankly, and so on. Accordingly, it often pairs with verbs like 言う (いう // to say), 聞く (きく // to ask), etc.
We'll then include a couple of natural examples of the target 四字熟語：
単刀直入に聞くけど、彼氏いる？
たんとうちょくにゅう に きく けど、 かれし いる？
I’ll just come out ask it: Do you have a boyfriend?
Literally: “straight to the point + に + ask + but, + boyfriend + there is / have?”
お母さん、単刀直入に言うね。５万円貸して。
おかあさん、 たんとうちょくにゅう に いう ね。 ごまんえん かして。
I won’t beat around the bush. Mom, can you lend me 50,000 yen? // I’ll just get straight to it. Mom, I need you lend me 50,000 yen.
Literally: “mom / mother, + straight to the point + に + say + ね. + 50,000 yen + lend (me) (and).”
After we've seen a brief explanation of the target 四字熟語, along with some examples of natural usage, we'll zoom in on each kanji in the word.
Our kanji close-ups will start with an image designed to help cement the meaning of the kanji in our brains, all of which are taken from our #kanjiaday Instagram series:
We'll then include an image with the stroke order. Even if you don't plan to ever hand-write Japanese, there's no harm in following the stroke pattern with your finger, something I've always enjoyed doing. If writing kanji is your thing, then write away, my friend:
Next, we'll include the meaning of the kanji. First, we list the meanings as they might appear in a dictionary, followed by the Heisig keyword for this particular kanji. Having a single keyword with which you associate a kanji can make it easier to remember. In time, you won't need to know any of these meanings because you'll know enough Japanese words containing the kanji that you simply get a feel for its meaning:
Meaning of 単：simple, one, single, merely
Heisig Keyword: simple
The meaning of the kanji will be followed by an example sentence containing a word that utilizes the kanji in question. Below, for example, we have the word 単なる (たんなる // mere; simple; just) appearing in a sentence:
単なる噂でしょ？
たんなる うわさ でしょ？
It’s just a rumor, right?
Literally: “simple / mere + rumor + でしょ？”
We'll then repeat this process for the three remaining kanji that appear in the 四字熟語, which you'll see below.
Tangent: What about the onyomi and kunyomi readings?!
I know that someone is going to ask about this, so I'll take a moment to explain why we're not including the onyomi (Chinese-derived readings) and kunyomi (Japanese-derived readings) of each kanji that appears in our 四字熟語. There are a couple of reasons.
Reason #1: It is a waste of time to learn some of the readings of kanji.
Take 単, for instance.
The onyomi is たん, which we saw in the word 単なる (たんなる) above. We also see this reading in 単刀直入 (たんとうちょくにゅう), the focus of this lesson.
The kunyomi of 単 is ひとえ. I won't go so far as to say that this reading is never used. There are rare instances when you might come across the reading ひとえ. I've never seen it used before, but Rei has.
Since it is so rarely used, it doesn't make sense for us students to waste our precious time, effort, and brain power on learning this reading. We're better off learning words — and the kanji in words — that improve our functional fluency.
We have to prioritize our learning. Otherwise, there will be huge imbalances in our fluency. I'm speaking from experience — back when I was studying on my own (in California, around N3-N2 level), due to my obsession with learning "everything a Japanese person might know," I learned hundreds and hundreds of Japanese words that are borderline useless, and my fluency suffered. I could have spent all of that extra time learning things that would maximize my understand and control of Japanese as it is used in the real world.
With NihongoShark materials, we're trying to learn useful Japanese as quickly as possible. To do that, unfortunately, we have to cut out the information that is less practical. Once you get to an advanced level, it won't matter that it's possible for 単 to be read as ひとえ. In the off chance that you come across this reading as an advanced student, you can learn it then with minimal effort.
Reason #2: We have limited space in these lessons.
Some kanji have several readings. Learning a kanji's reading in isolation is an obscene waste of time. You should only learn kanji in words. And you should learn words in sentences.
Thus, if we try to cover every reading of every kanji in our target 四字熟語, we may sometimes be forced to include dozens of example sentences in a single lesson, which is more than most of us can reasonably process in a single sitting. This draws our focus further and further from where it should be: On learning the target 四字熟語.
Anyway, that's why we're not going overboard on kanji readings in these lessons.
Sorry for the long tangent. Three more kanji breakdowns, and you'll be finished.
Meaning of 刀：sword, saber, knife
Heisig Keyword: sword
これは日本刀です。
これ は にほんとう です。
This is a Japanese sword.
Literally: “this + は + Japanese sword + です.”
Meaning of 直：frankness, straightaway, repair, fix, honesty
Heisig Keyword: straightaway
直ぐ行きます。
すぐ いきます。
I’ll go there right away. // I’ll go immediately.
Literally: “right away / immediately + go.”
Meaning of 入：enter, insert
Heisig Keyword: enter
お釣りをポッケに入れた。
おつり を ポッケ に いれた。
I put the change in my pocket.
Literally: “change (for a purchase) + を + pocket + に + inserted.”
At the end of the lesson, we'll show the target 四字熟語 and its example sentences one last time. I like to read a sentence, then try to repeat it without looking at it. Or you could use whatever method you personally find helpful for remembering new words and phrases.
単刀直入（たんとうちょくにゅう // straight to the point; direct; frank）
単刀直入に聞くけど、彼氏いる？
たんとうちょくにゅう に きく けど、 かれし いる？
I’ll just come out ask it: Do you have a boyfriend?
Literally: “straight to the point + に + ask + but, + boyfriend + there is / have?”
お母さん、単刀直入に言うね。５万円貸して。
おかあさん、 たんとうちょくにゅう に いう ね。 ごまんえん かして。
I won’t beat around the bush. Mom, can you lend me 50,000 yen? // I’ll just get straight to it. Mom, I need you lend me 50,000 yen.
Literally: “mom / mother, + straight to the point + に + say + ね. + 50,000 yen + lend (me) (and).”
That's all there is to it. I hope you enjoy these 四字熟語 lessons!
The word 四字熟語 refers to (often idiomatic) words that are composed of four kanji strung together. I think the first one I ever learned was 一生懸命 (いっしょうけんめい // with the utmost effort; with all of one's might; [working] very hard).
You can see that this word is composed of four kanji:
一 (one)
生 (life)
懸 (suspend)
命 (fate)
↑ These "meanings" are actually the Heisig keywords (= the meanings of kanji as they are listed in James W. Heisig's Remembering the Kanji I), which I used for simplicity. Meanings of kanji are often more flexible than a single-word definition can manage. More on that later, though.
There are thousands of 四字熟語 in Japanese. In fact, I have a whole dictionary of them sitting on my bookshelf. And though we may not need to learn all of the 四字熟語 in existence, it would be in our best interests to at least learn some of the most common ones... which is exactly what we'll be doing in this series of lessons.
People do use 四字熟語 in everyday Japanese. And we'll only be introducing the 四字熟語 that a Japanese person would be likely to say. In other words, we're focusing on useful examples of 四字熟語 in this series.
If you want to know more about 四字熟語, by the way, you can read all about them on Wikipedia.
四字熟語 Lesson Format
Our 四字熟語 lessons are going to be following a specific pattern.
First, we'll start by introducing the target 四字熟語：
単刀直入（たんとうちょくにゅう // straight to the point; direct; frank）
Then we'll include a brief explanation as to how the target 四字熟語 is used:
The literal meaning of 単刀直入 is:
単 (simple)
刀 (sword)
直 (straightaway)
入 (enter)
Combine all of those, and you get the idiomatic meaning of "straight to the point," "direct," "frank," etc.
You'll find that 単刀直入 is commonly used as a precursor to saying something directly, frankly, and so on. Accordingly, it often pairs with verbs like 言う (いう // to say), 聞く (きく // to ask), etc.
We'll then include a couple of natural examples of the target 四字熟語：
単刀直入に聞くけど、彼氏いる？
たんとうちょくにゅう に きく けど、 かれし いる？
I’ll just come out ask it: Do you have a boyfriend?
Literally: “straight to the point + に + ask + but, + boyfriend + there is / have?”
お母さん、単刀直入に言うね。５万円貸して。
おかあさん、 たんとうちょくにゅう に いう ね。 ごまんえん かして。
I won’t beat around the bush. Mom, can you lend me 50,000 yen? // I’ll just get straight to it. Mom, I need you lend me 50,000 yen.
Literally: “mom / mother, + straight to the point + に + say + ね. + 50,000 yen + lend (me) (and).”
After we've seen a brief explanation of the target 四字熟語, along with some examples of natural usage, we'll zoom in on each kanji in the word.
Our kanji close-ups will start with an image designed to help cement the meaning of the kanji in our brains, all of which are taken from our #kanjiaday Instagram series:
We'll then include an image with the stroke order. Even if you don't plan to ever hand-write Japanese, there's no harm in following the stroke pattern with your finger, something I've always enjoyed doing. If writing kanji is your thing, then write away, my friend:
Next, we'll include the meaning of the kanji. First, we list the meanings as they might appear in a dictionary, followed by the Heisig keyword for this particular kanji. Having a single keyword with which you associate a kanji can make it easier to remember. In time, you won't need to know any of these meanings because you'll know enough Japanese words containing the kanji that you simply get a feel for its meaning:
Meaning of 単：simple, one, single, merely
Heisig Keyword: simple
The meaning of the kanji will be followed by an example sentence containing a word that utilizes the kanji in question. Below, for example, we have the word 単なる (たんなる // mere; simple; just) appearing in a sentence:
単なる噂でしょ？
たんなる うわさ でしょ？
It’s just a rumor, right?
Literally: “simple / mere + rumor + でしょ？”
We'll then repeat this process for the three remaining kanji that appear in the 四字熟語, which you'll see below.
Tangent: What about the onyomi and kunyomi readings?!
I know that someone is going to ask about this, so I'll take a moment to explain why we're not including the onyomi (Chinese-derived readings) and kunyomi (Japanese-derived readings) of each kanji that appears in our 四字熟語. There are a couple of reasons.
Reason #1: It is a waste of time to learn some of the readings of kanji.
Take 単, for instance.
The onyomi is たん, which we saw in the word 単なる (たんなる) above. We also see this reading in 単刀直入 (たんとうちょくにゅう), the focus of this lesson.
The kunyomi of 単 is ひとえ. I won't go so far as to say that this reading is never used. There are rare instances when you might come across the reading ひとえ. I've never seen it used before, but Rei has.
Since it is so rarely used, it doesn't make sense for us students to waste our precious time, effort, and brain power on learning this reading. We're better off learning words — and the kanji in words — that improve our functional fluency.
We have to prioritize our learning. Otherwise, there will be huge imbalances in our fluency. I'm speaking from experience — back when I was studying on my own (in California, around N3-N2 level), due to my obsession with learning "everything a Japanese person might know," I learned hundreds and hundreds of Japanese words that are borderline useless, and my fluency suffered. I could have spent all of that extra time learning things that would maximize my understand and control of Japanese as it is used in the real world.
With NihongoShark materials, we're trying to learn useful Japanese as quickly as possible. To do that, unfortunately, we have to cut out the information that is less practical. Once you get to an advanced level, it won't matter that it's possible for 単 to be read as ひとえ. In the off chance that you come across this reading as an advanced student, you can learn it then with minimal effort.
Reason #2: We have limited space in these lessons.
Some kanji have several readings. Learning a kanji's reading in isolation is an obscene waste of time. You should only learn kanji in words. And you should learn words in sentences.
Thus, if we try to cover every reading of every kanji in our target 四字熟語, we may sometimes be forced to include dozens of example sentences in a single lesson, which is more than most of us can reasonably process in a single sitting. This draws our focus further and further from where it should be: On learning the target 四字熟語.
Anyway, that's why we're not going overboard on kanji readings in these lessons.
Sorry for the long tangent. Three more kanji breakdowns, and you'll be finished.
Meaning of 刀：sword, saber, knife
Heisig Keyword: sword
これは日本刀です。
これ は にほんとう です。
This is a Japanese sword.
Literally: “this + は + Japanese sword + です.”
Meaning of 直：frankness, straightaway, repair, fix, honesty
Heisig Keyword: straightaway
直ぐ行きます。
すぐ いきます。
I’ll go there right away. // I’ll go immediately.
Literally: “right away / immediately + go.”
Meaning of 入：enter, insert
Heisig Keyword: enter
お釣りをポッケに入れた。
おつり を ポッケ に いれた。
I put the change in my pocket.
Literally: “change (for a purchase) + を + pocket + に + inserted.”
At the end of the lesson, we'll show the target 四字熟語 and its example sentences one last time. I like to read a sentence, then try to repeat it without looking at it. Or you could use whatever method you personally find helpful for remembering new words and phrases.
単刀直入（たんとうちょくにゅう // straight to the point; direct; frank）
単刀直入に聞くけど、彼氏いる？
たんとうちょくにゅう に きく けど、 かれし いる？
I’ll just come out ask it: Do you have a boyfriend?
Literally: “straight to the point + に + ask + but, + boyfriend + there is / have?”
お母さん、単刀直入に言うね。５万円貸して。
おかあさん、 たんとうちょくにゅう に いう ね。 ごまんえん かして。
I won’t beat around the bush. Mom, can you lend me 50,000 yen? // I’ll just get straight to it. Mom, I need you lend me 50,000 yen.
Literally: “mom / mother, + straight to the point + に + say + ね. + 50,000 yen + lend (me) (and).”
That's all there is to it. I hope you enjoy these 四字熟語 lessons!
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