What a lucky number!
Though I do think I remember something about the number 7 not being particularly lucky in Japan, with the し and all… I don’t think it’s as bad as 4 when it comes to superstition, though!
3 Likes
2024年2月1日（木）
巴
訓：ともえ、うずまき
音：は
英：comma-design
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I tried my best with this one, but I couldn’t get it quite right.
5 Likes
2024年2月4日「日」
I was tasked by a friend to write out the word “Lily” using my calligraphy brush pens, and I asked whether they wanted me to do 「リリー」、「百合」、or 「小百合」、and they asked if I could do all three. So I did!
They aren’t my best work, but they told me they turned out great, so I figured I’d share them here since I’ve done calligraphy in this thread before.
5 Likes
Sorry - I took a couple of days off. Things have been kicking off at work, I suddenly had to go to a funeral, and I had plans with my friend in another prefecture, which inspired today’s character.
2024年2月4日（日）
郡
訓：こおり
音：ぐん
英：county, district
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My best friend lives in Koriyama in Fukushima. I decided to do this one today, because the vast majority of the time, 郡 is read as ぐん, and even the majority of Japanese people can’t read the kunyomi version, unless they’re familiar with Koriyama city.
6 Likes
2024年2月5日（月）
刈
訓：か.る
音：がい、かい
英：reap, cut, clip, trim, prune
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I opened my book up to a random page and found this today. I love it!
6 Likes
Tried my had at writing daito on my whiteboard because I love how it looks. After practicing writing the component kanji a few times, I first tried writing it in a 9-in square, but then I thought it might be easier to balance in a 6-in square since I find it difficult to write or draw something properly when it’s too big. As you can see, I didn’t have to erase anything in the 6-in square lol
9-inch
6-inch
Turns out I find writing 龍 to be very fun. (Also I keep forgetting the two little vertical bits on the ends of the second horizontal line in 雲 and writing it as 二 instead… Gotta practice more. At not making the right side of the 月 radical so straight when writing quickly, too. I don’t have that much trouble with it when writing the actual 月 kanji, maybe because I want to mirror the left side.)
I also have no idea what the stroke order would actually be, so I just drew the component kanji in the order where I felt I’d most easily be able to get the placement right: top 雲, center 龍, left then right 雲, left then right 龍
6 Likes
Don’t quote me on this, but since stroke order usually goes from top to bottom, you would of course start with the 雲 at the top. However, you are correct that when there are three radicals in a horizontal row (in this case, 雲龍雲), you would start with the middle one, followed by left, then right.
In other wordsv- I’m pretty sure you got your stroke order right.
4 Likes
20024年2月6日（火）
烏
訓：からす、いずくんぞ、なんぞ
音：う、お
英：crow, raven
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What struck me about this one is the similarity between both cursive styles. Thoughts?
7 Likes
I had to look at both cursive styles for a second to realize that there was a difference. Also, I had to look up 鳥 to see what the difference was between the two. While it’s interesting, I can’t with kanji that only differ by one stroke.
5 Likes
Tried my hand at biáng as well, also in a 6-in square. Coulda been better balanced, but I didn’t feel like having more than one go at it. (You can definitely tell I wrote quickly lol)
I know the scooter radical’s supposed to look different handwritten, but I find it difficult to write without accidentally scribbling too wide (minor fine motor control issues), so I just copy the computer font. Since it exists, it’s valid in my mind.
6 Likes
2024年2月7日（水）
汀
訓：みぎわ、なぎさ
音：てい
英：water’s edge, shore, bank
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This a really unusual one but I chose it because I came across it in a name a while ago.
6 Likes
2024年2月8日（木）
共
訓：とも、とも.に、-ども
音：きょう
英：together, both, neither, all, and, alike, with
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One of the few characters that has more strokes in the 行書 version than it does in the 楷書 version.
7 Likes
A bit late on again, sorry!
2024年2月9日（金）
紅
訓：べに、くれない、あか.い
音：こう、く
英：crimson, deep red
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I really like how 糸偏 changes in this one.
7 Likes
2024年2月10日（土）
鞭
訓：むち、むちうつ
音：べん、へん
英：whip, rod, counter for whippings
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One of the more random ones I’ve done for this thread, but I wanted to do one with a large number of strokes. I was in the park one day and I saw some guy practicing whipping the ground with his whip… Yeah I have absolutely no idea what that was all about - maybe it’s some kind of little-known sport or something. Anyway, that was the day I first decided to look up this kanji.
7 Likes
2024年2月11日（日）
麺
訓：むぎこ
音：めん、べん
英：noodles, wheat flour
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I went out for ramen tonight with some of my ex-students. It was super fun, so here’s today’s character!
7 Likes
2024年2月12日（月）
建
訓：た.てる、た.て、-だ.て、た.つ
音：けん、こん
英：build
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It’s National Foundation Day today. Well, as already pointed out in another thread, it was actually yesterday, but the bank holiday got moved to Monday, so I’m chilling on my day off!
6 Likes
2024年2月13日（火）
伯
音：はく
英：chief, count, earl, uncle, Brazil
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I saw this character on my way home today so went for it as today’s character.
6 Likes
2024年2月14日（水）
茨
訓：いばら、かや、くさぶき
音：し、じ
英：briar, thorn
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I finally got round to doing one of the characters from Ibaraki.
7 Likes
It only occurred to me while I was writing the date on this one that it’s Valentine’s Day, since I’m extremely single…
Anyway, I’ll do 愛 tomorrow. Sorry for forgetting today. 
5 Likes
2024年2月15日（木）
愛
訓：いと.しい、かな.しい、め.でる、お.しむ、まな
音：あい
英：love, affection, favourite
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As promised yesterday, since I forgot Valentine’s Day. Speaking of which, one of my youngest friends (she’s 3-and-a-half) gave me some homemade cookies as a Valentine’s present today, so I’m super happy and moved!
5 Likes