Usages of 以 prefix and kanji mnemonics, forms: ijou, inai, ika, igai..
During my JLPT Japanese studies I have encountered the following kanji:
以
Kun: もっ.て, On: イ
Meaning: by means of, because, in view of, compared with
Level: JLPT N4
Mnemonics (how to remember easily):
I remember the form 以上 (ijou) the best, especially これ以上 (kore ijou) meaning anymore (literally: beyond this). I think this form is quite widely used. I always imagine tired farmers saying: I don't want to work anymore!: これ以上働きたくない (Kore ijou hatarakitakunai!). I imagine the kanji as a farmer leaning against the hoe.
I then learned some vocabulary for JLPT N4 and amongst them was inai (within) and ika (no more than). I was quite surprised to see them written as 以内 and 以下, respectively. See the 以? I started searching for similar words with the prefix 以. I found it quite helpful to remember these words mentally grouped by the meaning of 以. I imagine this kanji 以 as something like a boundary or direction towards some kind of a boundary. Here are my most useful findings:
以上
Reading: いじょう (ijou)
Suffix: 上 - above
Meaning: no less than, beyond
Mnemonics: Above (上) the limit (以).
Level: JLPT N4
Example:
一年以上かかりました。
( Ichi nen ijou kakarimashita. )
It took more than one year.
以内
Reading: いない (inai)
Suffix: 内 - inside
Meaning: within, less than
Mnemonics: Still inside (内) the limit (以).
Level: JLPT N4
Example:
一時間以内に帰ります。
( Ichi-jikan inai ni kaerimasu. )
I will be back within an hour.
以下
Reading: いか (ika)
Suffix: 下 - below
Meaning: not more than, following (bellow mentioned)
Mnemonics: Below (下) the limit (以) or below the current line/words.
Level: JLPT N4
Example:
十八歳以下の人は子供だ。
( Juuhassai ika no hito wa kodomoda. )
A person under 18 years old is a child.
以外
Reading: いがい (igai)
Suffix: 外 - outside
Meaning: excluding, except
Mnemonics: Outside (外) the group limit (以).
Level: JLPT N4
Example:
彼以外はみんな好きです
( Kare igai wa min'na sukidesu. )
I love everyone except him.
以前
Reading: いぜん (izen)
Suffix: 前 - before, previous
Meaning: prior to
Mnemonics: Before (前) the limit (以).
Level: JLPT N3
Example:
以前に会ったことがありました。
( Izen ni atta koto ga arimashita. )
I have met him before.
以来
Reading: いらい (irai)
Suffix: 来 - coming, next
Meaning: since
Mnemonics: In the coming time (来) after the limit (以).
Level: JLPT N3
Example:
１８６８年以来、侍は存在していない。
( 1868-Nen irai, samurai wa sonzai shite inai. )
Samurai do not exist since 1868.
以降
Reading: いこう (ikou)
Suffix: 降 - descent
Meaning: from ... onward
Mnemonics: Descending further in time (降) after the limit (以).
Level: JLPT N2
Example:
それ以降毎日幸せでした。
( Sore ikō mainichi shiawasedeshita. )
I've been happy every day since then.
以後
Reading: いご (igo)
Suffix: 後 - behind, after
Meaning: from now on
Mnemonics: After (後) the limit (以).
Level: JLPT N2
Example:
以後こんなことはしません。
( Igo konna koto wa shimasen. )
I will not do this anymore.
以北
Reading: いほく (ihoku)
Suffix: 北 - north
Meaning: northward
Mnemonics: Northwards (北) from limit (以). Can be also used with other cardinal direction as 以南, etc.
Level: formal essays
Example:
東京以北で地震が起きた。
( Tōkyō-ihoku de jishin ga okita. )
An earthquake occurred to the north of Tokyo.
以往
Reading: いおう (iou)
Suffix: 往 going, journey
Meaning: past
Mnemonics: Going away (往) from the current limit (以) - meaning back into the past.
Level: formal essays
Example:
以往の過ちを認めた。
( Iō no ayamachi o mitometa. )
We admitted past mistakes.
So using 以 as a prefix seems to express a direction more and more in a way specified by the suffix kanji. The information about the kanji and the words was obtained via Jisho.org.
Published:Keywords: Japan, language, tutorial
#learnjapanese, #japanese, #kanjimnemonics
Privacy Terms