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Usages of 以 prefix and kanji mnemonics, forms: ijou, inai, ika, igai..

During my JLPT Japanese studies I have encountered the following kanji:

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.

Mnemonics for a Japanese Kanji 以 in a form of 以上 (ijou) as a tired farmer not working anymore.
Mnemonics for a Japanese Kanji 以 in a form of 以上 (ijou) as a tired farmer not working anymore.

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

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