Kanji "Ki" in Daily Conversation
It's almost Ki in Daily Life but not really :)
The below lists originally appeared on the ki-info mailing list in
2000. They list some of the colloquial uses of the word "ki" in
Japanese daily life.
Aikiweb also has a similar
list.
rei's list
"Apologies if I screw up any of these ... my Japanese is rather rusty"
- genki (cheer/health/etc ... the standard "how's it going?" question ... I think literally this could mean "original/base ki")
- ki ni naru (to worry about -- not sure about the literal)
- kimochi (one's feelings -- lit., having/holding ki)
- kiai (fighting spirit/shout -- lit., matching/agreeing/harmonious ki;
it's used in the context of attacking a project or a ballgame etc.)
- ki ga chiru (distracting -- lit., scattered ki)
- ki o tsukeru (be careful -- lit., apply ki)
- yaru ki (will to do something -- lit., doing-ki)
- ki ni sawaru (to hurt someone's feelings -- lit., touching (one's) ki)
- ki ga omoi (depression -- lit., heavy ki)
- ki ga nuketeru (being out of it -- lit., lack of ki/ki leaked out)
- ki garu (light-heartedness/happy-go-lucky -- lit., light(weight) ki)
Thomas Malone's List
- Ki ga au (to get along with)
- Ki o momu (to worry about, to fret)
- Ki in kuwanai (to not approve of, to not like something/someone)
- Ki ni iru (like someone/something)
- Ki ga susumanai (don't feel like doing something)
- Kikubari (to be attentive to another or a situation)
"and the list could go on for a long time."
Thomas also writes:
I have a head band that was put out by the Ki no Kenkyu Kai which
lists I believe about 60 Kanji combinations that use the Ki
character. My English students here are always amazed when they see it
and realize just how much their mother language makes use of Ki in
words and sentence structures.
"Ki ga dete iru" is basically a passive sentence meaning Ki is
extending or Ki is sent out
"Ki o dasu" is an active sentence meaning "to extend Ki" or "to
send out Ki".
Thomas Malone
Note on the word "ki" in Japan
I think there is value to see the many different ways that "ki" is
used in the language ... these days in the US, "ki" tends to translate
directly to energy (thanks in part to anime/cartoons like "Dragonball
Z" that features "ki blast" attacks), but as we know, and as the
language shows, ki has more to do with spirit: intention,
mindset, and feelings.
Here's an example:
Ki Joking in Ranma 1/2
Between the popularity of "ki blasts" in martial comics and the
plentiful number of daily life ki phrases, one episode of a Japanese
comic series (Ranma 1/2, by Takahashi Rumiko) combined them to
create some humorous fake ki attacks.
One of the fictitious ki attacks was squishing your opponent flat with
the sheer weight of your depression/depressive ki (see "ki ga omoi,"
above). The way to counter the attack? The cartoon solution was to
be totally out of it, to fit with "ki ga nuketeru" (above), so that
all the negative ki would just pass right through harmlessly. Now,
that last part, minus the terrible mindset, sounds kinda familiar to
me.
As much as these aren't quite normal (or recommendable) aikido
teachings, it seems to me there are some real parallels with some
real-life ki work :)
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