訳 Translation

Radical Combination

• 言

  Say
• 尺

  Shrimp

Meaning

Primary

Translation

Alternative

Reason

Mnemonic

They say a shrimp who is bad with translation has no reason to live. Most shrimp make a living with their translation skills. They are the translators of the ocean. If they don’t know how to say something in all the languages of the sea, they have no reason to live. They might as well be dead.

Hints

Imagine this one shrimp who is bad at translation. He’s trying to find a reason to live, but he’s having trouble. Look at him all alone, being shunned by the other shrimp.

Readings

On’yomi

やく

Kun’yomi

わけ

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

The translation this shrimp failed to make was for the word “yak” (やく). The shrimp found no reason to translate yak because there are no yak in the sea and then the shrimp just started questioning everything in his life and fell apart.

Hints

The translation of the word yak was the reason this shrimp fell into despair and gave up the translation profession. Now everyone hates him. See this poor shrimp being harassed by others while they shout at him, “Yak! Yak! Yak!”