憶

memory; guess

Kanji 1039

Our unreliable memories play fascinating tricks on us. See how the Japanese talk about such matters, from having mistaken memories to keeping things in mind. Learn a surprising way to improve your memory. And see how to say all of this: "A flood of memories is coursing through my head," "The older we get, the weaker our memory becomes," and "I wish I had a better memory." 

Revision history:

Sept. 13, 2024: p. 6: Said that 消す appears in the book title in its negative potential form (not negative passive voice).

Aug. 5, 2022: 

• p. 12: Changed the definition of 憶念 to “something held firmly in the mind; one's own thoughts,” removed the subsequent paragraph about examples of this term (because they weren’t actually applicable), and mentioned that the keyword is extremely uncommon.
• p. 12: Changed the breakdown of 臆断 from “guess + conclusion” to “guess + decision.”
• p. 13: Slightly modified the first paragraph, which is about 憶 versus 臆.

June 25, 2021: p. 14: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

July 5, 2019: Originally published.