捕

to catch; grasp; seize; capture; arrest

Kanji 1784

Some of the six Joyo yomi associated with 捕 sound like tongue twisters. This essay tames them through mnemonics and an exercise. Learn to say, "Television viewers see only what the camera captures," "She's a slave to fashion," and "He was eaten up with guilt." See what it means for a person in Japan to have a "main point" or, conversely, to be incomprehensible to others.

Revision history:

May 9, 2024: 

• p. 4 sidebar: Revised the definition of 指揮を執る.
• p. 5: Slightly revised the breakdown and literal translation of 鳴く猫は鼠を捕らぬ.

Feb. 5, 2022: 

• p. 2, Etymology Box: Updated the Henshall etymology and the Sears link. Also changed the Sears image.
• p. 2, Sidebar 1: Updated Henshall’s etymology of 縛.
• p. 18: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Aug. 4, 2017: 

• p. 4 sidebar: Slightly revised the last paragraph.
• p. 14: Slightly revised the vocabulary for the title of the first book and added a comment about the title.

Nov. 18, 2016:

• pp. 2, 4, and 5: Fixed broken links.
• p. 4: Changed a few yomi in the photo caption.

Dec. 13, 2013: Originally published.