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bribe
Kanji 1952

Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.

Synopsis

The Japanese are known for honesty, but there’s still a long history of bribery (especially in the Edo era) and plenty of ways of talking about it. Learn to say, “Did you or did you not accept the bribe?”, “Everybody suspected him of taking a bribe,” and “He is the last man to take a bribe.” Also find out about mnemonics involving Cairo and greasing someone’s palm with mayonnaise!

Revision history:

Apr. 28, 2023: p. 3: Added a paragraph to the photo caption after obtaining new information.

Apr. 8, 2023: p. 3 sidebar: Changed the definitions of 賄う.

Feb. 20, 2022: 

  • p. 2, Etymology Box: Added a Henshall etymology and updated the Sears link.
  • p. 5: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Aug. 18, 2017: Originally published.

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Kanji PDF
Cover of essay 1952 on 賂, titled "Bribing a Mollusk"
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