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Osaka; slope
Kanji 2097

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

Enter the city of pleasure! This essay covers everything about Osaka, including its name, history, cuisine (e.g., Kansai sushi), castle, and entertainment industry, as well as the Osakan's colorful personality, conversational style, accent, and dialect. Learn about the "Osaka Metropolis Plan" that terrified some people, and find out about often-used terms such as "Keihan" and "Hanshin.”

Revision history:

Dec. 5, 2023:

  • p. 13: Clarified a sentence about battera sushi.
  • p. 18: Added a missing photo credit.

May 22, 2023: p. 4: Significantly revised the second and third paragraphs, as well as Sidebar 1, because new info. came in, throwing into doubt what I’d gleaned from other sources about the evolution of the names of the Osaka area.

June 16, 2021: 

  • p. 2: Added the Henshall etymology.
  • p. 4: I have now indicated more precisely that 1871 was when the government decided that 大阪 was the correct kanji to use in the city name. 
  • p. 13: In the vocab. under the sample sentence, I redefined お膝元 as “territory of a powerful person.”
  • p. 15: Expanded the photo caption.
  • p. 16: Slightly changed the translation of the sample sentence.
  • p. 20: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

June 24, 2016: Originally published.

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Kanji PDF
Cover of essay 2097 on 阪, titled "Ode to Osaka"
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JOYO ON-YOMI
ハン
JOYO KUN-YOMI
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STROKES7
RADICAL阝 (170: left hill)
JLPTN1
HALPERN-/243
HENSHALL-/1865
SPAHN2d4.4