March 2012 Newsletter: Contests, New Writing, and Great Deals at Joy o' Kanji!
Hello, Friends of Joy o' Kanji (aka JOKers)!
Congratulations to Kelly Godsoe, Tilak Bhattacharjee, Junko Soda, and Patrick Sneyd! They all submitted perfect answers to last month's contest and won three essays apiece!
Today we'll start with another contest. Then you'll find results from the previous contest, as well as all that's new at Joy o' Kanji.
New Contest
The following questions pertain to 鹿 (deer), because that's the essay I'm currently writing. Just use your intuition (and maybe a dictionary) to fill in the blanks.
1. Which is the month of idiocy? Fill in the blank with the number of a month. For instance, 1月 is January. The red words correspond to the preceding kanji.
__月馬鹿 ___ + month + idiocy (last 2 kanji)
a. 2 (because our brains freeze in the cold)
b. 4 (because of April Fools' Day)
c. 7 (because heat makes us idiotic)
d. 12 (because holiday excess makes us idiotic)
2. Match the breakdown to the right animal. The red words again correspond to kanji, but this time we can't see the characters!
a. arrow shaft + deer i. reindeer b. reed + deer ii. moose; elk c. cow + woolen cloth + deer iii. sea lion d. tamed + deer iv. gnu; wildebeest
Email me your answers soon! The first three people to answer all questions correctly will win two essays. I'll provide the answers and the winners' names in the next newsletter and maybe in a JOK Notebook post. May the best JOKers win!
Previous Contest
If you missed last month's newsletter, these were the contest questions:
1. illegitimate (throne) + year = _______
a. election year
b. leap year
c. year of worldwide uprisings
d. year in which a controversial person accedes to the throne
2. _______ + under = affiliated with; under the jurisdiction of
a. parent; father
b. god
c. umbrella
d. roof
3. white + _______ = type of noodles
a. waterfall
b. hair
c. strings
d. cloud
And now for the answers:
1.b. illegitimate (throne) + year = leap year, written in kanji as 閏年 (うるうどし). You'll find much more information about this word in today's JOK Notebook post.
2.c. umbrella + under = affiliated with; under the jurisdiction of, written in kanji as 傘下 (さんか: affiliated with; under jurisdiction of). Not surprisingly, 傘下 can also mean "under the umbrella."
3.a. white + waterfall = type of noodles, written in kanji as 白滝 (しらたき: noodles made from konnyaku, a solidified jelly). This word appears in essay 1550 on 滝 (waterfall), which came out two weeks ago. That essay features a picture of konnyaku.
Latest Developments at Joy o' Kanji
• The site has even more great images! Similar to February, I spent a bit of March adding vivid photos to the site. The FAQ in particular is suddenly awash in visuals. The glossary has two new ones, as well. Just above you can see one example from the FAQ. Many thanks to Rajorshi De for this picture of Hotel Kanji in Rajasthan, India.
• You can now buy a bundle of 25 essays! Previously, you could buy bundles of 5 or 10 essays, enjoying a 5 percent or 10 percent discount, respectively. Now that there are 30 essays available for purchase, you can buy a bundle of 25 essays, saving 20 percent in the process! What a deal! To do this, visit the Pricing Information page. You don't need to select everything in a bundle immediately, because your bundle credit will never expire. That is, when you buy a bundle, you're actually purchasing credit on Joy o' Kanji. Here are the main reasons to buy a bundle:
—You want a discount but don't want to choose many essays at once.
—You are waiting to buy an essay that hasn't yet posted.
• Express Checkout is ready! If you're buying several essays, you can now do so more efficiently from the Express Checkout page. On that page you'll be able to see which essays you've downloaded before and which ones you've yet to explore. That page features the above animation. Many thanks to talented Tiara Marina for creating this image!
One note: Express Checkout serves those who don't have subscriptions. If you do have a subscription, you'll continue to download essays in the way you've been doing it—a way that should also be quite efficient!
Offer Valid for a Short Time!
Speaking of subscriptions, a Joy o' Kanji subscription brings the following benefits:
—Access to all essays and all JOKIA albums
—Freedom from the hassle of paying each time you want something
—Huge cost savings
Right now with the early-bird special, a one-year subscription (expiring after 365 days) costs just $65! This offer is valid through Dec. 31, 2012. Starting on Jan. 1, 2013, the rate goes up to $85. To buy a subscription, visit the Pricing Information page.
Joy o' Kanji is Hiring!
I'm trying to fill two positions. If you're qualified and interested, please contact me. And if you know someone who would fit the bill, I would appreciate it if you could notify them.
• Web developer: I'm seeking a Drupal-savvy developer for a short-term project that could expand into something larger. The person must know Drupal (version 6.22), Ubercart, and PHP and must be able to talk to me in nontechnical language!
• Proofreader: I need a native Japanese speaker who is proficient in English, who would jump at the chance to practice reading and writing English, and whom people frequently call brilliant (or the Japanese equivalent). I already have a terrific set of proofreaders, but I hope to start writing more than they can handle!
New Essays
Since we were last in touch, I've posted these essays:
Mar. 23: 矛 (1843: long-handled Chinese spear)
The links take you to Character Home Pages, where you'll find synopses and can buy PDFs.
In addition, I've posted a revised version of the 屈 essay (1188: to bend; yield; flinch; submit; crouch). That essay had beautiful photos, but none contained 屈. Now there's a a good one!
New JOK Notebook Posts
The following JOK Notebook posts have appeared since I last wrote to you:
These are all FREE, and each one has something of interest about kanji, as well as vivid photos, so be sure to check them out!
Have a wonderful month.
JOYOusly yours,
Eve (and the rest of the Joy o' Kanji team)
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