Illustrated Flashcards in the Sir. Snowman (殳) Family (Tap Readings for Audio)
Side-by-Side Comparison: 役 vs. 段 vs. 投
Every kanji below contains the Sir. Snowman (殳) component. Bold readings indicate the primary WaniKani reading:
| Kanji & Meaning | Readings (Bold = Primary) | Shibashi Visual Mnemonic Story | Top Compound Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 役 (Service) | ON: やく, えき KUN: — |
A techie yakuza snowman provides guard service for the roof slide... | 役 (やく) — service, role, duty, position |
| 段 (Steps) | ON: だん KUN: — |
Friendly snowman Dan loves to greet you at the steps of your house... | 段 (だん) — step, stair, flight of steps, grade, rank, level |
| 投 (Throw) | ON: とう KUN: な |
Mr. Snowman, the nasty guard with cold toes , wants to throw out the kid enjoying the slide... | 投げる (なげる) — to throw or cast away |
Essential Japanese Vocabulary Words Built from the Sir. Snowman (殳) Family
Once you can recognize 役 (Service), 段 (Steps), 投 (Throw) by their shared Sir. Snowman (殳) visual motif, practice reading them inside these high-frequency Japanese words from the Shibashi app:
| Japanese Word | Hiragana Reading | English Meaning | JLPT Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 役 | やく | service, role, duty, position | JLPT |
| 段 | だん | step, stair, flight of steps, grade, rank, level | JLPT |
| 手段 | しゅだん | means, way, measure | JLPT |
| 投げる | なげる | to throw or cast away | JLPT |