Motion and activation with 動
The kanji 動 means move or motion. It covers physical movement, emotional stirring, and the starting up of systems or actions. It appears in words for exercise, transfer, emotion, action, and automatic operation.
Etymology
This kanji is a phono-semantic compound comprised of 重 as the phonetic component and 力 (strength) as the semantic component.
Actions
行動 (Action)
行動 means action, conduct, or behavior. It emphasizes movement outward into deeds rather than thought alone.
It combines 行 (act) with 動 (move) to show movement into action.
Sazanka sneaks out of class, leaving the teacher to send Asagao to bring her back. As Asagao chases Sazanka across the rooftops near the upper grade classroom, Tsubaki spots them. She meets them up on the roof and recites the school’s first rule.
- ツバキ:
- 「ひとつ。無断で勝手な行動をとるべからず。」
- “One: Doing as you please without permission is strictly forbidden.”
活動 (Activity)
活動 means activity, active work, or organized action. It is used for clubs, jobs, campaigns, hobbies, and energetic movement in general.
It combines 活 (lively) with 動 (move) to show lively movement.
Sakurako forces Takeru to join the shogi club. When he suggests she join as well, she refuses and tells him not to go either, or else he’ll be in the way there.
- タケル:
- 「乗り気じゃなかったが入部した以上はしっかり活動する！」
- “I wasn't enthusiastic, but now that I'm in the club, I'll work hard!”
- 「それが男ってもんだ！！」
- “That's what it means to be a man!!”
- “I wasn't enthusiastic, but now that I'm in the club, I'll work hard!”
Living Things
動物 (Animal)
動物 means an animal. It is the standard general word for living creatures that move, especially as contrasted with plants.
It combines 動 (move) with 物 (thing) to show a moving living thing.
Chino is fascinated by the rabbit at a rival tea shop, but she keeps her distance.
- ココア:
- 「触らないの？」
- “You're not going to touch it?”
- リゼ:
- 「チノはティッピー以外の動物が懐かないらしい」
- “It seems that animals other than Tippy don’t warm up to Chino.”
らしい indicates Rize is reporting something she heard or observed, rather than stating it as a confirmed fact.
