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For kanji lovers, the word 果実 (kajitsu: fruit, fruit + fruit) is so ripe with possibilities that it’s ready to explode. As we saw last week, 果 and 実 each mean “fruit,” both literally and metaphorically. We investigated the juicy, literal sense last time. Now we’ll see how these terms can refer abstractly to the fruits of one’s labor—the rewards for hard work. Let’s take these kanji one at a time.
The Rewards of 実
The following word captures both the literal and metaphorical aspects of 実:
実入り (miiri: (1) crop, harvest; ripeness; (2) earnings, profits, gains) fruit + to enter
The breakdown brings to mind James and the Giant Peach. But with 実入り, no one is entering a huge piece of fruit! Rather, fruit seeds enter the ground. And later, the earnings from the crop enter the bank account! (It’s “seed money,” you might say, only it comes after the financial venture, not before.)
As you know from this word and others, 実 can have the yomi of mi. A close cousin is the yomi mino(ru):
実る (minoru: to bear fruit, to ripen)
This term can refer to either dripping-good fruit or the fruits of one’s efforts.
Here’s a related noun:
実り (minori: ripening (of a crop); crop, harvest)
This literal word gives rise to a phrase involving metaphorical fruitfulness:
実り多い (minori ōi: fruitful, successful) ripening + many
Minori resembles “minority.” As a mnemonic, you could associate 実り多い with “many successful minorities.”
The Rewards of 果
Whereas 果実 (kajitsu) and 実る (minoru) can refer to a tangible kind of fruit, the following word refers solely to metaphorical fruits:
成果 (seika: results, fruits) to attain + fruit
The character 果 (fruit, result, outcome, effect) shows up in a host of useful words, especially its two kun-yomi forms:
果たす (hatasu: to accomplish; fulfill; carry out; achieve)
This verb is transitive.
果てる (hateru: to end; be finished; be exhausted; die)
This verb is intransitive.
And then, with the on-yomi of KA, 果 means “fruit, result, outcome, effect” and appears in words about effects. Have a look:
因果 (inga: cause and effect; karma; fate) cause + effect
It might have been cool if there hadn’t been voicing here. Then the yomi would have been Inka, and one could have pondered the karma of Incans (or people who drink Inka Kola, which comes from Peru). As it is, we can only wonder about the fate of women named Inga.
効果 (kōka: effect; effectiveness) effect + effect
If you add one kanji in front, you produce its antonym:
逆効果 (gyakukōka: backfiring; opposite effect)
opposite + effect + effect
Tying the Knot
If you’ve concluded that 果 and 実 are two peas in a pod, two sides of the same coin, soulmates for life, and so on, you’re in for a surprise. Both of today’s lead characters like to mate not only with each other (in 果実) but also with 結.
As you probably know, 結 (KETSU, musu(bu)) means “to tie, unite, bind, connect” and is the initial kanji in 結婚 (kekkon: marriage, to unite + to marry). Fittingly, 結 ties the knot in today’s discussion, serving as further common ground on which 果 and 実 can meet. (Or should I say that it breaks up their happy marriage? I guess it depends on your view of threesomes….)
At any rate, here’s how 果 and 実 pair off with 結:
結果 (kekka: result; consequence) to connect + result, outcome
結実 (ketsujitsu: fruitification (bearing fruit); achieving success; realization) to connect + reality
Ketsujitsu means “fruitification”! I love it! This word is specific to botany and doesn’t even appear in my English-English dictionary. Nevertheless, I’m tempted to use it metaphorically: “How’s the fruitification of your kanji study?” You can assess that fruitification with the Verbal Logic Quiz.
