健気 (kenage: brave, admirable) health + spirit
Hmm, an odd yomi. I know 健 is KEN, as we saw just two weeks ago. But age for 気, which is usually KI?
I figured this was an example of ateji, but when I asked a native speaker, he said 健り(kenari) means “health,” and 健り気 (kenarige) has been shortened to 健気 over the years. Then he wrote, “I am not sure that it is ateji. Maybe in a broad sense it is. Aso wouldn’t be able to read it correctly.” 😛
By the way, for the latest on Aso’s misreading of kanji, see this article, which concludes with the following quote: “Knowledge of kanji could form the fundamental basis of who you are.” Oh my goodness! Does that mean that before I learned kanji, I practically didn’t exist?!
