Hi everyone!
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we’re going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That’s right – kanji seen and used everyday!

The theme for this week is kanji found at a gas station. Let’s take a look!

①

泡洗車 (awa sensha) = bubble car wash

This refers to a car wash. The first kanji is 泡 (awa) and means “bubbles”, and the second word 洗車 (sensha) means “car wash”. 洗車 is made up of the characters for “wash” (洗) and “car” (車).

泡洗車 (awa sensha) = bubble car wash
● 泡 (awa) = bubbles
● 洗車 (sensha) = car wash

● 泡 (awa) = bubbles

洗車 (sensha) = car wash
● 洗 (sen) = wash
● 車 (sha) = car

Sample Sentence:
今日は泡洗車で、愛車を洗う。
Kyō wa awa sensha de, aisha o arau.
Today I’m going to take my beloved car to the car wash.

②

給油中エンジン停止 (kyūyuchū enjin teishi) = Stop/turn off engine while fueling

This sign is telling you to turn off your engine while filling up for gas. The first word, 給油中, is made up of two parts: 給油, meaning filling up gas, and 中, which means “while” or “in the middle of”. The word in the middle is エンジン, which is the English word “engine” in katakana. The last word is 停止, which means “stop” and is referring to stopping the engine.

給油 (kyūyu) = filling up gas, fueling
● 給 (kyū) = grant
● 油 (yu) = gas

● 中 (chū) = in the middle of

停止 (teishi) = suspension, halt
● 停 (tei) = stop
● 止 (shi) = halt

Sample Sentence:
給油中はエンジンを止めてください。
Kyūyuchū wa enjin o tomete kudasai.
Please turn off your engine when fueling your vehicle.

③

軽油 (keiyu) = gas oil/light diesel oil

軽油 (keiyu) contains the kanji for “light” (軽) and “oil” (油), and refers to “light diesel oil.”

軽油(keiyu) = gas oil/light diesel oil
● 軽 (kei) = light
● 油 (yu) = oil

Sample Sentence:
軽油は一番安い。
Keiyu wa ichiban yasui.
Light oil is the cheapest.

④

灯油 (tōyu) = kerosene

This word contains the kanji for “lamp” (灯), and the kanji for “oil” (油). Together these two kanji combine to create the word for “kerosene”.

灯油 (tōyu) = kerosene
● 灯 (tō) = light
● 油 (yu) = oil

Sample Sentence:
雪の多いところでは、灯油は必需品です。
Yuki no ōi tokoro de wa, tōyu wa hitsujuhin desu.
In places where it snows a lot, kerosene is an indispensable item.

⑤

火気厳禁 (kaki genkin) = Flammable! Keep fire away!
The word 火気 (kaki) means “fire” (in this case referring to an open fire), and 厳禁 (genkin) means “strictly prohibited”. This sign is telling people that open flames are strictly prohibited at the gas station.

火気 (kaki) = fire
● 火 (ka/hi) = fire
● 気 (ki) = air, spirit

厳禁 (genkin) = strict prohibition
● 厳 (gen) = strict
● 禁 (kin) = prohibited

Sample Sentence:
ガソリンスタンドは火気厳禁です。
Gasorin sutando wa kaki genkin desu.
Open flames are strictly prohibited at the gas station.

★ If you think you can remember them all, try testing yourself with this video on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjq3v8GIYz8
★ Follow us on Twitter for future Everyday Kanji series!