zero 〇 studies

JLPT Level: Unlisted

Unless you read weird stuff, you are almost never going to come across this word. (Btw, this word came from the Mushishi manga.) But it’s still a neat, edgy word, so I thought I’d introduce it to you.

This kanji is made of 3 other kanji that are acting as radicals, so let’s get into each one:

幸

This kanji usually means happiness, but in this case it is a pictorial representation of two hands in manacles. (I think it’s easier to see it if you tilt it on its side.) 

So how on earth does the kanji for happiness actually represent manacles? If you committed a terrible crime and got away with only having your hands tied up (versus execution or torture), you would be feeling pretty happy, right? (As a side note for advanced learners, this is also the etymology behind the word 幸い saiwai.)

丸

This kanji, in its original form centuries ago, depicted two hands being held out in offering.

貝

The website that broke down this kanji did not explain why this radical was included, but this radical represents a clam shell, and in days of old, they were used as money. Hence why you see the clam radical in so many kanji that revolve around money. The clam was something of value, something to be given in exchange for something else. 

To put it all together, we have a person in manacles (幸) holding out their hands and offering (丸) something of value (貝) in exchange for something else, such as a blessing from the gods (贄).

16.09.19

三重県　伊勢市　伊勢神宮　外宮

09.09.19

04.06.19

So, the last time I posted original content was almost 3 years ago. I was still in high school, suffering while loving the IB, with no idea about what major I wanted to pursue. 

A lot of things have changed in these past years, I recently switched majors, I´m reading a lot (something I hadn´t done since pre-IB times), I´m in a healthy and loving relationship, and I´ve grown immensely as a student and as a person. I love the studyblr community and now that I am finally studying a career that I genuinely enjoy, I hope I can start posting way more often, and talking about my passion for learning new things on here. 

So I actually only drink one or two cups per day, but I do drink my coffee black most of the time which is important. Sugary coffee-based drinks from chain cafés are very bad for you, but coffee itself has a lot of very good qualities.

Coffee has a lot of polyphenols. They’re a compound found in all sorts of fruit and vegetables and rich sources of them are often called ‘superfoods’ by the press. Regular coffee drinkers may be getting as much as 1g of these compounds a day simply from coffee.

These polyphenols have lots of positive side effects. Studies show that people who drink coffee regularly may have an 11% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-drinkers, thanks to ingredients in coffee that can affect levels of hormones involved in metabolism. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of stroke, heart attacks and kidney disease. Dark roast coffee decreases breakage in DNA strands, which occur naturally but can lead to cancer or tumours if not repaired by your cells. 

Coffee drinkers also seem to live longer as they are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease due to the effects of these chemicals on inflammation which usually causes them.