Kanji Kanban #88

川周辺で食事をさせる方はとんびにご注意下さい。

Use the rikaichan popup dictionary or your favorite reference tool with my transcription below the photo if you need help reading the kanji characters on this sign I saw recently at a Kyoto bakery.

I knew immediately from experience what it’s referring to-I remember strolling along the nearby Kamogawa lost in thought with a fresh roll of bread in my hand when a kite(とんび）swooped down and knocked it to the ground,  hardly touching me.

I’ve heard others talk about similar experiences along the river, and one friend told me about a friend who had a very unfortunate experience while walking her small dog along the river without a leash.  I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that the bakery’s sign is there for good reason as far as protecting your hard earned lunch goes!  The とんび photo is courtesy of Kohei314-CC and was taken in Saga, Japan.

The numbers below refer to the kanji I’ve transcribed below the photo, and correspond to their order of appearance in both Heisig’s Remembering the Kanji and Kanji in Context.

To learn more about how to work with this information and get the most out of my daily Kanji Kanban series, please read this.

Heisig(H127, H317, H284, H1472, H1156, H490, H267, H608, H50)

Kanji In Context(KIC101, KIC558, KIC962, KIC131, KIC237, KIC13, KIC290, KIC291, KIC32)