Seeing Things with 鏡 kagami (2024)

Kagami by itself means “mirror” and is thought to have come from shadow (影) and to look (見). Shadow, 影kage, also can have the meaning of reflection or image. Sokagamimay have come fromkagemi–looking at one’s image.

Anyway,kagami means “mirror” today and is the basis for our words in this lesson.

私(わたし)が鏡(かがみ)を見(み)ると、鏡(かがみ)が割(わ)れます。

watashi ga kagami wo miruto, kagami ga waremasu.
​When I look at a mirror, the mirror breaks.

Another reading forkagamiiskyouand when stuck at the end, it acts kind of like the English suffix “-scope”

Here are the three main words:

• 望遠鏡bouenkyoutelescope
• 双眼鏡sougankyoubinoculars
• 顕微鏡kenbikyoumicroscope

望遠鏡 bouenkyou telescope

You’ll recognize the 鏡 askyou. The first two characters 望遠bouenmean “to see at a distance.” So, 望遠bouenpluskyoumeans telescope.

双眼鏡sougankyou binoculars

双眼souganmeans both eyes and whenkyouis added, it becomes binoculars.

顕微鏡kenbikyou microscope

The first kanji 顕 means “exposed,” “unconcealed”. The second is “something very small.” Withkyou,you are exposing something very small.

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Here are two bonus words that you may already know.

• 眼鏡megane (eye) glasses
• 虫眼鏡 mushi megane magnifying glass