Harrowing scenes from Ukraine continue to make headlines as Russia shows no signs of stopping its march into the independent nation. That has meant a lot of coverage on the news and a lot of new vocabulary.
The first kanji you might be noticing more is ¶ (tsuyu/ro/°ù¨). The character represents ¡°dew,¡± ¡°tears¡± and ¡°exposure,¡± and you may have seen it in words like ¶Ҋ (roken, discovery [of a plot/misdeed]) or Åû¶Ñç (hi°ù¨en, reception [for weddings]). However, this kanji also represents ¡°Russia.¡±
Take a look at this headline from the Sankei Shimbun: (Ro[shia] no ¡°hiy¨±k¨ koku¡± shitei ni Nihon k¨gi, Japan protests ¡°unfriendly country¡± designation by Russia). By using the ¶ kanji on its own, rather than spelling out ¥í¥·¥¢ (Roshia, Russia), the headline writer saves space.
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