Teacher: Do you know any of the other readings for the kanji used for the days of the week? (sennsei: youbi no yomikata de shitte iru kanji ha arimasu ka.) Student: Yes, tsuki (moon) is read as getsu. (seito: hai, tsuki ha “getsu” to yomi masu.) Teacher: Great! How did you memorize them? (sennsei: sugoi. douyatte oboeta nn desu ka.) Student: You always say “gessha.” So.... (seito: sennsei ha itsumo ii masu, “gessha” tte. sorede......) Teacher: Money is important. The kanji for “kane” is also read as “kinn.” (sennsei: okane ha taisetsu desu. “kane” to iu kanji ha “kinn” tomo yomi masu.) Student: I also learnt this from you. (seito: sore mo sennsei kara narai mashita.) Student: When I said I didn’t understand the meaning of “gessha” you replied “okane.” “Thanks to you (money),” I could easily memorize them. (seito: gessha no imi ga wakaranai to ittara, sennsei ha iimashita. “okane” “okane” tte. okanesama de kanntannni oboerare mashita.) Manga Explanation Scene 1. The days of the week are named after natural phenomenon that are essential to the daily lives of human beings. These kanji were created from pictures representing each of these things. Besides their standard readings, these kanji are pronounced differently when used for the days of the week. Scene 2. Gessha refers to monthly lesson fees. In Japan payments are generally made monthly. The getsu in gessha means one month and sha means thanks. The pronunciation of getsu might be slightly altered depending on the succeeding word. Scene 3. The kanji金 means both money (kane) and gold (kinn), and their readings are different. Friday is pronounced as kinnyoubi. The kanji 金 is also used for metals (kanamono 金物). Scene 4. “Okanesama de” is a pun of “okagesama de,” which is something Japanese people often say. “Okagesama” means “Thanks to you,” but “okanesama de” (Thanks to money) is used ironically, as the teacher often refers to lesson fees.