Feeling determined to pass the Level 2 Japanese Proficiency Test this coming December, I decided to spend the afternoon studying kanji... well, not determined so much as guilt-ridden for spending 6000yen on a box of 1000 kanji flashcards... but ANYWAY, I got discouraged and wondered why I should memorize all those complex symbols when I rarely need to read them. I decided to take a break and went to the supermarket. As I was letting myself back in the front door, I noticed these three small stickers on my doorbell; apparently explaining what the different alarm sounds mean.
The top decal, 「ピッピッ」, means that when you hear a "pee-pee" alarm, there is a gas leak. Yikes.
The middle 「ウーウー」 alarm goes: "Oooooo~Oooooo~" and, if my kanji isn't failing me, it means there is a faulty obi (kimono sash) somewhere. Hmmmm.
The third one I dread hearing the most. It says 「ピー」 (a constant "Peeee~") and has 4 very angry-looking kanji underneath - two of which mean "harm" or "injury". You hear this? You run.
