.

(post-Shuowen). Has 山 26 ‘mountain’ and 石 47 ‘stone, rock’. Tōdō includes it in a word-family meaning ‘angular and hard’. YK1976:108; TA1965:866-8.

      Mnemonic: STONY MOUNTAIN IS ALL ROCK

      103

      L4

      顔

      GAN, kao

      face

      18 strokes

      顔面 GANMEN face

      顔色 kaoiro complexion

      顔付き kaotsuki countenance

      Bronze consists of a head (頁) exaggerated, and 彦 (NJK; male name; etymology disputed). Katō sees 彦 here as phonetic with associated sense ‘forehead’, and 顔 itself originally meaning ‘forehead’. Shirakawa sees 彦 as depicting tattooing of forehead as marking adulthood. ‘Face’ shows minor semantic shift. KJ1970:222; SS1984:137-8,269.

      Mnemonic: ONLY THREE HAIRS LEFT STANDING ON HEAD: GLUM FACE

      104

      L1

      汽

      KI

      steam, vapor

      7 strokes

      汽車 KISHA steam train

      汽船 KISEN steamship

      汽笛 KITEKI steam whistle

      Relatively late origin (Shuowen). ‘Water’ 氵 42, and 气 ‘vapor, steam’ (see 12) which also serves as phonetic. KJ1970:230; GY2008:498.

      Mnemonic: STEAM COMPRISES WATERY VAPORS

      105

      L3

      記

      KI

      chronicle

      10 strokes

      記者 KISHA reporter

      記事 KIJI article

      日記 NIKKI diary

      Relatively late (Shuowen). Has 言 118 ‘words’ and 己 866 (‘self’, originally ‘twisted thread’) with associated sense taken as i] ‘record’, thus ‘record words’ (Katō, Yamada), or ii] ‘something twisted is straightened’, thus ‘put confused matters in order’ (Tōdō). TA1965:127-8; KJ1970:233-4; YK1976:113-4.

      Mnemonic: A WORDY CHRONICLE WITH A TWIST IN IT

      106

      L4

      帰

      KI, kaeru

      return

      10 strokes

      帰化 KIKA naturalization

      帰省 KISEI homecoming

      帰り道 kaerimichi way back

      OBI ; seal ; traditional 歸. Interpretations vary. The right side 帚 element occurs in OBI texts as a pictograph for ‘broom held in hand’, and then also to represent the word for ‘wife’ (otherwise written unambiguously as 婦 800). The meaning ‘return’ seems related to the ancient custom of a groom going to the home of his new bride to collect her, and for them to return to his own home. Katō and Yamada take the top left element of 歸 as phonetic, with associated meaning ‘follow’, while Ogawa considers the lower left-hand element 止 143 ‘stop’ serves in this role, with the same meaning. For Shirakawa, alternatively, the top left element of the traditional form at the OBI stage shows pieces of raw meat used as part of a ceremony to mark the return of soldiers to camp. Present form has a much simplified left-hand element (similar to ‘cut/sword’ determinative 198刂) to represent combined upper and lower left-hand elements. MR2007:377,464; KJ1970:254-5; YK1976:113; OT1968:540; SS1984:144.

      Mnemonic: RETURN WITH WIFE CARRYING BROOM AND SWORD

      107

      L1

      弓

      KYŪ, yumi

      bow, archery, arc

      3 strokes

      弓道 KYŪDŌ archery

      弓状 KYŪJŌ arch

      弓取り yumitori archer

      Based on pictograph of a bow. Some OBI and bronze forms include the bowstring , others do not; bowstring is omitted in seal script (Shuowen) onwards. Other meanings such as ‘arc’ by extension. MR2007:483; MS1995:v1:466-7.

      Mnemonic: STRINGLESS BOW

      108

      L4

      牛

      GYŪ, ushi

      cow, bull

      4 strokes

      牛肉 GYŪNIKU beef

      牛耳る GYŪJIru* control someone

      牛飼い ushigai cowherd

      Based on pictograph of the head of a cow or bull. At the OBI stage , the horns are prominent. Opinion is divided as to whether the cross line indicates ears or crown of the head. Katō favors a perspective from behind the head. MR2007:229-30; QX2000:181; KJ1985:396.

      Mnemonic: COW WITH EARS AND BROKEN HORN

      109

      L5

      魚

      GYO, uo, sakana

      fish

      11 strokes

      金魚 KINGYO goldfish

      魚釣り uotsuri angling

      魚屋 sakanaya fishmonger

      Based on the pictograph of a whole fish, e.g. bronze form . MR2007:454; QX2000:45. As a mnemonic we suggest taking the four strokes of the tail as the ‘fire’ determinative 灬 8.

      Mnemonic: FISH WITH SQUARE BODY AND FIERY TAIL

      110

      L4

      京

      KYŌ, KEI

      capital

      8 strokes

      東京 TŌKYŌ Tokyo

      上京 JŌKYŌ going to capital

      京浜 KEIHIN Tokyo-Yokohama

      Typical OBI ; bronze . OBI forms seem to show some sort of building seemingly on top of a hill or artificially raised mound of earth. Katō and Ogawa favour this interpretation. In ancient China nobles often lived in houses elevated above the general populace. Shirakawa, by contrast, interprets both OBI and bronze forms as showing a watchtower over an arched gate. Either way, the graph can be taken as a structure controlled by those in positions of power, leading to extended meanings such as ‘great’ and ‘capital (city)’ KJ1970:345; OT1968:38; SS1984:190-91. Suggest take graph as tōrō (stone garden