The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji. Kenneth G. Henshall

as a tree used for firewood, or a luxuriant rapidly-growing tree; in the graph 親, he takes it as phonetic with associated sense ‘close, near’, giving overall meaning ‘seeing those nearby’, i.e., parents, relatives. SS1984:472, 478; MS1995:v1:668-9, 1178-9.

      Mnemonic: A PARENT SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR NEEDLES, EVEN FROM TREES

      167

      L4

      図

      ZU, TO, hakaru

      plan, diagram

      7 strokes

      地図 CHIZU map

      図画 ZUGA a drawing

      図書館 TOSHOKAN library

      Early form ; traditional form 圖. Taken as a sketch showing land within boundaries (Mizukawa, Katō), similar to some interpretations of 画 91 ‘draw’. Shirakawa takes it as granaries on agricultural land. MS1995:v1:260-61; KJ1970:909; SS1984:483.

      Mnemonic: DIAGRAM ON PAPER SHEET SHOWS SPOT X WITH TWO POINTERS

      168

      L3

      数

      SŪ, kazu, kazoeru

      number, count

      13 strokes

      数学 SŪGAKU mathematics

      数日 SŪJITSU several days

      数々 kazukazu numerous

      Seal ; traditional 數. Has 攵 (攴 normally ‘beat, strike’ 112, but here ‘do something with the hands’), and 婁 (CO; ‘sorceress’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘count out loud’ (Katō), or ‘be linked’ (Mizukami). Shirakawa, though, takes the graph as originally depicting a woman with a chignon, which is then dishevelled by someone’s hands (攵) to denote ‘blame, reproach’ (now a minor meaning in Chinese). MS1995:v1:582-3,336-7; KJ1970:499; SS1984:490-91. We suggest taking the modern form as 米 220 ‘rice’, 女 37 ‘woman’, and ‘use of hands’ 攵 112.

      Mnemonic: WOMAN COUNTS NUMBER OF RICE GRAINS BY HAND

      169

      L5

      西

      SEI, SAI, nishi

      west

      6 strokes

      西洋 SEIYŌ the West

      関西 KANSAI Kansai region

      西日 nishibi afternoon sun

      OBI and other early forms seem to depict a basket (Mizukami, Shirakawa), or ‘wine press’ (Katō), while Ma and Schuessler say ‘nest’. From the outset, it appears to have been a loan for ‘west’. MS1995:v2:1174-5; SS1984:493; MR2007:457; AS2007:522; KJ1985:550-1. Taking the modern form as a wine jar may be helpful.

      Mnemonic: TIME FOR A JAR – THE SUN IS IN THE WEST

      170

      L4

      声

      SEI, SHŌ, koe

      voice

      7 strokes

      声援 SEIEN vocal support

      大音声 DAIONJŌ loud voice

      泣き声 nakigoe sobbing voice

      Traditional 聲. OBI is taken as 磬 ‘qing – ancient Chinese musical instrument with suspended stones and striker’ (声 is based on pictograph of a qing, with 殳, another form of ‘hand holding something to strike with’) and 耳 31 ‘ear’ to give overall meaning ‘listen to instrument’, and by extension ‘sound, voice’. In the OBI form, Shirakawa takes 口 22 ‘mouth’ as a receptacle for written incantations). MS1995:v2:1060-61; MR2007:459; SS1984:493-4. We suggest taking modern form as 士 521 ‘samurai’, with lower element as variant of ‘door’ 戸 120.

      Mnemonic: VOICE OF SAMURAI AT DOOR

      171

      L3

      星

      SEI, SHŌ, hoshi

      star

      9 strokes

      火星 KASEI Mars

      明星 MYŌJŌ Venus

      流れ星 nagareboshi shooting star

      Some of the OBI forms such as , have up to five circular or roughly square shapes similar to 日 66 ‘sun’ (with or without 生), and these presumed ‘sources of light’ represent stars pictographically. Mizukami treats 晶 (1502, ‘clear/bright/crystal’) as the original form of 星, while Ma treats the two as separate graphs. 生 44 (‘birth, life’) here is phonetic with associated sense ‘clear’. Tōdō has 星 and 晶 in same word-family ‘clear’. MS1995:v1:626-8; MR2007:357-8; TA1965:488-91.

      Mnemonic: STARS ARE BORN FROM THE SUN

      172

      L3

      晴

      SEI, hareru

      clear, bright

      12 strokes

      晴天 SEITEN clear sky

      晴々 harebare bright

      晴れ着 haregi best clothes

      A very late graph; not listed in Shuowen (Schuessler gives Yupian ‘Jade Chapters’ – a Chinese dictionary compiled ca. 543AD – as an early reference). Made up of semantic element 日 66 ‘sun/bright’, with 青 45 (‘blue/green’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘clear, fresh’. OT1968:471; AS2007:431-2, 539.

      Mnemonic: BRIGHT SUN AGAINST BLUE MEANS CLEAR WEATHER

      173

      L4

      切

      SETSU, SAI, kiru

      cut

      4 strokes

      親切 SHINSETSU kindness

      一切 ISSAI all

      腹切り harakiri harakiri

      Relatively late (Shuowen). Has 刀 198 ‘sword, knife’, and 七 32 (‘seven’, originally ‘cut’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘cut bone, cut’. In Late Han times, 七 and 切 were near-homophones. KJ1970:47-8; TA1965:778-9; AS2007:419,312.

      Mnemonic: SEVEN SWORD CUTS

      174

      L3

      雪

      SETSU, yuki

      snow

      11 strokes

      降雪 KŌSETSU snowfall

      大雪 ōyuki heavy snow

      除雪車 JOSETSUSHA snow plow

      OBI forms