Kenneth G. Henshall

The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji


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alt="Image"/> 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 Image; 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 Image; 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 Image and other early forms Image 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 Image 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 Image, Image 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