豆
TŌ, ZU, mame
beans, miniature
7 strokes
豆腐 TŌFU tofu (beancurd)
大豆 DAIZU soybean
豆本 mameHON miniature book
OBI form ; seal . Originally a pictograph of a round vessel on a stem (varied in height) with a splayed foot, to serve meat or other food; later, some such vessels (Ch. dou) served a ritual purpose. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘stand upright’. The graph seems to have been borrowed to represent a different word (of same pronunciation in Han times) meaning ‘bean, soybean’; the meaning ‘small’ may be an extended use from ‘bean’ (something small). KJ1970:733-4; MR2007:314; QX2000:179,356; TA1965:281-3; SS1984:642; AS2007:215-6. We suggest taking the top lateral stroke as ‘one’ 一 (1).
Mnemonic: ONE MINIATURE BOX ON STAND, FULL OF BEANS
380
L3
島
TŌ, shima
island
10 strokes
列島 RETTŌ archipelago
島民 TŌMIN islanders
島国 shimaguni island nation
Seal ; this is a late graph (Shuowen). Has 山 26 ‘mountain’, and (abbreviated shape for 鳥 190 ‘bird’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘big waves’, to give ‘mountains (or other land projecting up) surrounded by sea’, namely ‘island’. YK1976:387; KJ1970:668; OT1968:304.
Mnemonic: BIRD ALIGHTS ON MOUNTAINOUS ISLAND
381
L3
湯
TŌ, yu
hot water
12 strokes
銭湯 SENTŌ public bath
湯気 yuge steam
茶の湯 CHAnoyu tea ceremony
Bronze ; seal . Has 氵 42 ‘water’, and 昜 161 (‘sun shining up high’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘hot sun, hot’. MS1995:v2:768-9; KJ1970:879; YK1976:388; OT1968:596. We suggest taking 日 66 ‘sun’ with as rays.
Mnemonic: RAYS FROM RISING SUN MAKE WATER HOT
382
L3
登
TŌ, TO, noboru
climb
12 strokes
登場 TŌJŌ appearance
登山 TOZAN mountaineering
木登り kinobori tree-climbing
OBI forms , ; bronze . Interpretations diverge. Often taken as 癶 ‘tread or step heavily’, with 豆 379 ‘food vessel’ as phonetic with associated sense ‘climb’ (Mizukami, Katō, Yamada). An alternative analysis is found in Ma, taking the second common OBI form above as showing a stone platform or pedestal for mounting a horse, with two helping hands below and the feet of the rider above; Shirakawa also takes the element similar in shape to 豆 as a mounting platform. MS1995:v2:894-5; KJ1970:733; YK1976:388; MR2007:239-40; SS1984:648. We suggest 豆 in its original meaning ‘tall food vessel’, and 癶 as funny feet.
Mnemonic: TWO FUNNY FEET CLIMB TALL FOOD VESSEL
383
L3
等
TŌ, hitoshii, nado
class, equal, et cetera
12 strokes
一等 ITTŌ first class
上等 JŌTŌ high class
等圧線 TŌATSUSEN isobar
Seal . Late graph (Shuowen). Has 58 ‘bamboo’, here denoting bamboo writing tablet, and 寺 149 (‘temple’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘arrange, put in order’. Similar to 第 359 ‘order’, but regarding the additional sense ‘equal’ which 等 has, Shirakawa cites a pre-modern Chinese commentary which explains this on the basis of sorting out big and small bamboo writing tablets, resulting in groups of tablets of equal size; if we accept this explanation, ‘etc. (et cetera)’ – meaning the inclusion of further similar items – can be regarded as an extended sense. KJ1970:482; YK1976:389; SS1984:648.
Mnemonic: BAMBOO TABLETS ETC AT TEMPLE ARE ALL CLASSED EQUAL
384
L4
動
DŌ, ugoku/kasu
move
11 strokes
動物 DŌBUTSU animal
動機 DŌKI motive
動き ugoki movement
Seal . Late graph (Shuowen). Has 力 78 ‘strength, power’, and 重 326 (‘heavy’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘shake’, to give meaning ‘exert power’, and by extension ‘move’. YK1976:391; KJ1970:704; OT1968:128.
Mnemonic: STRENGTH MOVES HEAVY OBJECT
385
L3
童
DŌ, warabe
child
12 strokes
童話 DŌWA nursery tale
児童 JIDŌ children
童心 DŌSHIN child’s mind
Bronze . Seal . Bronze form has 辛 1535 ‘needle’ over 重 326 (‘heavy’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘slave’, also with 目 76 ‘eye’ added in the middle. In ancient China, slaves were tattooed on the forehead with a needle to indicate ownership, and ‘eye’ here is taken to denote forehead, the eye being much easier to represent pictographically. There is debate over this graph’s diff erent meanings ‘slave, servant’ and ‘child’. Qiu observes that in ancient texts 童 represented both ‘slave, servant’ and ‘child’, and that by the time of Shuowen the NJK graph 僮 had been
