聞219 BUN, MON, kiku/koeru shows some variation, and seal script becomes
standardized as 31 ‘ear’ with 231 (‘door’/
L5 hear, ask, listen ‘gate’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘dis-
14 strokes tinguish’. The other meaning ‘ask’ (a word with
slightly different pronunciation from ‘hear’ in
SHINBUN newspaper early Chinese) might represent a loan usage.
CHŌMON a hearing MS1995:v2:1060-61; KJ1970:834-5; YK1976:442;
kikichigai mishearing MR2007:459; AS2007:514.
OBI has ‘person’ with hand to exaggeratedly Mnemonic: AN EAR AT THE DOOR MEANS
large ‘ear’: parallel formational construction
is found with 20 ‘see’. Bronze script then SOMEONE IS LISTENING
米220 BEI, MAI, kome graph now stands for ‘rice’, but disputed whether
originally rice grains were represented, or
L3 rice, America millet. The sense ‘America’ is based on an old
6 strokes on reading ME, formerly used to write
BEIKA price of rice AMERIKA. KJ1970:840-41; YK1976:444-5;
BEIKOKU America SS1984:765-6.
HAKUMAI white rice
Mnemonic: GRAIN-LADEN AMERICAN RICE
OBI , based on pictograph of ears of grain.
Katō takes the horizontal line as chaff. The PLANTS
歩221 HO, BU, aruku, ayumu Traditional form is . The most complete OBI
graph has ‘crossroads’ with ‘left foot’ and
L4 walk, rate ‘right foot’, to represent ‘walk’. KJ1970:156;
8 strokes MS1995:v1:703-4; YK1976:449. We suggest tak-
ing the modern graph as ‘foot/stop’ 143 (q.v.)
SHINPO progress and ‘few’ 160.
BUai ratio
arukidasu start walking Mnemonic: FOOT STOPS AFTER JUST A FEW
PACES OF WALKING
母222 BO, haha OBI forms onwards are based on picto-
graph of woman 37 with exaggerated
L5 mother breasts and nipples. KJ1970:859; YK1976:451;
5 strokes SS1984:780-81.
BOSEI maternity Mnemonic: A MOTHER IS A WOMAN WITH
okāsama* Mother PROMINENT NIPPLES
hahaoya mother
方223 HŌ, kata The OBI form appears generally to be
taken as based on a pictograph of a plow-
L4 side, way, person, share. All modern meanings are loan usages.
direction, square MR2007:395-6; KJ1970:762-3; YK1976:452.
4 strokes
Mnemonic: PLOW OFF TO ONE SIDE – THAT’S
HŌGAKU direction THE DIRECTION
oyakata boss
mikata way of looking
100 The 160 Second Grade Characters
北224 HOKU, kita kami. ‘North’ is loan usage (Schuessler notes
the two words were homophones in early
L5 north, flee Chinese), while (less likely) Mizukami treats
5 strokes as extended sense on basis that houses in
ancient China were built facing south, so the
TŌHOKU northeast backs of occupants faced north. MR2007:389;
HAIBOKU defeat MS1995:v1:156-7; AS2007:246; KJ1970:960.
kitakaze north wind
Mnemonic: PEOPLE FLEE, TURNING THEIR
OBI is based on pictograph of two people
back-to-back in profile. ‘Turn back on, retreat’ is BACKS ON THE NORTH
taken as primary meaning by Ma and Mizu-
毎225 MAI, -goto (‘mother’) as phonetic, with associated sense
‘abundant’ (Katō, Yamada, Tōdō); the latter
L5 each, every seems the more persuasive. The meaning of
6 strokes ‘each, every’ is borrowed usage. MR2007:220;
OT1968:548; KJ1970:756; YK1976:461;
MAINICHI every day TA1965:166-8. Suggest taking elements as
MAIDO each time ‘person’ / 41 and ‘mother’ .
higoto daily
Traditional ; OBI . OBI views divided, taking Mnemonic: EACH AND EVERY PERSON HAS A
the graph as depicting either a mother with MOTHER
hairpin (Ma, Ogawa), or plant, with 222
妹226 MAI, imōto Semantic-phonetic compound found in OBI
texts onwards . Has 37 ‘woman’, and
L4 younger sister 617 (‘immature’) as phonetic with associated
8 strokes sense ‘continuation’ (Katō, Yamada) or ‘small’
(Ogawa, Tōdō). KJ1970:868-9; YK1976:461;
SHIMAI sisters OT1968:256; TA1965:732-6.
imōtoBUN sworn sister
REIMAI your younger sister Mnemonic: YOUNGER SISTER IS AN IMMA-
TURE WOMAN
万227 MAN, BAN, yorozu (at least from the time of the early 11th century
Guangyun dictionary) was seen as being a
L5 ten thousand, myriad popular or vulgar equivalent for , but accord-
3 strokes ing to Katō, this is a loan use of , originally a
separate graph (pictograph of type of aquatic
GOMAN fifty thousand plant), for ‘ten thousand’. MS1995:v2:1124-6;
BANJI all things MR2007:512; QX2000:177; KJ1970:299-300,812;
yorozuya general dealer KZ2009:v1:2. We suggest taking as a ‘head-
less’ version of 223 in one of its meanings,
Formerly . OBI form is based on picto- ‘person’.
graph of a scorpion. Already in OBI was used
as a loan to indicate a number (‘ten thousand/ Mnemonic: TEN THOUSAND HEADLESS
large number’), and so, according to Qiu,
another graph was then devised for ‘scorpion’, PERSONS
comprising and 60 ‘insect’. Traditionally
The 160 Second Grade Characters 101
明228 MEI, MYŌ, akarui, Occurs in two forms in OBI: a) and b) :
a) – the dominant line of development – cor-
L4 akari/keru/kasu responding to 66 ‘sun’ and 18 ‘moon’, as in
clear, open, bright modern Japanese and Chinese script; b) made
8 strokes of ‘moon’ and an element which is taken either
as ‘window’ (Qiu, Karlgren) or ‘light, bright’
MEIHAKU clarity (Katō, Yamada). QX2000:83, 192; BK1957:201;
MYŌNICHI tomorrow KJ1970:838; YK1976:468.
akegata day-break Mnemonic: SUN AND MOON TOGETHER
MAKE IT CLEAR AND BRIGHT
鳴229 MEI, naku/ru
The modern graph has ‘mouth’ 22 and ‘bird’
L3 non-human sound 190, but based on OBI and bronze forms
14 strokes
Katō takes the bird to be a cock. KJ1970:839;
MEIDŌ rumbling MR2007:297; OT1968:1150.
nakigoe animal cry Mnemonic: SOUNDS FROM A BIRD’S MOUTH
narimono musical instrument ARE NOT HUMAN
毛230 MŌ, ke Bronze forms such as show the graph is
based on a tuft of fur or hair. SS1984:822;
L3 hair, fur OT1968:549; YK1976:471.
4 strokes Mnemonic: FOUR STROKES FOR A TUFT OF
HAIR
YŌMŌ wool
kegawa fur Based on pictograph of a closed double gate or
kemushi caterpillar door; OBI form . MR2007:457; SS1984:824-5;
OT1968:1055.
門231 MON, kado Mnemonic: A DOUBLE-DOORED GATE
L4 gate, door Bronze form has 46 ‘moon’ (later ‘even-
8 strokes ing’), and the NJK (‘again’) as phonetic
(associated sense disputed). Tōdō includes in
SEIMON main gate a word-family meaning ‘alternating shape or
MONBAN doorman pattern’, in this case night and day. KJ1970:89;
kadode departure YK1976:473; TA1965:332-6. We suggest taking
夜232 YA, yo, yoru as a top-hat, ‘person’ 41, ‘moon’ , and
an extra stroke.
L4 night Mnemonic: PERSON PUTS TOP HAT ON AT
8 strokes NIGHT TO AVOID MOON-STROKE
YAKŌSEI nocturnal
yoake dawn
yoruhiru night and day
102 The 160 Second Grade Characters
野233 YA, no The graph made up of these elements can be
traced back only as far as the seal script
L4 moor, wild (Shuowen). It comprises 238 ‘village’, and
11 strokes
425 (‘already’) as phonetic with associated
YASEI wild sense ‘calm, quiet’. KJ1970:874; MS1995:v2:1356;
YAKYŪ baseball YK1976:474.
nohara moor, field
Mnemonic: VILLAGE ALREADY BUILT ON
WILD MOOR
友234 YŪ, tomo OBI form shows two hands together,
to signify ‘help’, ‘togetherness’, and so also
L5 friend ‘friend’. MR2007:271; KJ1970:38; SS1984:832;
4 strokes YK1976:477-8.
YŪJIN friend Mnemonic: TWO HANDS TOGETHER IS A
YŪJŌ friendship SIGN OF FRIENDSHIP
tomodachi friend
用235 YŌ, mochiiru OBI form is widely taken to show a pen for
animals which were sometimes used in the
L4 use Shang dynasty for sacrifice; ‘use’ is probably
5 strokes loan usage. Ma interprets it as depicting a
bucket. SS1984:844; KJ1970:885; YK1976:482;
YŌJI business AS2007:577; MR2007:283.
YŌI preparation
AKUYŌ abuse Mnemonic: MAKE USE OF A FENCE
曜236 YŌ ‘shine’/‘bright’ 228, which gives 66 ‘sun’
L4 day of week, shine and 18 ‘moon’, to which was added the tra-
18 strokes
ditional five-planet group (Mars,
YŌbi day of week
KAYŌbi Tuesday Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn respectively);
SHICHIYŌ days of week
each of these seven then combines with to
Late graph, not in Shuowen. Noted in late 6th
century AD Yupian as having same meaning give ‘Sunday’, ‘Monday’, and so on.
as (NJK), i.e. ‘shine’, and Yamada and Katō
treat 324 (‘bird’) as phonetic with associ- KJ1970:84; YK1976:486; MT1989:v5:945. Sug-
ated sense ‘shine’. Morohashi, though, explains
the Japanese-only sense ‘day of the week’ as: gest taking in its two meanings of sun and
day, and as its elements, ‘wings’ 82 and
‘bird’ 324.
Mnemonic: SUN WINGS ITS WAY LIKE A BIRD
– ANOTHER DAY PASSES
来237 RAI, kuru, kitaru/su Traditional ; OBI . Treated by almost all
scholars as based on pictograph of wheat /
L5 come barley, which was then borrowed as a loan
7 strokes for the (near/) homophonous word for ‘come’.
Frequently used already in OBI texts for ‘come’.
RAIGETSU next month But Pulleyblank suggests that is the original
SHINRAISHA newcomer graph for the cereal, and that the separate
dekigoto occurrence graph , meaning ‘wheat’ (with ‘foot’, see
The 160 Second Grade Characters 103
Appendix) was originally intended for ‘come’ Mnemonic: WHEAT COMES TO BE TEN
(see also 213). MS1995:v1:62-4; QX2000:287- GRAINS OF RICE!?
8; MR2007:329; KJ1970:286-7; SS1984:1861;
AS2007:374, 342-3. We suggest taking the mod-
ern components as 35 ‘ten’and 220 ‘rice’.
里238 RI, sato of paths or ridges separating fields’ (Katō,
Yamada); Yamada takes ‘village’ as loan usage.
L1 village, league Tōdō, alternatively, includes in word-family
7 strokes meaning ‘line; draw a line’, and takes ‘village’ as
extended usage on basis of arranging dwell-
ICHIRI 1 ri (= 2.44 miles) ings in grid pattern. KJ1970:902; YK1976:491;
satogo foster child TA1965:100-02.
satoimo taro
Mnemonic: GROUND MADE INTO
Bronze shows 63 ‘field’ and 64 ‘earth/
ground’ to give meaning ‘ground/land in form FIELDS – INDICATES VILLAGE
理239 RI the vein patterning)’. The meaning seems to
have progressed from ‘make a jade vessel’ to a
L4 reason, rational more general ‘organise (something)’. In Tōdō’s
11 strokes ‘(draw) a line’ word-family, here ‘draw a logical
line’. KJ1970:902; YK1976:491-2; TA1965:100-02.
RISEI rationality We suggest taking the ‘dotless’ jade determina-
MURI unreasonable tive as ‘king’ 5.
RIYŪ reason
Mnemonic: THE KING HAS COME TO THE
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 15 ‘jewel/
jade’, and 238 (‘village’) as phonetic with VILLAGE – MUST BE SOME REASON
associated sense ‘split (jade in accordance with
話240 WA, hanashi, hanasu phonetic with associated sense ‘good’ (i.e. good
words), while Yamada takes not as ‘tongue’
L5 speech, talk but as standing for an NJK graph (‘scrape,
13 strokes shave off’) as phonetic, also with associated
sense ‘good’. Tōdō takes the right-hand element
KAIWA conversation as 93, likewise as phonetic, and includes
WADAI topic (of talk) in word-family meaning ‘join together’. ‘Story’
kobanashi tale and ‘to talk’ are treated as extended usage.
KJ1970:322; YK1976:509; TA1965:643-6.
A late graph (Shuowen) . The left hand ele-
ment is 118 ‘words, speak’. Scholars differ Mnemonic: TONGUE IS USED TO TALK
in interpreting the right-hand element in seal
script. Katō takes it as 755 (‘tongue’) being WORDS IN SPEECH
104 The 160 Second Grade Characters
THE 200 THIRD GRADE CHARACTERS
悪241 AKU, O, warui A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 164 ‘heart,
mind, feelings’ and 1007 (q.v.) as pho-
L4 bad, hate netic with associated sense ‘hunchback, ugly,
11 strokes twisted’, to give negative meanings such as
‘hate’ and ‘bad’. KJ1970:3-4; YK1976:49-50;
AKUI malice OT1968:371.
OKAN chill
warumono a rogue Mnemonic: BAD HEART AND TWISTED
FEELINGS LEAD TO HATE
安242 AN, yasui used for menstruation (especially from bronze
on). Modern form has just 30 ‘roof, dwelling’
L5 relax, ease, cheap and 37 ‘woman’. Katō and Mizukami take
6 strokes as also having a phonetic role with associated
sense ‘cover over’. ‘Cheap’ is a meaning only
FUAN unease in Japanese. MS1995:v1:360-61; KJ1970:5-6;
ANSHIN relief YK1976:50-51.
yasumono cheap item
Some early forms show just ‘woman under roof’ Mnemonic: WOMAN AT EASE RELAXES IN
; others show additional line , which – from CHEAP HOUSE
its position – is generally taken as a napkin
暗243 AN, kurai A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 66 ‘sun’/‘day’,
and 6 (‘sound’) used here as phonetic with
L4 dark, gloomy associated sense ‘shade’/‘dark’. KJ1970: 7;
13 strokes YK1976:51; TA1965:815-24.
MEIAN light and dark Mnemonic: THE SOUNDS OF A GLOOMY DAY
ANSATSU assassination
makkura pitch dark
医244 I, iyasu associated sense ‘clear’ (not cloudy). In early
times wine was used sometimes for medicinal
L4 heal, medical purposes, hence extended meanings of ‘heal;
7 strokes healer, physician’. Note that originally was
a separate and independent graph meaning
ISHA doctor ‘quiver’ (for arrows: see 145). has become
GEKAI surgeon the official form for in Japan. YK1976:53-4;
IGAKU medical science KJ1970:20-22; OT1968:1029.
Early form . Traditional ; late graph (Shuowen), Mnemonic: ARROW IN MEDICAL DOCTOR’S
consisting of ‘jar/ brewing pot for wine’ (see
318), with 殹 (CO ‘attack’) as phonetic with BAG IS USED TO HEAL
105
委245 I, yudaneru ‘rice’; Mizukami argues that ‘millet’ is correct,
botanically speaking) as phonetic with
L3 entrust associated sense ‘supple’, leading to extended
8 strokes senses such as ‘compliant; entrust’. Ma inter-
prets as woman carrying cereal on her back,
IINKAI committee and by extension ‘to follow’. QX2000:176;
ININ entrustment BK1957:23; OT1968:727; MS1995:v2:960-61,
ITAKUKIN trust money v1:318-9; YK1976:54; MR2007:469.
Bronze . Has 37 ‘woman’, and 87 ‘cereal’ Mnemonic: ENTRUST GRAIN PLANTS TO
bent with ripe grain (Qiu identifies as ‘foxtail
millet’, Karlgren as ‘growing grain’, Ogawa as WOMAN
意246 I A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 164 ‘heart,
mind, feelings’, and 6 (‘sound’) as phonetic
L 4 mind, thought with associated sense ‘full; congested’ (Yamada,
13 strokes Katō) or ‘keep contained, suppress’ (Ogawa).
YK1976:55-6; KJ1970:17; OT1968:378.
CHŪI attention, care
KETSUI determination Mnemonic: A THOUGHT IS A SOUND FROM
IKEN opinion
THE MIND—OR THE HEART
育247 IKU, sodatsu/teru structure, is found from the seal script stage,
consisting of 27 ‘child’ but inverted, over
L3 raise, educate
8 strokes 209 ‘meat, flesh’ in its abbreviated form ,
possibly as phonetic with associated sense
KYŌIKU education ‘to be born’ (Yamada, Katō), but Tōdō consid-
IKUJI childcare ers here to be semantic only. ‘Be raised/
sodachi upbringing raise’ and ‘educate’ are extended meanings.
MS1995:v2:1070-71; YK1976:57; KJ1970:52-3;
Originally in OBI (corresponding to : see TA1965:194.
also 432), depicting ‘woman’ with ‘child’ (baby
being born) with dots for amniotic fluid. An Mnemonic: RAISING A FLESHY
abbreviated form of the graph, with its modern
UPSIDE-DOWN CHILD IS AN EDUCATION!
員248 IN lower element might appear to be 10 ‘shell
currency’, which is incorrect but may be a help-
L4 member, official ful mnemonic. The top element 22 ‘round’
10 strokes is semantic, and Tōdō takes it in this role only;
Mizukami, Katō, and Yamada choose to take it
KAIIN member of group as phonetic with associated meaning ‘round’,
ZEN’IN all members as well as semantic. ‘Member’ and ‘official’ ap-
DŌIN mobilization pear to be modern meanings. TA1965:611-23;
MS1995:v1:228-30; KJ1970:63; YK1976:60-61.
Seal . OBI form shows the graph was
originally a three-legged cauldron topped by Mnemonic: OFFICIAL MEMBER MAKES
a circle, depicting a round-necked vessel. As in
the seal form (Shuowen) and modern form, the SHELL-MONEY GO ROUND
106 The 200 Third Grade Characters
院249 IN sense of ‘earthen wall or fence around dwelling’;
later used to denote the dwelling or building
L4 institute itself, typically an imposing one such as palace
10 strokes or temple. ‘Institute’ is a further extended
usage. Tōdō includes in word-family meaning
BYŌIN hospital ‘round; surround’. YK1976:61; OT1968:1066;
JIIN temple TA1965:611-19.
GIIN the House
Mnemonic: INSTITUTE IS COMPLETE WITH
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 1907 ‘piled-
up earth, mound, hill’ (see also 376), and EARTHEN WALL
464 (‘complete’) as phonetic with associated
飲250 IN, nomu OBI . Seal script has equivalent of 酓 on
left, conveying ‘bitter wine taste’, or ‘drink’ (‘wine
L5 drink, swallow barrel’ with as phonetic), and 496 ‘gaping
12 strokes mouth’/ ‘lack’ on the right. Later, ‘meal’ 163
was substituted as left-hand element. Earlier
IN’YŌSUI drinking water OBI form simply depicts person bending over
nomimono drinks wine barrel or similar to drink. YK1976:61;
nomiya tavern OT1968:533, 1026.
Mnemonic: LACK FOOD, SO SWALLOW DRINK
運251 UN, hakobu Late graph (Shuowen) . Has determinative
85 ‘walk, go’, and 490 (‘wheels’/ ‘army’)
L4 transport, luck
progress as phonetic with associated sense ‘round’.
12 strokes KJ1970:74; YK1976:63.
UNDŌ movement Mnemonic: ARMY NEEDS WHEELED
FUUN bad luck TRANSPORT AND LUCK TO PROGRESS
hakobi state of affairs
泳252 EI, oyogu A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 42 ‘water’,
and 644 (‘long’) as phonetic with associated
L3 swim sense ‘flutter; float’. KJ1970:79; YK1976:64-5.
8 strokes
Mnemonic: LONG SWIM IN THE WATER
SUIEI swimming
HAIEI backstroke
hiraoyogi breaststroke
駅253 EKI Traditional . Late graph (Shuowen) . Has
210 ‘horse’, and (CO ‘spy’) as phonetic with
L5 station associated sense ‘change’, simplified to 895.
14 strokes KJ1970:94; YK1976:68-9.
EKICHŌ stationmaster Mnemonic: MAN WITH BACKPACK MOUNTS
EKIBEN station lunch-box HORSE AT RELAY STATION
TŌKYŌEKI Tokyo Stn
The 200 Third Grade Characters 107
央254 Ō upright’. Graph meaning is ‘neck, back of neck’,
and as the neck is positioned centrally, neither
L3 center to left nor right, the extended sense ‘center’
5 strokes evolved. Tōdō interprets differently, including
CHŪŌ center within a word-family ‘restrain’, taking the
CHŪŌBU central part element across the top of the shoulders as a
CHŪŌguchi central exit restraining device for criminals (see also
449); Ogawa also favors this analysis. With this
OBI ; bronze . Opinions differ. In broad view, ‘center’ may still be seen as extended
terms, Mizukami, Katō and Yamada agree that usage. MS1995:v1:298-9; KJ1970:76-7;
this graph consists of variant for 56 ‘big’ YK1976:72; TA1965:404-7; OT1968:244.
for person standing upright with as phonetic
element positioned centrally just above the Mnemonic: BIG MAN WITH THICK NECK AT
shoulders with associated sense ‘straight,
THE CENTER OF THINGS
横255 Ō, yoko A late graph (Shuowen) . Traditional: ߺ.
Has 73 ‘tree, wood’, and 133 (‘yellow’) as
L3 side, crossways phonetic with associated sense ‘stop, obstruct’.
15 strokes Original meaning is horizontal door bolt, and
by extension ‘crossways, side’. KJ1970:324-5;
ŌDAN crossing YK1976:74.
yokonori riding sidesaddle
yokogao profile Mnemonic: YELLOW PIECE OF WOOD LAID
ON ITS SIDE
屋256 OKU, ya (in compounds) down/ corpse’, with either: a) 厔, an abbreviated
L4 store, building, dealer version of 152 ‘room’, combining to give ‘a
9 strokes room to lie down in’, and by extension ‘house’,
etc. (Ogawa, Katō, Yamada); or b) 886 ‘arrive/
OKUJŌ roof reach’ (Shirakawa), to give ‘(decide by ritual
koya hut, shed process) a place to lie down’. OT1968:296-7;
PANya baker(y) KJ1970:324-5; YK1976:74; SS1984:67.
No OBI or bronze forms, but other forms – pos- Mnemonic: ARRIVE AT STORE AND FIND
sibly pre-Shuowen – exist, e.g. , . Taken as DEALER’S CORPSE IN BUILDING
(NJK graph) ‘person slumped or bent or lying
温257 ON, atatakai/meru Mizukami, however, lists the above OBI forms
as showing someone with water in a bath-like
L3 warm container, regards associated sense of the
12 strokes phonetic as ‘warm’, and takes the meaning
as ‘river with warm current’ or ‘steamy warm
ONSEN hot springs water’. He also treats the same OBI form as the
ONJŌ kindness earliest form of 625 ‘bathe’, listing different
ONSHITSU hothouse shapes for and only at the seal stage.
MS1995:V2,772-3; KJ1970:114; YK1976:76. We
OBI forms , . Traditional . Typically treat- suggest taking the modern graph as 42
ed as quite late in origin. Seal form onwards ‘water’, 66 ‘sun’, and 300 ‘bowl’.
consists of 42 ‘water’, with as phonetic;
generally, taken as associated sense unclear Mnemonic: SUN WARMS WATER IN A BOWL
and the whole graph originally representing
a specific river name, then loaned for ‘warm’.
108 The 200 Third Grade Characters
化258 KA, KE, bakeru/kasu Japanese) for person fallen down – indicat-
ing change of state – acting as phonetic with
L3 change, bewitch associated sense range ‘become different,
4 strokes imitate, false’. The graph is in Tōdō’s word-family
meaning ‘change shape’. MS1995:v1:54-5;
HENKA change KJ1970:305-06; YK1976:77; TA1965:607-09.
KESHŌ make-up
bakemono ‘spook’ Mnemonic: STANDING MAN IS BEWITCHED
Traditional 化. OBI form depicts ‘person’ AND FALLS DOWN CHANGED
41 (‘standing’), with element (匕 in
original meaning ‘lotus plant’. Early Chinese
荷259 KA, ni word for ‘carry on shoulder/back’ was originally
written , but when came to be used for
L4 load, burden a near-homophone meaning ‘who?’, ‘what?’,
10 strokes
was borrowed for ‘carry’. AS2007:273,275;
SHUKKA consignment YK1976:83; TA1965:583-6.
funani ship’s cargo
niMOTSU luggage Mnemonic: WHAT PLANTS ARE IN THAT
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 53 ‘plant, LOAD?
vegetation’, and 86 (‘what?’) as phonetic,
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 63 ‘field’, and
界260 KAI 1094 (modern meaning ‘come between’)
here as phonetic with associated sense ‘divide’,
L4 area, boundary giving original meaning ‘divide up fields’. In
9 strokes Tōdō’s word-family meaning ‘divide in two;
interval, gap’. KJ1970:143; YK1976:90;
SEKAI world TA1965:601-05.
KYŌKAI boundary
SEIKAI world of politics Mnemonic: DIVIDE FIELDS INTO AREAS WITH
BOUNDARIES
開261 KAI, hiraku, akeru
A relatively late graph (Shuowen) . Has 231
L4 open ‘gate’, and an inner element taken i] as
12 strokes ‘face, oppose’ (the two leaves of opened gate
facing each other) (Yamada, Katō), or ii] two
KAIHATSU development hands reaching out to remove the crossbar
KAISHI inception (Shirakawa, Ogawa). YK1976:91; KJ1970:143;
hirakizuna rip-cord SS1984:92-3; OT1968:1057.
階262 KAI Mnemonic: HANDS REMOVE BAR AND OPEN
GATE
L3 storey, grade, step
12 strokes and 1099 (modern meaning ‘all, everyone’)
as phonetic with associated sense ‘be lined
KAIDAN stairs up’, or ‘be in unison’. KJ1970:152; YK1976:91;
NIKAI upstairs OT1968:1072. Note that the determinative
KAIKYŪ class, grade can also occur as a right-hand element, with
Late graph (Shuowen) . Has determinative different etymology and meaning; see 376
‘piled-up earth, mound’ (short form of 1907), and 1907 for further discussion.
Mnemonic: ALL THE MOUNDS SHOULD HAVE
STEPS LINED UP
The 200 Third Grade Characters 109
寒263 KAN, samui two horizontal lines sometimes taken to rep-
resent ice (Yamada), but ice was not normally
L4 cold represented in this way; instead, the lines might
12 strokes indicate mats to lie on (Shirakawa, Karlgren also
in broad agreement). YK1976:102-3; BK1957:58;
KANPA cold spell/wave SS1984:124-5. We suggest taking middle part
samuKE a chill as 1575 ‘well’, as variant of 80 ‘six’, plus
KANDANKEI thermometer
‘ice’ 401.
Bronze form A ; bronze form B ; seal form
. Form A shows a roof/dwelling, with gathered Mnemonic: SIX ROOFED WELLS ICE OVER IN
vegetation inside to keep occupant warm from THE COLD
the cold (Shirakawa). Form B additionally has
感264 KAN(jiru) A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 164 ‘heart’,
and (NJK graph based on a halberd: see e.g.
L3 feeling, emotion 545) as phonetic with associated sense ‘shake’,
13 strokes to give ‘shaking heart’, and so ‘feeling, emotion’.
KJ1970:215; YK1976:104; OT1968:379. Suggest
KANSHIN admiration taking as ‘mouth’ 22.
KANKAKU sense
KANJŌ feelings, emotion Mnemonic: FEELING HEART IN THE MOUTH
WHEN FACING A HALBERD
漢265 KAN later taken as name for the Han dynasty by its
L4 Han China, male founder Liu Bang, as that region was where he
13 strokes
began building the dynasty. At an early period,
KANJI character
AKKAN rogue non-Han ethnic groups in China referred to
KANSHI Chinese poetry
Han Chinese as ‘sons of Han’, and by
Ironically, one of the most etymologically
obscure characters. Bronze . Has 42 ‘water’, extension the general sense ‘male’. KJ1970:223;
with right-hand side as phonetic (associated
sense unclear). Originally referred to the Han OT1968:599; YK1976:104; SS1984:128. We sug-
River (modern Shaanxi Province), one of the
most important tributaries of the Yangtze River; gest taking the right hand element as 601
‘man’, 22 ‘mouth’ and 53 ‘grass/plant’, with
a little geographical licence.
Mnemonic: MAN FROM MOUTH OF HAN
RIVER IN GRASSY HAN CHINA
館266 KAN phonetic with associated sense ‘building to
work in’, then ‘building’ in general or ‘house’
L4 large building, hall (Yamada). Shirakawa sees differently as origi-
16 strokes nally a temporary building used by army on
the move for ceremonial use, then ‘building’ in
KAIKAN hall general sense. Katō takes the graph as ‘place to
RYOKAN inn stay/eat’. KJ1970:335; YK1976:106; SS1984:131;
BIJUTSUKAN art gallery KJ1985:669.
Late graph (Shuowen) . Has 163 ‘meal/ Mnemonic: OFFICIAL EATS IN HALL
eat’, and 465 (modern meaning ‘official’) as
110 The 200 Third Grade Characters
岸267 GAN, kishi associated sense ‘dwelling built high on rocks/
high’ (Yamada), ‘mountain prominence’ (Oga-
L3 bank, shore wa), or ‘jagged cliff’ (Shirakawa). Later, extended
8 strokes usage for ‘high land close to water’, and ‘bank,
shore’. YK1976:108; OT1968:302; SS1984:136. We
KAIGAN coast suggest taking 840 in its modern meaning
TAIGAN opposite bank of ‘dry’, and as a bank.
kawagishi riverbank
Mnemonic: MOUNTAIN-LIKE BANK IS DRY
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 26
‘mountain’, and lower part as phonetic with
起268 KI, okiru/kosu/koru sense ‘begin’ (Ogawa), or – by another analysis –
866 (‘twisting thread’; ‘self’) with associated
L4 arise, bring about
10 strokes sense ‘(person) bent over (when getting up)’
(Shirakawa) or ‘stop’ (stop running > stand)
KIGEN origin (Yamada). ‘Bring about’ is extended usage.
hayaoki early rising First analysis above is probably the one to
KIDŌKI starter motor follow. KJ1970:232; YK1976:114; SS1984:145;
OT1968:966.
A relatively late graph (Shuowen). Tradi-
tional form has (NJK ‘serpent’) on the right, Mnemonic: RUNNING IN A TWISTED WAY
reflecting the seal form. Has 179 ‘run’ (shows
movement), and right-hand with associated BRINGS ABOUT CONSEQUENCES
期269 KI, GO has ‘moon’. One cycle of the sun (one year)
or the moon (month); by extended usage
L3 period, expect for ‘period’ in general. is an NJK used to
12 strokes express ‘that’, but this is loan usage, originally
pictograph of a winnowing basket, which may
GAKKI school term also relate to cyclic seasons. ‘Expect’ is an ex-
KITAI expectation tended meaning perhaps related to regularity.
SAIGO end, death MS1995:v1:640-41; KJ1970:238; OT1968:739.
Bronze forms such as , typically consist of Mnemonic: EXPECT PERIOD OF MONTHS
as phonetic with associated sense ‘go round’,
BETWEEN WINNOWINGS
with determinative 66 ‘sun’, or occasionally
18 ‘moon’; seal script (Shuowen) onwards
客270 KYAKU, KAKU as phonetic (Mizukami). Bronze has ‘roof’,
‘person’ and 462 (modern meaning ‘each’)
L3 guest, visitor as phonetic with associated sense ‘come,
9 strokes stay, stop’; seal form onwards is as for bronze,
minus ‘person’. MS1995:v1:368-70; OT1968:276;
RAIKYAKU visitor YK1976:120-21. Suggest taking as ‘cross-
JŌKYAKU passenger legged’ (see Appendix) and ‘mouth’ 22.
KAKUIN guest member
OBI forms include , bronze . OBI shows Mnemonic: EACH VISITOR UNDER ROOF IS
‘roof, dwelling’ 30, ‘roof, dwelling’ 143 CROSS-LEGGED WITH OPEN MOUTH
‘stop, stay’, ‘person kneeling’, with 22 ‘mouth’
The 200 Third Grade Characters 111
究271 KYŪ, kiwameru Late graph (Shuowen) . Has 860 ‘cave
(dwelling), hole’, and 13 (‘nine’ q.v.) as
L4 investigate, extreme phonetic with associated sense ‘bend’, to give
7 strokes ‘cramped cave dwelling’, and by extension
‘be in difficulties’, ‘go/take to extremes’. The
KENKYŪ research extended meaning of ‘investigate’ may relate to
KYŪMEI investigation narrowing the focus. YK1976:124; KJ1970:264;
TANKYŪ inquiry OT1968:739.
Mnemonic: EXTREME INVESTIGATION OF
NINE HOLES
急272 KYŪ, isogu A late graph. Seal form (Shuowen) , depict-
ing 164 ‘heart/feelings’ under upper part
L4 hurry, sudden with hand behind (chasing) a person, probably
9 strokes signifying urgency. Upper part is early form of
KYŪSHI sudden death 1202 (‘reach, extend’), acting here as pho-
KYŪSOKU rapidity netic with associated sense such as ‘become
ōisogi great haste tense, brace’. ‘Sudden’ is an extended meaning.
SS1984:174; YK1976:125; OT1968:363.
級273 KYŪ
Mnemonic: HURRYING PERSON SUDDENLY
L3 rank, grade STOPS, HAND OVER HEART
9 strokes
Generally listed as a late graph, though Yamada
SHINKYŪ promotion gives a bronze form. Made of 29 ‘thread’,
DŌKYŪSEI classmate with 1202 (‘reach, extend’) as phonetic
JŌKYŪ upper grade with associated sense ‘next’. ‘Order’ is an ex-
tended meaning. KJ1970:260; YK1976:125-6;
OT1968:767.
Mnemonic: REACH OUT AND GRADE THREADS
宮274 KYŪ, GŪ, KU, miya OBI shows rooms beneath a roof; taken to
represent a large house or building. Became
L5 palace, shrine prince associated with grand buildings such as palaces
10 strokes and shrines, and their principal residents.
MS1995:v1:374; YK1976:126; OT1968:278.
JINGŪ shrine
KYŪCHŪ Court Mnemonic: MANY ROOMS UNDER A ROOF
miyasama prince
INDICATE A PALACE OR SHRINE
球275 KYŪ, tama Late graph (Shuowen) . / 15 ‘jade’ and
478 (‘seek’) as phonetic, associated sense
L3 sphere, ball
11 strokes ‘pretty’ (Katō, Yamada), or ‘round’(Ogawa) >
pretty jade disc/ball. KJ1970:263; OT1968:657.
KYŪGI ball game
CHIKYŪ Earth Mnemonic: SEEK JADE BALLS AS SPHERICAL
tamahiroi caddie JEWELS
112 The 200 Third Grade Characters
去276 KYO, KO, saru bamboo or similar pliant plant-based material.
According to Yamada, ‘depart’ is an extended
L4 go, leave, past usage based on the container being for taking
5 strokes out rice from a cooking pot but more likely
loan usage. MS1995:v1:190-91; KJ197:266-7;
KYONEN last year YK1976:128. We suggest taking the graph as
KAKO the past 64 ‘ground’ and as ‘nose’.
tachisaru depart
Mnemonic: NOSE UNDER THE GROUND
OBI is based on pictograph of container
with double lids, probably for rice, and made of MEANS YOU HAVE DEPARTED – GONE!
橋277 KYŌ, hashi here as phonetic. Despite some points of differ-
ence, scholars are in general agreement that
L3 bridge the basic associated sense is ‘tall, high’, in this
16 strokes case presumably denoting something tall and
wooden; ‘bridge’ is perhaps an extended sense,
TEKKYŌ steel bridge though Yamada sees as loan.YK1976:134-5;
RIKKYŌ overpass SS1984:199-200; OT1968:525.
ishibashi stone bridge
Mnemonic: TALL WOODEN STRUCTURE WITH
A late graph (Shuowen) . 73 is ‘tree, wood’,
and is an NJK meaning ‘tall’ (similar in form IRREGULAR TOP IS A BRIDGE
and meaning to 132 ‘tall/high’) and also acts
業278 GYŌ, GŌ, waza was also used to denote board or tablet used
as a flat surface for learning, then for learning
L4 profession, deed, itself or any activity involving learning, includ-
karma ing work. ‘Karma’ is an extended meaning.
13 strokes KJ1970:282; OT1968:514; YK1976:136-7. Dif-
ficult mnemonically, but we suggest taking the
SANGYŌ industry lower part as a combination of 73 ‘tree/wood’
ZAIGŌ sin and 426 ‘sheep’, and the upper part a topless
shiwaza act, deed ‘row’ 977.
Bronze represents a musical instrument Mnemonic: MAKING ODD ROWS OF
with bells suspended from a notched board; in
Tōdō’s word-family ‘rough and hard’. The graph WOODEN SHEEP IS A STRANGE PROFESSION
曲279 KYOKU, Bronze is ; pictograph of curved container
made of wood or bamboo (Mizukami also
L3 mageru/garu notes alternative interpretation as carpenter’s
bend, melody square); by extension ‘bend’. MS1995:v1:628-9;
6 strokes YK1976:137; KJ1970:284. ‘Melody’ is an extended
meaning perhaps based on convolutions. We
KYOKUSEN curve suggest remembering the modern graph by
SAKKYOKU songwriting using 63 ‘field(s)’.
magarime a turning
Mnemonic: BENDY PATHS THROUGH THE
FIELDS AND BEYOND
The 200 Third Grade Characters 113
局280 KYOKU (modern meaning ‘phrase’) as phonetic with
associated sense i] ‘bent; hunchback’ (Katō,
L3 office, section, circum- Yamada) or ii] ‘divide’ (Ogawa). Interpretation
stances i] then treats meanings of the type ‘room’,
7 strokes ‘apartment of a court-lady’, ‘office’ as loan usage;
ii] regards as extended use. Tōdō includes in
KYOKUMEN situation word-family meaning ‘bend’, ‘made intricate’.
KEKKYOKU finally KJ1970:279-80; YK1976:137; OT1968:295;
YŪBINKYOKU post office TA1965:307-10.
Late graph (Shuowen): . Usually taken as Mnemonic: ODD PHRASE USED ABOUT
‘corpse or person slumped or bent or lying’
(NJK graph: e.g. see 256), with variant of 683 CIRCUMSTANCES OF OFFICE CORPSE
銀281 GIN, shirogane Seal . A late graph (Shuowen). Has 16
‘metal’ and (NJK, originally showed an eye
L4 silver on top of twisted legs, to mean ‘stop, look back
14 strokes angrily, oppose’) as phonetic with the associ-
ated sense ‘white’. Distinguish from 628
GINKŌ bank ‘good’. KJ1970:291-2; OT1968:1041; YK1976:141.
GINGA Milky Way
GINKA silver coin Mnemonic: STOP AND STARE AT SILVERY METAL
区282 KU here treated as ‘many enclosed items’, giving
‘confined armpit space for hiding things’. The
L4 ward, section bronze form has ‘armpit’ with several items lined
4 strokes up, interpreted as ‘small place under armpit’
(Katō), to which Mizukami adds ‘to hide things’.
KUBETSU distinguishing ‘Small’ and ‘divide up’ are extended meanings.
CHIKU district MS1995:v1:162-3; KJ1970:296; YK1976:141-2.
kitaKU Kita Ward
Mnemonic: MOSTLY ENCLOSED ‘SECTION X’
OBI ; bronze ; traditional . Mizukami
takes OBI form as ‘armpit’ with 405 ‘goods’, IS A WARD
苦283 KU, nigai, A late graph (Shuowen) . It comprises
53 ‘plant/grass’, and 121 (‘old’) as a pho-
L3 kurushii/shimu netic with an associated sense ‘tighten’ (Katō,
painful, bitter Yamada) or ‘feel strong stimulation’ (Ogawa);
8 strokes the meaning extended to ‘bitter, unpleasant’,
etc. KJ1970:393; YK1976:142-3; OT1968:847.
KUSHIN pains, trouble
KUTSŪ pain, agony Mnemonic: OLD PLANTS TASTE BITTER,
nigami bitterness EVEN PAINFUL
具284 GU, sonaeru an abbreviation for , with two hands as
both semantic and phonetic, to give ‘offer,
L3 equip(ment), means provide’. ‘Wherewithal/equipment’ and ‘means’
8 strokes are extended meanings. MS1995:v1:104-5;
OT1968:98; YK1976:143. We suggest taking the
GUai condition modern simplified upper element as 76 ‘eye’,
YŌGU appliance and the lower element as a table.
DŌGU tool
Mnemonic: KEEP AN EYE ON THAT TABLE –
OBI is taken as i] ‘three-legged IT’S USEFUL EQUIPMENT
vessel, cauldron’, or ii] 10 ‘shellfish’ as
114 The 200 Third Grade Characters
君285 KUN, kimi OBI has ‘words’ (represented by 22
‘mouth, say’), and (CO graph meaning
L3 lord, you, Mr ‘govern’ by holding a stick) as both semantic
7 strokes and phonetic, to give ‘lead people by words’,
and hence ‘lead, leader’. MS1995:v1:216-7;
BŌKUN tyrant YK1976:144; OT1968:170.
SAIKUN wife
YamadaKUN Mr Yamada Mnemonic: MY LORD, I SEE YOU RULE BY
STICK IN HAND AND BY WORD
係286 KEI, kakari A late graph (Shuowen) . Has ‘person’ 41
and 855 (‘joined threads’) as phonetic with
L3 involvement associated sense ‘link up’. KJ1970:359; YK1976:
9 strokes 147-8; OT1968:63.
KANKEI connection Mnemonic: PERSON INVOLVED WITH JOIN-
KEISŌ contention ING THREADS
kakariIN clerk in charge
軽287 KEI, karui on loom) as phonetic with associated sense
‘empty’ (Katō, Yamada); Ogawa says ‘at full
L4 light, flippant speed’. ‘Light’ is extended meaning from ‘empty’.
12 strokes KJ1970:346; YK1976:150; OT1968:983. Suggest
take the modern right hand parts as 2003
KEISHOKU light meal ‘hand’ and 64 ‘ground’.
KEIHAKU flippancy
karuishi pumice Mnemonic: LIGHT VEHICLE PUSHED ALONG
Late graph (Shuowen): . Traditional form GROUND BY HAND
has 33 ‘vehicle’, and (CO, threads stretched
血288 KETSU, chi OBI shows 300 ‘bowl’ with blood in it
(short stroke), in pledge. The meaning later
L3 blood became restricted to just ‘blood’. MS1995:v2:
6 strokes 1156-8; MR2007:318; KJ1970:365.
KETSUEKI blood Mnemonic: LIQUID SPILLING FROM BOWL IS
KETTŌ lineage BLOOD
hanaji nose-bleed
決289 KETSU, kimeru/maru ‘earth collapses’ as in a dyke, and possibly also
‘pull apart’. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘gouge out’ (cf
L3 decide, settle, collapse the NJK meaning ‘gouge’). ‘Decide’ is a loan
7 strokes usage. Note ‘collapse’ is still a minor mean-
ing for this graph. KJ1970:367; YK1976:154;
KAIKETSU solution TA1965:631-6; KJ1985:351. We suggest taking
KETSURETSU breakdown
KESSHIN determination as a man with a backpack (see also 253).
Late graph (Shuowen) . Has 42 ‘water’, and Mnemonic: MAN DECIDES TO CARRY WATER
(CO, meaning disputed, a hand pulling bow- IN BACKPACK
string etc.) as phonetic with associated sense
The 200 Third Grade Characters 115
研290 KEN, togu A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 47 ‘stone’,
and 幵/ (a CO representing two level stakes
L4 hone, refine with a meaning of ‘level’) as phonetic with
9 strokes associated sense ‘(make) flat, level’; in Tōdō’s
word-family ‘divide in two; gap’ (here, eliminate
KENSHŪ training gaps or undulations). ‘Refine’ is an extension
togikawa strop of basic meaning ‘smoothe out’. KJ1970:375;
KENKYŪSHA researcher YK1976:157-8; TA1965:601-06.
Mnemonic: HONE STONE WITH TWO FUNNY
STICKS
県291 KEN threads’) as phonetic with associated sense
‘hang’. Came to be used in Chinese for a
L4 prefecture similar-sounding word meaning ‘district,
9 strokes county’, and then in Japanese for ‘prefecture’.
MS1995:v2:1020-22; KJ1970:379; YK1976:158;
MieKEN Mie Prefecture OT1968:787. For the modern form we suggest
KENREI prefectural bylaw taking the top element as 76 ‘eye’ and the
KENCHŌ Prefectural Office remaining strokes as a stand.
Bronze depicts a severed head suspended Mnemonic: KEEP AN EYE ON THE STAND AT
upside down in a tree, as a punishment.
Traditional form (which distorts the ‘tree’ THE PREFECTURAL SHOW
component in bronze), has 855 (‘joined
庫292 KO Bronze . Has 127 ‘building’, and 33
(‘vehicle, chariot’) as semantic and also as pho-
L3 storehouse netic indicator. (The associated early Chinese
10 strokes pronunciation of was closer to SJ KO than
SHA – the latter reading reflects a later Chinese
SHAKO garage, depot pronunciation). Originally, a building to house
SŌKO warehouse chariots; later, became more general in mean-
REIZŌKO refrigerator ing. MS1995:v1:452-3; KJ1970:390; YK1976:168;
AS2007:182.
Mnemonic: VEHICLE LEFT IN STOREHOUSE
湖293 KO, mizuumi According to Mizukami, possibly originates
in the simpler bronze form (= , now an
L3 lake unrelated NJK meaning ‘trade’). consists
12 strokes of 42 ‘water’, with (NJK originally ‘flesh
beneath jaw’) as phonetic with, here, associ-
BIWAKO Lake Biwa ated sense ‘large’. MS1995:v2:766-7, 1072-3;
KOGAN lake shore KJ1970:393; YK1976:168. We suggest taking
KOSUI lake as 18 ‘moon’ along with 121 ‘old’.
Mnemonic: OLD MOON SEEN IN WATER OF
LAKE
116 The 200 Third Grade Characters
向294 KŌ, muku/keru/kau/kō sees the graph as specifically a high window
facing north, but takes the core meaning to be
L3 turn, face, beyond the window itself, with the meaning of ‘facing’
6 strokes resulting from being used as a substitute for a
more complex NJK character (now meaning
KŌJŌ improvement lord) relating to facing each other at the meal
mukōgawa opposite side table. ‘Turn’and ‘beyond’are extended meanings.
maemuki forward-looking MS1995:v1:210-11; MR2007:369; YK1976:175;
QX2000:217-8; KJ1985:102-3.
OBI shows a dwelling with a window,
apparently north-facing. Mizukami, Ma and Mnemonic: TURN TO THE HOUSE WITH THE
Yamada take ‘face toward’ or ‘direction’ as later
meanings; Qiu explores this topic in detail. Katō HIGH WINDOW
幸295 KŌ, saiwai, sachi, (Katō), giving overall sense ‘good fortune’. The
graph elements show distortion in progres-
L3 shiawase sion from seal to standard script, and Qiu notes
happiness, luck that as part of the evolutionary process what
8 strokes was originally a separate graph in seal script
for another word meaning ‘wooden handcuffs’
KŌUN good fortune also ended up having the same shape in block
FUKŌ misery, bad luck script as . MS1995:v1:296-8; KJ1970:402-3;
saiwai ni fortunately OT1968:323,300; AS2007:559-60; QX2000:190.
We suggest using 1535 meaning ‘sharp/bit-
Seal . Late graph (Shuowen). Consists of i] , ter’ as a mnemonic.
showing a figure with head bent down, mean-
ing ‘delicate, beautiful’, but borrowed in early Mnemonic: EXTRA SHARP STROKE BRINGS
Chinese for similar-sounding word meaning
‘calamity’ (Mizukami), ‘premature death’ (Katō), HAPPINESS AND LUCK
with ii] 屰 ‘inverted’ (see 675) (Ogawa), ‘avoid’
港296 KŌ, minato A late graph (Shuowen) . Has ‘water’ 42,
and (NJK, ‘streets of settlement’) as seman-
L3 harbor, port tic and phonetic, meaning ‘road, path’, giving
12 strokes water lane for boats, and by extension ‘har-
bour’. KJ1970:163; YK1976:184-5; OT1968:594.
KŪKŌ airport We suggest taking the upper-right element
NYŪKŌ port entry as 484 ‘together’, and the lower part as
minatomachi port town 866 ‘self’.
Mnemonic: FIND ONESELF TOGETHER WITH
WATER IN PORT
号297 GŌ knife’ [Shirakawa]) as phonetic with associ-
ated sense ‘howl, etc.’, while Yamada and Tōdō
L3 number, call, sign take as (with same sense). Either analysis
5 strokes yields overall sense ‘howl, roar like a tiger’. The
abbreviated modern form has a more general-
BANGŌ number ized sense range; ‘name, number’ are extended
GŌREI command meanings.’YK1976:186-7; OT1968:161;
GŌKYŪ wailing TA1965:273-4; KJ1985:99.
Late graph (Shuowen) . Traditional , which Mnemonic: LOUD RISING VOICE CALLS OUT
has 1301 ‘tiger’, with left-side (analyses
differ): Ogawa takes as 22 ‘mouth’; ‘say’, with A NUMBER
丂 (‘floating waterweed’ 130 [Katō] or ‘curved
The 200 Third Grade Characters 117
根298 KON, ne A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 73‘tree, wood’,
and (‘stop and stare’, see 281) as phonetic with
L3 root, base associated sense‘root, stem’. In Tōdō’s word-family
10 strokes ‘stay still’. Thus the root/stem of a tree.‘Origin’
and similar meanings are derived. KJ1970:411;
KONPON basis YK1976:191-2; TA1965:706-7; KJ1985:319.
DAIKON giant radish
yane roof Mnemonic: STOP AND STARE AT TREE ROOT
祭299 SAI, matsuri, matsuru mon compared with bronze forms). Usage
was extended to ‘ceremonies to invoke the
L3 festival, worship deities’. Later forms appear to have excluded
11 strokes the wine, the reasons for this being unclear.
MS1995:v2:948-50; SS1984:339; KJ1970:599;
SAIJITSU holiday YK1976:198. KJ1985:446-7; We suggest taking
SAIDAN altar the elements as ‘altar’/‘show’ 723 (see also
yukimatsuri Snow Festival 153), 209 ‘meat’, and ‘hand’ .
OBI forms , . Bronze forms , . OBI Mnemonic: HAND PUTS MEAT ON ALTAR IN
forms are taken to show meat and wine be- FESTIVAL OF WORSHIP
ing placed by hand on an altar (though such
forms including ‘stand, altar’ are still uncom- OBI forms , show deeply curved bowl on
raised base. Later forms , show slightly
皿300 sara more elaborate versions, probably being
wrought in metal. MS1995:v2:900-02; QX2000:
L3 dish, bowl, plate 179; MR2007:316; OT1968:690.
5 strokes
Mnemonic: DISH WITH VERTICAL STRIPES
haizara ashtray
ōzara large dish associated sense either ‘work, serve’ (Katō, Ya-
saraarai dishwashing mada), or ‘stand’ (Tōdō, Mizukami). Work in an-
cient China was often done by slaves, but later
仕301 SHI, JI, tsukaeru by servants, and so ‘serve’. Meanings given by
Schuessler include ‘take office, serve, retainer,
L4 serve, work, do knight’. KJ1970:452; YK1976:214; TA1965:104-
5 strokes 06; MS1995:v1:44-5 AS2007:465.
SHIgoto work Mnemonic: SAMURAI IS PERSON WHO
SHIkata way, means WORKS AND SERVES
SHIkumi arrangement
ii] ‘divided up into small pieces’, giving ‘die and
Bronze form onwards has 41 ‘person’, and bones come apart’ (Tōdō). In ancient China a per-
521 (‘male’/ ‘samurai’) as phonetic with son was only seen as dead when the corpse be-
came a clean skeleton after exposure to weather
死302 SHI, shinu (Mizukami). By block script, left-hand changed
to , and right-hand to 匕. Modern form com-
L4 die, death prises , known as ‘meatless bones’ (cf ‘meaty
6 strokes bone’ 877), with ‘fallen person’ 匕 (see 258).
KJ1970:466-7; SS1984:364; MS1995:v1:710-11;
SHITAI corpse TA1965:762-4.
SHIKYO death
wakajini early death Mnemonic: PERSON FALLS DEAD, SOON TO
BE BARE BONES
OBI ; seal . OBI left-hand shows skeletal
remains (possibly occipital bone); right-hand
(person) is phonetic with associated sense i]
‘flesh rots and drops to ground’, giving ‘corpse
turns to bleached bones free of flesh’ (Katō), or
118 The 200 Third Grade Characters
使303 SHI, tsukau Chinese, two of the four underlying words (those
represented by and ) were homophones.
L4 use, servant At seal stage, the graph emerged differenti-
8 strokes ated in shape from the other three, having 41
‘person’, and 2074 as phonetic and semantic
SHIYŌ use meaning ‘work’, giving ‘one who does (allocated)
TAISHI ambassador work’; sense then narrowed to ‘(an) official’.
kozukai servant, porter MS1995:v1:60-61, 26-8; BK1957:256; KJ1970:450;
OT1968:59; AS2007:350, 465-6.
OBI , seal . OBI forms, showing a hand
holding a writing brush are difficult to differ- Mnemonic: OFFICIAL PERSON USES SERVANT
entiate from those for 2074 ‘official’, 309
(‘thing’, ‘act’), and 523 ‘scribe, history’. In early
始304 SHI, hajimeru/maru (not 183) or 443 respectively as the pho-
netic, both having similar pronunciation in early
L4 begin, first Chinese. The phonetic has an associated sense
8 strokes of ‘first daughter’, leading to a more general-
ised meaning of just ‘first’. MS1995:v1:320-21;
SHIJŪ throughout KJ1970:14; OT1968:255; YK1976:220. We suggest
SHIDŌKI starter motor taking as ‘nose’ and ‘mouth’ 22.
hajimete for the first time
The bronze forms and have 37 ‘woman’, Mnemonic: A WOMAN’S FACE BEGINS WITH A
together with elements corresponding to NOSE AND MOUTH
指305 SHI, yubi, sasu meaning of is ‘good/tasty’, here it has an asso-
ciated sense of ‘become divided up, separate’ – a
L3 finger, point reference to the fingers (Katō, Yamada) or ‘show,
9 strokes point to’ (Ogawa). KJ1970:466; YK1976:222;
OT1968:412. We suggest taking (see 258) as a
SHIJI indication person sitting, and as ‘sun’ 66.
oyayubi thumb
sashiZU directions Mnemonic: PERSON SITS POINTING WITH
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 34 ‘hand’, FINGER AT SUN
and 1401 as phonetic. Though the modern
歯306 SHI, ha lined up’ (Katō, Yamada), or ‘stay, stop’ (Mizu-
kami, Tōdō). (Tōdō says sense is teeth ‘stay in
L3 tooth, teeth one place’ while chewing). MS1995:v2:1526-7;
12 strokes KJ1970:469-70; YK1976:224; TA1965:69-71;
MR2007:249. We suggest taking in its mean-
SHIKON dental root ing ‘stop’, as ‘rice’ 220, and the enclosure as a
haISHA dentist mouth.
haguruma toothed gear
Mnemonic: TEETH ENSURE RICE STOPS IN
Traditional . OBI form depicts mouth,
showing teeth. Bronze form has phonetic MOUTH
143 (‘stop’) added as top component, as in
the modern graph, with associated sense ‘be
The 200 Third Grade Characters 119
詩307 SHI A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 118 ‘words’,
and 149 (‘temple’) as phonetic with
L1 poetry associated sense ‘move, advance’ (Mizukami,
13 strokes Tōdō) (Tōdō says here it means ‘move feelings
forward through language’), or ‘thought, voli-
SHIJIN poet tion’ (Yamada). MS1995:v2:1194-5; TA1965:72-4;
SHITEKI poetic YK1976:224-5.
SHIJŌ poetic sentiment
Mnemonic: WORDS AT THE TEMPLE ARE
POETIC
次308 JI, SHI, tsugi, tsugu sense ‘stop’ (Katō, Mizukami, Ogawa), or ‘ar-
range’ (Mizukami), ‘follow after’ (Ogawa). (Ma,
L3 next, follow though, takes as showing fluid coming out of
6 strokes the mouth.) Katō feels yawning indicates taking
turns to rest, adding to the idea of follow-
SANJI tertiary ing in order. MS1995:v1:696-7; KJ1970:181-2;
SHIDAI ni gradually OT1968:531; MR2007:399. We suggest taking
aitsuide in succession as the ‘ice radical’ (see 401).
On the basis of OBI form generally taken as Mnemonic: YAWNING ON ICE! WHAT MIGHT
originally 496 ‘open the mouth, yawn’, with
two strokes for as phonetic with associated FOLLOW NEXT?
事309 JI, ZU, koto Generally interpreted as a hand holding up an
element taken as both semantic and phonetic,
L4 thing, matter, act to represent part of a tree with branches and
8 strokes a sign or banner attached. The meaning of the
graph is work, with its type displayed on the
DAIJI importance sign; Katō takes the small mouth-shaped com-
KŌZUKA dilettante ponent above the hand as meaning ‘announce’
dekigoto event (the type of work). MS1995:v1:26-8, 214, 60-61;
KJ1970:449-50; YK1976:230. We suggest 35
OBI ; bronze . As Mizukami notes, the ‘ten’, hand, and box .
‘old forms’ (meaning here OBI and bronze) for
this graph are the same as those for 2074 Mnemonic: HAND HOLDING UP TEN BOXES
and 303; the graph shapes are somewhat
differentiated at the seal script stage. Karlgren IS A MEMORABLE THING
adds one more graph, 523, to this group.
持310 JI, motsu Bronze ; seal . Has 34 ‘hand’, and 149
(‘temple’) as phonetic with associated senses
L4 hold, have, maintain such as ‘manage’ (Mizukami, Katō) or ‘use’
9 strokes (Yamada). Thus ‘using the hands’, leading to a
more general ‘take in hand’ and ‘hold’ (the latter
JIKYŪ endurance including ‘hold out/ endure’). MS1995:v1:552-3;
mochinushi owner KJ1970:480; YK1976:231.
nagamochi durability
Mnemonic: HOLD HANDS AT THE TEMPLE
120 The 200 Third Grade Characters
式311 SHIKI and sometimes seen as a set-square), with
(‘stake’, NJK also meaning ‘wooden pile’ and as
L3 ceremony, form an element often indicates ‘tool’ [Tōdō] or ‘sign/
6 strokes marker’) as semantic and phonetic, meaning
‘sign, mark’ (including in construction work),
SHINSHIKI new style or (Ogawa) ‘a rule, guideline’. KJ1970:310-11;
HŌSHIKI formula YK1976:233; OT1968:311; TA1965:74-9.
SŌSHIKI funeral
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 125 ‘ax’/‘adze’ Mnemonic: TO APPLY SET-SQUARE TO STAKE
(often associated with carpentry/ construction, IS GOOD FORM
実312 JITSU, mi, minoru an associated meaning ‘fill’. Thus ‘a house with
wealth’. ‘(Bear) fruit’ is an extended meaning
L3 truth, reality, bear (cf the English term ‘fruitful’), as also perhaps
fruit is ‘truth’. first appears as lower element in
8 strokes this graph as a variant at clerical script stage.
MS1995:v1:384-6; KJ1970:486; YK1976:236;
JIKKŌ carrying out AS2007:464. We suggest taking the lower ele-
JIJITSU fact ment of the modern form as a variant of 56
miiri crop, profits ‘big (man)’.
Traditional . The bronze form comprises Mnemonic: THERE’S A BIG SIX-ARMED MAN
30 ‘roof, dwelling’, with 10 ‘shellfish/ shell’,
IN THE HOUSE – IT’S THE TRUTH!
‘currency’, and the element between the two,
taken as phonetic by Katō and Yamada with
写313 SHA, utsusu/ru pictograph of bird) as phonetic with associated
sense ‘move from one place to another’; by
L4 copy, transcribe extension, ‘copy’. KJ1970:489-90; YK1976:237;
5 strokes OT1968:284; ZY2009:v1:245, v3:1049. For the
modern form we suggest taking the top ele-
SHASHIN photograph ment as a ‘flat roof’ and the lower as 2047
SHAJITSU realism ‘convey/give’.
FUKUSHAKI copier
Mnemonic: PEAKED ROOF ‘COPIED’ AS
A late graph (Shuowen) . The traditional
form has 30 ‘roof, dwelling’, and 舄 ( ) FLAT – CONVEYS WRONG IMPRESSION
(a CO with a range of meanings but originally
者314 SHA, mono Original graph meaning is ‘collect and store
much firewood’; other meanings such as
L4 person ‘person’ are loan usages. MS1995:v2:1052-3;
8 strokes KJ1970:492; YK1976:238-9. We suggest using
(nicknamed ‘old man radical’), noting ‘ground’
SAKUSHA author
KŌSHA the latter 64 (see also 130) with as 66 ‘day/
wakamono young people sun’.
Bronze ; seal ; traditional ⁼ (note dot). Mnemonic: MOST PERSONS WILL BE BURIED
Bronze form has firewood projecting up out of
a container; possibly the firewood is burning. IN THE GROUND ONE DAY
The 200 Third Grade Characters 121
主315 SHU, nushi, omo has just the wick. The graph originally meant
‘lamp’. In ancient times the head of the house
L4 master, owner, main was in charge of the lamp, thus by exten-
5 strokes sion other meanings were acquired such as
‘master, main’. MS1995:v1:16-17; KJ1970:506;
SHUJIN master, husband YK1976:243-4. We suggest using 5 ‘king’, not
JInushi landowner forgetting the extra stroke on top.
omo ni mainly
Mnemonic: A KING WITH A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
OBI ; bronze . The OBI form depicts a lamp
with a wick burning, whereas the bronze form IS A REAL MASTER
守316 SHU, SU, (ma)moru originally ‘hand’) or in some cases 2003,
also meaning ‘hand’ and by extension ‘control’
L3 protect, keep or ‘work’, and regarded by Katō and Yamada
6 strokes as phonetic also. Original meaning ‘work/take
control in the house’, and by extension ‘control’
HOSHU conservatism in general, ‘protect’, etc. MS1995:v1:360-62;
RUSUBAN caretaker KJ1970:503; YK1976:244.
komori nursemaid
Mnemonic: HANDY MEASURES TO PROTECT
Bronze ; seal . Has 30 ‘roof, dwell-
ing’, and 920 (now meaning ‘measure’ but ROOF
取317 SHU, toru avoid being bitten. There is an alternative view,
though, i.e. that it was a human ear: Qiu notes
L3 take that in ancient times ‘when game was taken
8 strokes in hunting or an enemy was killed in battle,
the left ear was generally taken as a proof of
SHUTOKU acquisition
toridasu take out prowess’. Note there is a CO 刵 comprising ‘ear’
torihiki transactions
and 198 ‘cut’. Regarding animal ears see
OBI ; bronze . Has 31 ‘ear’, and also 108 ‘cow’ and its example compounds.
2003 as semantic meaning ‘hand’. The graph MS1995:v1:198-9; QX2000:187; KJ1970:501;
stands for ‘take, catch’, and typically this seems YK1976:244.
to be regarded as based on the technique of
capturing a wild animal by holding its ears to Mnemonic: HAND TAKES CONTROL OF EAR
酒318 SHU, sake, saka- in bronze), the other is , an NJK originally a
pictograph of a lidded jar for fermenting or just
L3 alcohol, sake storing wine (now means ‘Cock’ [tenth in the
10 strokes traditional Twelve Branches, used for counting
years, etc.]). MS1995:v2:1344-46; KJ1970:503;
INSHU drinking YK1976:245. Distinguish from 169 meaning
sakaba tavern ‘west’.
sakenomi heavy drinker
Mnemonic: DROPLETS OF ALCOHOL FROM A
OBI ; bronze In the OBI form, one ele-
ment is 42 ‘water’/‘liquid’ (often omitted SAKE JAR
122 The 200 Third Grade Characters
受319 JU, ukeru phonetic with associated meaning ‘hand across
from one side to the other’; originally the one
L3 receive graph was used for both ‘receive’ and ‘give’,
8 strokes but later (seal script) the separate graph
729 ‘give’ was devised so the ambiguity could
JUKENSHA examinee be avoided. MS1995:v1:198-9; KJ1970:507;
uketori receipt YK1976:246-7. We suggest taking as a baton,
uketsuke reception with and as ‘hands’ (see 1739, 2003).
OBI ; bronze . Has two hands, each po- Mnemonic: HAND RECEIVES BATON FROM
sitioned across from each other with 1450
‘boat’ in between. The latter element serves as ANOTHER’S HAND
州320 SHŪ, su OBI ; bronze . Depicts an islet or sandbank
in a river (Ma says a piece of land big enough
L3 province, sandbank to live on); in the seal script, the one islet or
6 strokes similar is changed to three, resulting in the
standard script form of today. The meaning
HONSHŪ Honshū was later made more general and extended to
SAsu sandbank large areas of land such as a state or province.
KYŪSHŪ Kyūshū MS1995:v1:424-5; MR2007:449; KJ1970:511. We
suggest using ‘river’ 50.
Mnemonic: PROVINCE WITH RIVER AND
SANDBANK
拾321 SHŪ, JŪ, hirou (Katō, Yamada). Early Chinese sound values
for in relation to may support taking
L3 pick up, gather, ten as phonetic, but Tōdō treats it as semantic to
9 strokes give a meaning ‘bring things together with the
hands’. ‘Pick up’ can be seen as extended us-
SHŪSHŪ control age. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘bring together’. The
hiroimono bargain, windfall graph has also been borrowed to mean ‘ten’
JŪICHI eleven (formal) (formal). KJ1970:520; YK1976:250; OT1968:413;
TA1965:796-9; AS2007:274,462.
Late graph (Shuowen) . All agree on left
element being 34 ‘hand’, but not on 134 Mnemonic: JOINED HANDS CAN PICK THINGS
‘join’, which is taken as phonetic with associat-
ed sense ‘continue’, and ‘pick up’ as a loan usage UP OR COUNT TO TEN
終322 SHŪ, owaru/eru OBI form and bronze form show a length
of string with knots at or near the ends, so by
L4 finish, end extension ‘end’. Seal form onwards is gener-
11 strokes ally taken as 29 ‘silk/thread’, with 199
(‘winter’, qv) as phonetic with associated sense
SHŪTEN terminus ‘gather, store’. Shirakawa explains as being
SHŪSHIFU full stop the first way of writing ‘end’ (as well as ‘winter’),
owari ni finally with added to it later when came to be
used primarily for ‘winter’, thus distinguishing
the two words in writing. MS1995:v2:1010-11;
KJ1970:510; YK1976:252; SS1984:408.
Mnemonic: THREADS FINISH IN WINTER
The 200 Third Grade Characters 123
習323 SHŪ, narau fly, and by extension ‘repeat and practice; learn’.
However, the element taken as or looks
L4 learn, train somewhat different in shape (close to OBI forms
11 strokes for ‘sun’ in some occurrences), and so Ma
interprets instead as 66 ‘sun’, to give over
RENSHŪ practice
SHŪJI penmanship , with original sense ‘bird flying in the sky
minarai apprentice on a fine day’. MS1995:v2:1046-7; OT1968:802;
YK1976:252-3; MR2007:289. We suggest taking
OBI . Generally taken as 82, traditional modern form as 69 ‘white’.
form of ‘bird feathers’, with (as an abbrevi-
ated form of 150 ‘nose/self’) as phonetic with Mnemonic: LEARNING TO FLY WITH WHITE
associated sense ‘accumulate’; meaning was
originally a bird flapping its wings practicing to WINGS
集324 SHŪ, atsumeru/maru OBI ; bronze ; traditional 坷. Traditional
form has three birds on 73 ‘tree’ but ear-
L3 gather, collect lier and modern forms have just one. Has
12 strokes ‘(short-tailed) bird’ as opposed to 190 ‘bird’
(general). ‘Birds gathering on tree’ gives the
SHŪDAN group meaning ‘collect, gather’. MS1995:v2:1416-7;
HENSHŪ editing MR2007:296; OT1968:1077; KJ1970:511.
atsumari a gathering
Mnemonic: BIRDS GATHERED IN TREE
住325 JŪ, sumu A very late graph (Shirakawa puts origin in
Six Dynasties period [229-589AD]). Has 41
L4 reside, live ‘person’, and 315 (‘main/master’, originally
7 strokes ‘lamp’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘stay
still’. OT1968:54; SS1984:415; YK1976:255.
JŪSHO address
JŪTAKU dwelling Mnemonic: THE PERSON NEAR THE LAMP
sumite occupant
LIVES HERE
重326 JŪ, CHŌ, omoi, -e, things inside)’ and as phonetic. The more com-
plex bronze form adds 64 ‘earth, ground’ as
L4 kasaneru/naru bottom component. Thus the literal meaning is
heavy, pile, -fold person standing upright (on the ground) with
9 strokes things in a sack, which by extension stands
for ‘heavy’, and then also ‘pile up’ and ‘-fold’.
JŪDAI seriousness MS1995:v2:1356-7; KJ1970:704; OT1968:1031.
omosa weight We suggest taking the graph as a variant of
mie three-fold 33 ‘vehicle’ with extra wheels.
Simpler bronze form , more complex bronze Mnemonic: HEAVY VEHICLE HAS EXTRA
form . The simpler version consists of 41
‘person’, with 201, now meaning ‘east’ but WHEELS
here with its original meaning of ‘sack (with
124 The 200 Third Grade Characters
宿327 SHUKU, yado(ru) form adds the element 30 ‘roof’. In the
seal form the element for ‘mat’ is distorted in
L3 lodge, shelter, house shape, and this gets worse in the block script
11 strokes version, which has , seemingly miscopied.
Overall meaning is a person sitting in a chair
SHUKUDAI homework or lying on (or next to) a mat in a building.
yadoya inn, hostel MS1995:v1:378-9; MR2007:371; KJ1970:519-20.
GESHUKUNIN boarder We suggest taking as 71 ‘hundred’.
Simpler OBI form ; more complex OBI form Mnemonic: A HUNDRED PERSONS LODGING
; seal . The simpler OBI has a person 41
UNDER THE SAME ROOF
kneeling or lying on a mat; the more complex
所328 SHO, tokoro chopped. The meaning ‘place’ is a loan usage –
a physical place at first, then extended to figu-
L4 place, situation rative senses such as ‘situation, circumstances’.
8 strokes MS1995:v1:544-6; KJ1970:534; YK1976:264;
AS2007:486.
baSHO place
SHOYŪ possession Mnemonic: CHOP DOWN DOOR WITH AX TO
idokoro whereabouts GET INTO THE PLACE
Bronze ; seal . This graph is generally Or GIVEN THE SITUATION, CHOP THE DOOR
interpreted as 1233 ‘ax’, with 120 (‘door’) DOWN WITH AN AX
as a phonetic for the sound of wood being
暑329 SHO, atsui Late graph (Shuowen) ; traditional form ᮒ
(note dot). Has 66 ‘sun’, and 314 (‘person’)
L4 hot (weather) as phonetic meaning ‘burn’. (The latter element
12 strokes may be taken – as Ogawa does – as semantic
also, based on its original meaning relat-
KOKUSHO intense heat ing to firewood). KJ1970:492; YK1976:265;
HISHOCHI cool resort OT1968:471.
atsusa heat
Mnemonic: PERSON UNDER HOT SUN
助330 JO, tasukeru/karu Bronze . Has 78 ‘strength’, and 1135
(modern meaning ‘besides’, ‘further’, originally
L3 assist, help ‘cairn/piled stones’), here used as a pho-
7 strokes netic with associated sense of ‘help’ or ‘aid’,
to give ‘help with strength’ or ‘add strength’.
JOSHU assistant MS1995:v1:138-9; KJ1970:1673; YK1976:266-7.
JORYOKU help, support
tasukeai mutual aid Mnemonic: HELP FURTHER BY ADDING
STRENGTH
昭331 SHŌ Seal . Has 66 ‘sun’, and 1486 (‘summon’)
as phonetic with associated sense ‘bright,
L1 bright, light clear; shine’. MS1995:v1:616-7; KJ1970:607;
9 strokes OT1968:466.
SHŌWA Showa Period Mnemonic: SUMMON SUN, AND LET THERE
SHŌDAI enlightened era BE BRIGHT LIGHT
SHŌSHŌ brightness
The 200 Third Grade Characters 125
消332 SHŌ, kieru, kesu Late graph (Shuowen) ; traditional form ᰖ.
Has 42 ‘water’, and ⍝ (modern 1490,
L3 extinguish, vanish, now meaning ‘look alike’) as phonetic with
consume associated sense ‘few, scant, small’. ‘Water
10 strokes becomes scarce’ was original meaning, but
became more general in relation to using up.
SHŌHI consumption KJ1970:606; SS1984:440; YK1976:271-2. We
keshiGOMU eraser suggest taking the right hand element as
SHŌKAKI fire extinguisher 38 ‘little’ and 18 ‘moon’.
Mnemonic: WATER HAS VANISHED FROM
OUR LITTLE MOON
商333 SHŌ, akinau as phonetic with associated sense such as ‘go
out, emerge’, giving overall meaning of ‘vagina’
L3 trade, deal, sell (from which children emerge) (Mizukami, Katō,
11 strokes Yamada). Another associated sense is ‘pierce’,
and so vaginal penetration could be another
SHŌGYŌ commerce interpretation. ‘Trade, sell’ is a loan usage, and
SHŌNIN merchant possibly may be felt to suggest prostitution
akinai trade, business (supposedly the earliest profession). Some
scholars suggest may be a shortened form
OBI ; bronze . Interpretations vary. Some of a complex graph for a word of similar pro-
scholars take these early forms to show nunciation in early Chinese meaning ‘peddle’,
firewood on a platform/stand, with ritual which at the bronze stage usually – but not
significance (Shirakawa, Ma). More convinc- always – has the element 10 ‘shell, currency’
ing is the view that the lower part represents added beneath . MS1995:v1:234-5, v2:1246-
the hindquarters of an animal such as a cow, 7; SS1984:441-2; MR2007:254; KJ1970:429-30;
or the buttocks/thighs of a woman, with the YK1976:273.
‘opening’ element 22 being the vagina;
the upper part, which seems to show a large Mnemonic: USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!
tattooing needle with a handle, is then taken
章334 SHŌ suggests it is either eye of the needle or a part
made wider to hold more easily. Tattooing
L3 badge, chapter needle came to signify ‘mark (made by tattoo-
11 strokes ing), sign’, and originally the two-character
compound meant ‘elaborate tattoo’ (Shi-
KISHŌ medal, badge rakawa); by extension such meanings as ‘writ-
BUNSHŌ writing, prose ing; sections in a piece of writing’ evolved for
SHŌKU chapter, passage
. MS1995:v2:982-3; OT1968:745; SS1984:443;
Bronze ; seal . Depicts a needle for tat- YK1976:274. We suggest taking the modern
tooing criminals and slaves, to identify them graph as ‘stand’ 77 and ‘early’ 52.
clearly. Significance of the swollen roundish
part is debated: Shirakawa suggests it might Mnemonic: EARLY CHAPTER ON BADGES
represent accumulation of ink, while Mizukami
STANDS OUT
126 The 200 Third Grade Characters
勝335 SHŌ, katsu, masaru Seal . Late graph (Shuowen). Has 78
‘strength’, and 1731 (now royal ‘We’, but
L3 win, surpass originally ‘join boat-planks’) as phonetic with
12 strokes associated sense ‘raise up’, giving ‘use strength
and raise up; endure’. ‘Win’ is extended meaning.
SHŌRI victory KJ1970:535; YK1976:274; OT1968:12. We suggest
SHŌBU win or lose, match using , 601 ‘man’, 209 ‘flesh’, and the two
kachiKI will to win strokes as horns.
乗336 JŌ, noru/seru Mnemonic: STRONG FLESHY MAN WITH
HORNS WILL WIN
L4 ride, mount, load
9 strokes ride and load. Some bronze forms have been
taken historically as including the component
JŌSEN embarkation for two feet pointing away from each other
JŌSŪ multiplier (modern ), and this has then been incor-
norimono vehicle porated in later forms such as the traditional
Traditional . OBI form shows a person above; Katō, however, sees this as a misinter-
astride top branches of a tree, i.e. climbing/ pretation, and treats it as simply a pictograph.
mounting, later with extended meanings of MS1995:v1:22-3; MR2007:427; KJ1970:555. Take
植337 SHOKU, ueru 65 ‘two’ and variant of ‘come’ 237.
L3 plant Mnemonic: TWO COME RIDING
12 strokes
A late graph (Shuowen) . Comprises 73
SHOKUBUTSU flora ‘tree’ and 192 (‘direct, upright’) as semantic
taue rice planting and phonetic, meaning ‘upright, stand upright’.
SHOKUMINCHI colony Ogawa regards ‘pillar’ as the original mean-
ing. Katō and Yamada treat the meanings
申338 SHIN, mōsu related to ‘plant, vegetation’ as a loan usage.
KJ1970:557-8; YK1976:283; OT1968:511.
L3 say, expound
5 strokes Mnemonic: TREE PLANTED UPRIGHT
SHINKOKU report OBI ; seal . The OBI form represents forked
mōshikomi application lightning, while the seal form, which depicts
mōshiwake apology the human backbone and a few ribs, is the basis
of the modern graph. That is, there are two dis-
tinct graph shapes involved. The meaning ‘say’
is a loan usage. MS1995:v2:872-3; MR2007:521;
KJ1970:949-50; YK1976:285. We suggest using
66 ‘sun’ and a piercing element represent-
ing lightning.
Mnemonic: THE SUN IS PIERCED BY
LIGHTNING! WHAT CAN ONE SAY?
The 200 Third Grade Characters 127
身339 SHIN, mi have this with 49 (‘thousand’), regarded
as phonetic with associated sense ‘be preg-
L3 body nant’. The modern reference to ‘body’ can be
7 strokes seen as an extended generalised meaning.
MS1995:v2:1264-6; KJ1970:563; YK1976:285-6.
SHINTAI body We suggest taking the graph as a whole as a
JISHIN oneself stylized pictograph.
miBUN status
Mnemonic: PREGNANT WOMAN WALKS WITH
The OBI and some bronze forms depict
a pregnant woman; other bronze forms SWOLLEN BODY
神340 SHIN, JIN, kami ing i] lightning component, with ii] 723 as
semantic (showing table/altar, by extension
L3 a god, spirit, deity ‘deity’), to give meanings ‘thunder’ or ‘thunder
9 strokes deity’, then just ‘deity’. i] here is in Tōdō’s word-
family ‘extend, stretch’; Mizukami and Katō take
SEISHIN spirit as thunder and lightning. MS1995:v2:944-5;
SHINPU priest KJ1970:575; YK1976:287.
megami goddess
Bronze forms , . First depicts lightning (see Mnemonic: THUNDER GOD SAYS SOMETHING
338 ‘say’). Second more common, compris- SPIRITED AT THE ALTAR
真341 SHIN, ma 匕 ‘person fallen upside down’ (distinguish from
32 ‘seven’) with , with sense ‘turn upside
L4 truth, essence
10 strokes down’ (original way of writing NJK ‘summit’,
‘fall over’); ii] ‘spoon’ with , 3-legged caul-
SHINJITSU truth dron’, with sense ‘fill up container’ (original way
SHASHIN photograph of writing NJK ‘obstruct; fill, fall’); Tōdō also
masshiro* pure white includes in word-family meaning ‘be filled right
up’. Again, ‘true’ is a loan usage. Gu also seems
OBI ; bronze ; seal ; traditional . to support taking top element in OBI as ‘person’.
Katō and Yamada feel there are no OBI or KJ1970:212; YK1976:288; MS1995:v2:918-20,
bronze forms, so on basis of later seal form v1:154-5, v2:1516-8; TA1965:745. We suggest
they provisionally see it as ‘inverted person’ taking as 284 ‘equipment’ and 35 ‘ten’.
匕 258 with inverted 155 ‘head, neck’, with
meaning ‘heavy fall’/‘upside-down’; with ‘true’ Mnemonic: THE TRUTH IS, THE EQUIPMENT IS
a loan usage. Mizukami, though, lists the much
earlier OBI form, and two possible analyses: i] IN TEN PIECES
深342 SHIN, fukai/meru Bronze . ‘Water’ 42, and 穼 or 罙 as
phonetic, a river name; loan usage for ‘deep’.
L3 deep, deepen MS1995:v2:760-61; KJ1970:565-6; YK1976:289.
11 strokes Take 73 ‘tree’ and variant 860 ‘hole’.
SHIN’EN profundity Mnemonic: DEEP WATERHOLE NEAR TREE
SHINKAI deep sea
fukairi going deeply
128 The 200 Third Grade Characters
進343 SHIN, susumu/meru OBI ; seal . Comprises 85 ‘walk, go’,
and 324 (‘bird’) as phonetic with as-
L4 advance sociated sense ‘go out (with footwear on)’.
11 strokes MS1995:v2:1296-7; KJ1970:563; YK1976:289.
ZENSHIN advance Mnemonic: ADVANCE LIKE A MOVING BIRD
SHINKA evolution
SHINGEN advice, proposal
世344 SEI, SE, yo part of ’ , which was the original way of
writing 428 ‘leaf’; as both Qiu and Katō note,
L4 world, generation
5 strokes also had the meaning ‘generation’ (Qiu links
with the fact that leaves grow out once a year).
SEIKI century In similar vein, Shirakawa takes as originally
SEWA care depicting plants growing. ‘The world, society’ is
yononaka world at large an extended usage. MS1995:v1:10-11, v2:1126-
7; KJ1970:50-51; YK1976:295; QX2000:182;
Bronze ; seal . Generally taken as the graph SS1984:492. Suggest take the two lower laterals
for ‘thirty’ (the ‘ten’ graph 35 written three as ‘two’ 65.
times in a slightly modified way), on the basis
that about thirty years made up one genera- Mnemonic: THE ODD WORLD OF THE GEN-
tion. Qiu, though, considers the early Zhou
bronze form of ‘clearly was simply the top ERATION OF ’32
整345 SEI, totonou/eru Bronze ; seal . Has (a variant of
1727 ‘edict’ qv), which in itself has a meaning
L3 arrange of ‘arrange properly’, and 43 (‘correct’) as
16 strokes phonetic with similar associated sense ‘put in
order, arrange’; in Tōdō’s word-family ‘bring to-
SEIRI arrangement gether/arrange in one place’. MS1995:v1:586-7;
SEIBI maintenance KJ1970:584; YK1976:306; TA1965:472-4.
BICHŌSEI fine tuning
Mnemonic: EDICT ENFORCES CORRECT
ARRANGEMENT
昔346 SEKI, SHAKU, mu- up, accumulate’. Thus ‘accumulated days’. Ma
takes it as originally showing a flood; Shirakawa
L3 kashi considers it originally to show dried meat,
olden times, past with sunlight used to dry; for both Ma and
8 strokes Shirakawa, the sense of ‘passing time’ is loan us-
age. KJ1970:614-5; TA1965:364-7; MR2007:354;
SEKIJITSU old days SS1984:505; JA2000:437. Suggest the upper
mukashiFŪ old-style part as two ‘tens’ 35 and ‘one’ 1.
KONJAKU past and present
Mnemonic: TWENTY-ONE DAYS AGO IS THE
OBI ; seal . Etymology disputed. Katō and
Tōdō treat as 66 ‘day(s)’, with as phonetic PAST
meaning ‘pile up’. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘pile
The 200 Third Grade Characters 129
全347 ZEN, mattaku Seal forms , . Generally taken as 5
‘king’ or 125 ‘work’ standing for 15 (‘jewel,
L3 whole, complete jade, precious stone’), and 67 (‘enter’), here
6 strokes as phonetic with associated sense ‘beauti-
ful, good’, giving overall meaning of ‘beauti-
ZENBU all ful/unblemished jade or precious stone’,
ZENSHIN whole body and by extension ‘complete’. KJ1970:637;
ANZEN safety MS1995:v1:98-9; YK1976:320-21.
Mnemonic: THE KING IS COMPLETE WITH
HIS CAP
相348 SŌ, SHŌ, ai- of ‘look at/examine a tree’, and more generally
‘look/examine’; the latter takes as standing
L3 mutual, aspect, min- for on the basis of historical Chinese sound
ister correspondences, taking the latter as phonetic
9 strokes with associated sense ‘see (clearly) right inside’.
Other meanings such as ‘mutual’, ‘help’, ‘minister’
SŌDAN discussion may be seen as loan usages. QX2000:192, 215-6;
aite other party SS1984:540; MS1995:v2:916-7; KJ1970:428-9;
SHUSHŌ Prime Minister OT1968:696; YK1976:327; AS2007:531, 450.
OBI ; bronze . Either taken as 76 ‘eye’, Mnemonic: MINISTER EYES TREE, TREE EYES
with 73 ‘tree’ (Qiu, Shirakawa), or with
MINISTER – IT’S MUTUAL
1632 ‘mulberry’ (Mizukami, Katō, Ogawa,
Yamada). Former view gives overall meaning
送349 SŌ, okuru script stage) but ‘pestle’ (seen in bronze), with
associated sense ‘continue’ (Katō, Yamada) or
L4 send ‘push’ (Mizukami). Original meaning of graph:
9 strokes ‘walk behind along a road, or follow behind
husband’; ‘send’ is an extended sense. Sug-
HŌSŌ broadcast gest take right side as 70 ‘eight’, but here
SŌKIN remittance in its meaning of ‘out’, and 62 ‘heaven’.
miokuru see off MS1995:v2:1288-9; KJ1970:644; YK1976:326-7.
Bronze forms , ; seal ; traditional ᱄. Has
85 ‘go, walk’, and . Top right element of Mnemonic: SENT OUT OF HEAVEN !
seal is properly not 8 ‘fire’ (miscopied at seal
想350 SŌ, SO A late graph (Shuowen); seal form: . Has
164 ‘heart, mind’, and 348 (‘mutual’ qv) as
L3 idea, thought phonetic and semantic meaning ‘see, examine’,
13 strokes to give overall sense ‘see in one’s mind, think’.
OT1968:382; YK1976:329; KJ1970:551. We sug-
CHAKUSŌ concept gest taking as its literal components 73
RISŌ ideal ‘tree’ and 76 ‘eye, look’.
AISO/AISŌ affability
Mnemonic: LOOKING AT A TREE, AN IDEA
CAME TO MIND
130 The 200 Third Grade Characters
息351 SOKU, iki associated sense ‘advance’ (here, of breath
through the nose). Thus the core meaning is
L3 breath, rest, child, ‘breath(e)’. ‘Rest’ is an extended meaning. From
interest (money) Han times, the graph also had the sense of
10 strokes ‘increase and decrease’, and then just ‘increase’
(hence interest on money). Gu takes ‘child’ as
KYŪSOKU rest based on semantic extension from ‘breath’ (as
tameiki sigh vital life sign) firstly to ‘grow’, and then ‘child’.
RISOKU interest (money) MS1995:v1:508-9; KJ1970:644-5; YK1976:334-5;
GY2008:1082-3.
Bronze forms , ; seal . Has 150 ‘self’,
here in original sense ‘nose’, and (bronze) Mnemonic: HEART NEEDS NOSE TO BREATHE
or 164 ‘heart/mind’ as phonetic with
Bronze ; seal . Has 85 ‘go, walk’, and
速352 SOKU, hayai/meru, 561 (now meaning ‘bundle’ and ‘manage’ qv)
as phonetic with associated sense range ‘busy,
L3 sumiyaka restless, hurry’. MS1995:v2:1292-3; KJ1970:649;
speed, fast YK1976:335.
10 strokes
Mnemonic: MOVES VERY FAST TO MAKE A
SOKKI shorthand BUNDLE
JISOKU speed per hour
sumiyaka ni rapidly
族353 ZOKU phonetic with associated sense ‘sharp, pointed’.
Originally meant ‘arrowhead’. ‘Family’ is a
L4 clan, family loan usage, and when this meaning became
11 strokes dominant, the metal determinative 16 was
added to create a new graph for ‘arrowhead’.
KAZOKU family MS1995:v1:604-5; KJ1970:649-50; YK1976:336.
MINZOKU race We suggest taking as 223 ‘side’, and as 41
SHUZOKU tribe ‘person’.
OBI ; bronze . Generally taken as 145 Mnemonic: PERSON WITH ARROW AT HIS
‘arrow’, with element for flagpole and streamer
(modern form / : see also CO 斿 at 424) as SIDE SIDE BELONGS TO OUR FAMILY
他354 TA, hoka the graph ‘carry on the back’ evolved ( 41
‘person’, and as phonetic with associated
L3 other sense ‘add’, giving ‘carry’), and was sometimes
5 strokes borrowed for ‘other (person)’ (a near-homo-
phone). To reduce ambiguity in texts, was
TANIN stranger devised (Six Dynasties [222-589] or later) for
TAKOKU foreign land ‘other’, leaving for ‘load; carry’. Note: , also
yoso* elsewhere originally pictograph of a snake [NJK], was itself
borrowed for other words meaning ‘be, also’,
Bronze ( ) ; seal ( ) ; is post-Shuowen. etc. MS1995:v1:56-7; YK1976:341. Take as
At first, early Chinese word for ‘other, other both ‘snake’ and ‘to be’.
person’ was written , originally pictograph of
snake with large head (CO graph). This bronze Mnemonic: THAT OTHER PERSON IS A SNAKE
form for ‘snake’ later diverged into two separate
graphs, viz. and (see Note below). Later,
The 200 Third Grade Characters 131
打355 DA, utsu Seal . A late graph (Shuowen); Has 34
‘hand’ and 367 (‘block’, originally ‘nail’)
L3 hit, strike as phonetic with associated sense ‘strike’.
5 strokes KJ1970:714; YK1976:342; OT1968:400.
DASHA batter Mnemonic: HAND HITS NAIL
DAGEKI blow
uchikaesu hit back
対356 TAI, TSUI or pillars of the instrument’s framework
faced each other, and so gives meaning ‘pair,
L3 oppose, against, pair correspond; face each other’ (Katō, Mizu-
7 strokes kami, Ogawa). Shirakawa treats differently
on basis of OBI and bronze forms as made
HANTAI opposition up of component for a digging or engraving
TAISHŌ object tool, with 64 ‘earth, soil’, with (but on
TSUIKU couplet basis of OBI better taken as ); in Shirakawa’s
interpretation, the later abstract meanings
OBI ; bronze ; traditional . Gener- probably represent loan usages. KJ1970:661-2;
ally taken as comprising 278 ‘deed’, which MS1995:v1:396-8; OT1968:285; SS1984:563-4.
originally depicted a musical instrument (bells We suggest taking the left-hand part as a vari-
suspended from a supporting framework), ant of 72 ‘text’.
with 2003 ‘hand’ (part of OBI form; original-
ly meant ‘[right] hand’) or 920 (part of seal Mnemonic: TEXT MEASURES OPPOSITION
form; another hand-related graph originally
meaning ‘pulse’ [now ‘measure’]). Two boards
待357 TAI, matsu Bronze ; seal . Has 131 ‘road’, and
149 (‘temple’) as phonetic with associated
L4 wait sense ‘stop’. MS1995:v1:484-5; KJ1970:481;
9 strokes YK1976:343-4.
TAIKI awaiting chance Mnemonic: WAIT AT TEMPLE BESIDE ROAD
SHŌTAI invitation
machibuse ambush
代358 DAI, TAI, kawaru/eru, Bronze ; seal . Has 41 ‘person’, and
311 (‘stake’, ‘marker’) as phonetic with associ-
L4 yo ated sense ‘change’, to give overall meaning
replace, world, ‘substitute person’; subsequently took on
generation, fee more abstract and generalised meanings: ‘sub-
5 strokes stitution, alternation, exchange, generation,
age’. KJ1970:889; YK1976:346-7; OT1968:46.
SEDAI generation
KŌTAI alternation Mnemonic: PERSON REPLACED BY
heyaDAI room charge
STAKE – FOR A FEE
132 The 200 Third Grade Characters
第359 DAI It subsequently acquired more general meaning
of ‘order, sequence’, probably with a connotation
L3 grade, order of relative status, given other related words in
11 strokes Chinese noted by Schuessler such as those for
‘younger brother’ and possibly also ‘ladder’. Note:
DAINIKA Lesson Two In Han times, strips of bamboo were commonly
SHIDAI ni gradually joined together – clearly reflected in the shape
KYŪDAI making grade of the graph 884 ‘bundle of bamboo tablets’
– to give a surface for writing. MS1995:v2:986-7;
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 58 YK1976:348; OT1968:749; AS2007:210.
‘bamboo’, and a slightly abbreviated form of
Mnemonic: BAMBOO TOPS YOUNGER
194 (‘younger brother’; qv) as phonetic
with associated sense ‘order, sequence’, to give BROTHER IN TERMS OF ORDER
original meaning ‘put letters or records in order’.
題360 DAI sense ‘shave the head’; shaving the head gives
impression of bigger forehead, hence the
L4 subject, title original meaning ‘forehead’. In ancient China,
18 strokes slaves’ foreheads were marked (tattooed) with
a sign to show ownership, and from that there
MONDAI problem, issue evolved the extended sense ‘title, heading’.
DAIMEI title KJ1970:712-3; YK1976:348; MS1995:v2:1450-51.
WADAI topic
Mnemonic: PROPER HEADER NEEDED FOR
Seal . Has 103 ‘head’, and 1574 (now
‘proper’, ‘this’) as phonetic with associated TITLE OF THIS SUBJECT
炭361 TAN, sumi but can be burned again as fuel, hence the
two graphic elements together meaning ‘fire
L4 charcoal, coal returns’. As well as this interpretation, Mizukami
9 strokes sets out an alternative, taking 屵 semantically
as ‘cliff, bluff’, to give ‘combustible material
TANSEKI coal coming from a cliff or similar’, i.e. coal (as ex-
TANSO carbon tended sense; also in modern Chinese [certain
sumibi charcoal fire non-Mandarin dialects], can mean ‘coal’).
MS1995:v2:796-7; KJ1970:678; YK1976:351.
Seal . Generally taken as 8 ‘fire’ and 屵 as
phonetic element with associated sense ‘return, Mnemonic: FIERY MATERIAL FROM MOUN-
go back’. Charcoal is wood that has been
burned once (under controlled conditions) TAIN CLIFF IS COAL
短362 TAN, mijikai with 379 (‘upright vessel’, now ‘bean’) as
phonetic with associated sense ‘small’, to give
L3 short overall meaning such as ‘small in measure, short
12 strokes in stature’. Ogawa, though, takes literally
as ‘arrow’, and as phonetic with associated
TANSHO shortcoming sense ‘small’, to give ‘short arrow’. Either way,
TANKI short tempered the resultant meaning evolved as just ‘short’.
temijika ni in brief KJ1970:683; YK1976:351-2; OT1968:706.
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Katō and Mnemonic: ARROW FALLS SHORT OF VESSEL
Yamada choose to take 145 ‘arrow’ as an
abbreviation of the NJK ‘carpenter’s square’,
The 200 Third Grade Characters 133
談363 DAN Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 118
‘words, language’, and 1050 ‘leaping flames’
L3 conversation, talk as phonetic with associated sense ‘peaceful’, to
15 strokes give original meaning ‘say things in a peaceful
way’, and possibly having a sense of warmth.
SŌDAN’YAKU adviser KJ1970:97-8; YK1976:354; OT1968:935.
KAIDAN conference
DANWA conversation Mnemonic: NOT A FLAMING ROW, BUT
WARM WORDS IN CONVERSATION
着364 CHAKU, tsuku, kiru that in the Han dynasty clerical script (see
Introduction) there was alternation between
L4 arrive, wear
12 strokes ‘bamboo’ and / 53 ‘plant, vegetation’ as
a determinative. Despite a long history of use
TŌCHAKU arrival in China, the status of was less solid than
kimono clothing ⃪ in the sense that in character dictionaries it
FUCHAKU adhesion continued to be treated by scholars typically as
a vulgar form until it was officially accepted as
Rather awkward. This late graph, not listed in a separate graph in modern times. In Japa-
the Shuowen, is included in the Ganlu zishu nese, meaning range is ‘wear, arrive, adhere’.
(Character Dictionary for Seeking an Official QX2000:323-4; SS1984:592; YK1976:359. We
Stipend, compiled in 8th century AD China by suggest taking the upper part as slight variant
Yan Yuansun) as a popular or vulgar variant of 426 ‘sheep’, and lower as 76 ‘eye/see’.
of ⃪ (see 949), which is itself a variant of ⃦
1853 ‘chopsticks’ (q.v.). ⃦ consists of 58 Mnemonic: I SEE SHEEP ARRIVING, WEARING
‘bamboo’, with 314 (‘person’) as phonetic
with associated sense ‘put between’. Qiu notes THEIR FLEECE
注365 CHŪ, sosogu ‘continuation of water droplets’ (Katō, Ogawa).
An alternative analysis is given by Tōdō, who
L4 pour, note includes in his word-family ‘stand firmly/
8 strokes upright’ on the basis that water pouring down
can be seen as a vertical column. The early
CHŪMOKU attention meaning of is stemmed lamp, and this may
CHŪSHA injection reinforce ‘column’. KJ1970:506-7; YK1976:362;
CHŪSHAKU notes (text) OT1968:567; TA1965:281-4.
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 42 Mnemonic: MASTER POURS WATER IN A COL-
‘water’, and 315 (now ‘main/master’ but
originally a stemmed lamp) as phonetic with UMN, AND TAKES NOTES
associated sense ‘continue’, to give meaning
柱366 CHŪ, hashira Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 73 ‘tree,
wood’, and 315 (‘main’, originally a stemmed
L3 column, pillar lamp) as phonetic with associated sense ‘stand
9 strokes firmly’; in Tōdō’s word-family ‘stand firmly/up-
right’. YK1976:362-3; OT1968:499; TA1965:281-4.
CHŪSEKI pillar
DENCHŪ telegraph pole Mnemonic: MASTER WOODEN PILLAR
tsurara* icicle
134 The 200 Third Grade Characters
丁367 CHŌ, TEI rounded shape was difficult), whereas the seal
form shows a side view. Through later general
L1 block , exact development of the script, the determinative
2 strokes
16 ‘metal’ was added to create NJK as
CHŌDO exactly an unambiguous way of writing ‘nail’. Note
TEINEI civility too the reading TEI, as in teinei ‘polite’, ‘care-
CHŌme city block ful’. MS1995:v1:4-5; MR2007:514; KJ1970:940;
YK1976:372.
OBI ; seal . The OBI form shows a nail head
(typically squared, as at that stage of script a Mnemonic: BLOCK IS EXACT TO A ‘T’.
帳368 CHŌ originally referring to a curtain pulled around
a bed as a screen; Tōdō, in contrast, includes
L1 register, drape in a word-family meaning ‘long’, to give ‘long
11 strokes hanging cloth’. Not clear whether the sense
‘record book/accounts book’ is an extended
teCHŌ notebook usage (records written on cloth?) or a loan
CHŌba counter, desk usage. KJ1970:702-3; YK1976:366; OT1968:318;
kaya* mosquito net TA1965:348-9.
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Generally taken Mnemonic: LONG CLOTH DRAPE USED AS
as 1232 ‘cloth’, with 189 ‘long’ as phonetic
with associated sense ‘pull taut’ (later 775), REGISTER
調369 CHŌ, shiraberu, toto- Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 118
‘words, language’, and 532 (‘around’), here
L3 noeru as phonetic with associated sense ‘harmonise’
investigate, tone, (Katō, Yamada) or ‘extend thoroughly’ (Ogawa,
adjust, tune Tōdō). Though these two interpretations of
15 strokes the phonetic differ, the former is in line with
the modern Japanese meaning totonoeru
CHŌSEI adjustment ‘arrange’, the latter with shiraberu ‘investi-
shirabe investigation gate’. KJ1970:514; YK1976:369; OT1968:935;
CHŌSHI tone, condition TA1965:179-83.
Mnemonic: INVESTIGATE BY TALKING
AROUND
追370 TSUI, ou continue from behind’ (Yamada, Katō, Mizu-
kami). In Tōdō’s word-family ‘follow a route’.
L1 chase, pursue Analysing the occurrence of this graph in
9 strokes OBI contexts, Qiu gives a similar but more
specific meaning to , i.e. ‘pursue someone’s
TSUIKYŪ inquiry troops’. MS1995:v2:1290-91; KJ1970:659-60;
TSUIHŌ banishment YK1976:370; TA1965:682-5; QX2000:213. We
oiharau chase off suggest taking as ‘buttocks’ with a funny
little tail.
OBI ; bronze . Has 85 ‘go/walk’, and
(CO ‘buttocks’) as phonetic, which is generally Mnemonic: PURSUE MOVING BUTTOCKS
taken as having associated sense ‘follow/
WITH A FUNNY LITTLE TAIL
The 200 Third Grade Characters 135
定371 TEI, JŌ, sadameru house’, and by extension the more generalized
meanings ‘arrange’, ‘decide’. Mizukami also lists
L3 fix, establish second interpretation, i.e. ‘stay on in a house’.
8 strokes Ma interprets as ‘person entering a house’ by
taking lower element in his proposed OBI forms
TEIKI fixed term as 54 ‘foot/leg’ (q.v.). In the latter cases,
FUTEI indefinite ‘decide’ is presumably considered a loan usage.
KETTEI decision KJ1970:584; YK1976:373; MS1995v1:368-9;
MR2007:369.
Bronze ; seal . Has 30 ‘roof, building’,
and 43 (‘correct’) as phonetic, generally Mnemonic: FIX ROOF CORRECTLY
taken as having associated sense ‘prepare a
庭372 TEI, niwa line/evenly’ (Mizukami, Tōdō). Originally, the
building was typically a palace, and the graph
L3 garden, courtyard referred to a level open space in a courtyard
9 strokes where people often gathered for formal occa-
sions. Used with a similar meaning historically
KATEI household in Japan, but then also came to denote ‘garden’.
TEIEN garden MS1995:454-5; TA1965:455-59; OT1968:329.
niwaSHI master gardener
Mnemonic: PALACE COURTYARD HAS FINE
Seal . Has 127 ‘house, building’, and
1742 (‘imperial court’), here as phonetic with COVERED GARDEN
associated sense ‘extend/spread in a straight
笛373 TEKI, fue Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 58
‘bamboo’, and 421 (‘reason’) as phonetic
L1 flute, whistle with associated sense ‘extract’ (Tōdō, Ogawa)
11 strokes or ‘clear’ (Katō); Tōdō takes it as extracting the
material from inside the bamboo joints to make
KITEKI steam whistle it hollow, while Katō takes as meaning a flute
TEKISHU flutist which produces clear sound. TA1965:185-90;
kuchibue whistle OT1968:749; KJ1970:720.
Mnemonic: THERE’S A REASON WHY BAM-
BOO IS USED AS A FLUTE
鉄374 TETSU, kurogane Katō regards the right-hand element as having
semantic and phonetic role, meaning ‘big’. In
L3 iron, steel favour of interpretation of right-hand element
13 strokes as ‘black, reddish black’ here is the existence of
a related word in Chinese of the same or similar
TEPPAN iron/steel plate pronunciation represented by the graph
CHIKATETSU subway meaning ‘reddish-black horse’. The black or red-
TEKKYŌ iron bridge dish-black metal is usually taken as ‘iron’, which
takes on a reddish-black colour when rusted.
Seal ; traditional . Generally taken as 16 MS1995:v2:1378-9; YK1976:377; OT1968:1040;
‘metal’, with (CO ‘big’) (the minor change from KJ1970:723; ZY2009:v4:1560. We suggest taking
the modern right-side as 529 ‘lose’.
56 [‘big’] in top of seal form to 35 [‘ten’] in
block script is not significant) as phonetic with Mnemonic: LOST METAL PROVES TO BE IRON
associated sense range ‘black soil, black, reddish-
black’ (Mizukami, Yamada, Ogawa), though
136 The 200 Third Grade Characters
転375 TEN, korogeru/garu with associated sense ‘move/change’, thus
‘move things elsewhere’. ‘Go round/revolve’ is
L4 rotate, tumble, roll an extended usage. is based on cursive form.
11 strokes MS1995:v2:1272-3; KJ1970:630; YK1976:380. We
suggest taking the right-hand part as ‘two’
TENSŌ forwarding 65 noses .
UNTEN driving
JITENSHA bicycle Mnemonic: VEHICLE ROLLS OVER TWO
Bronze ; seal ; traditional . Has 33 NOSES – OUCH!
‘cart/vehicle’, and 925 (‘sole’) as phonetic
都376 TO, TSU, miyako person’ is discernible (in , corrupted in shape
to ). Original graph meaning ‘enclosed area
L4 capital, big city where many people are gathered’ became
11 strokes extended to ‘capital’ (city where the Emperor
resides). MS1995:v2:1332-3; KJ1970:497;
TOSHI city YK1976:382. Note: In Japanese and Chinese
SHUTO capital script, is used in compound graphs for two
TSUGŌ circumstances separate determinatives: one as described im-
mediately above, while the other (full form:
Bronze ; seal . Widely taken as ( as 1907) occurs as a left-hand component, as in
a right-hand component 376) ‘village/town’, for example 249, meaning ‘piled-up earth,
with 314 (‘person’) as phonetic with associ- terraced land, mound’.
ated sense ‘gather, accumulate’ (Mizukami,
Katō, Yamada). In the right-hand side of the Mnemonic: CAPITAL IS A VILLAGE ON THE
bronze and seal forms, (corresponding to
or right-hand ), an element for ‘kneeling RIGHT WITH MANY PERSONS
度377 DO, TAKU, tabi the hand’, to give ‘measure with the hand’. The
hand, with spread-out thumb and middle fin-
L4 degree, times ger, was moved from one point to the next as a
9 strokes rough way of measuring a short distance. Later
took on a generalized meaning ‘measure’ and
TEIDO degree not just linear, hence ‘degree’, etc. KJ1970:612;
ONDO temperature YK1976:383-4; TA1965:332-5; OT1968:156. We
ICHIDO once suggest taking 127 as ‘building’ and central
part as two ‘tens’ 35 with ‘one’ 1.
Seal (bronze similar). Taken as 2003 ‘hand’,
with abbreviated form of 1480 (‘many’) Mnemonic: HAND MEASURES TWENTY-ONE
(Katō, Yamada, Tōdō) – or variant of 47
(‘stone’) – (Ogawa) as a phonetic, both with DEGREES IN BUILDING
same associated sense ‘spread out fingers of
投378 TŌ, nageru Seal ; late graph (Shuowen). Has 34 ‘hand’,
and 170 (originally hand holding stick) as
L3 throw, cast phonetic with associated sense ‘throw (stick)’
7 strokes (Ogawa); Shirakawa also sees as stick/
baton, as weapon. KJ1970:735; YK1976:386;
TŌSHU baseball pitcher OT1968:404; SS1984:642.
TŌHYŌ vote
nagedasu throw out Mnemonic: TWO DIFFERENT HANDS NEEDED
TO THROW WEAPON
The 200 Third Grade Characters 137
豆379 TŌ, ZU, mame purpose. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘stand upright’.
The graph seems to have been borrowed to
L1 beans, miniature represent a different word (of same pronuncia-
7 strokes tion in Han times) meaning ‘bean, soybean’;
the meaning ‘small’ may be an extended use
TŌFU tofu (beancurd) from ‘bean’ (something small). KJ1970:733-4;
DAIZU soybean MR2007:314; QX2000:179,356; TA1965:281-3;
mameHON miniature book SS1984:642; AS2007:215-6. We suggest taking
the top lateral stroke as ‘one’ (1).
OBI form ; seal . Originally a pictograph of
a round vessel on a stem (varied in height) with Mnemonic: ONE MINIATURE BOX ON STAND,
a splayed foot, to serve meat or other food;
later, some such vessels (Ch. dou) served a ritual FULL OF BEANS
島380 TŌ, shima Seal ; this is a late graph (Shuowen). Has
26 ‘mountain’, and (abbreviated shape
L3 island
10 strokes for 190 ‘bird’) as phonetic with associ-
ated sense ‘big waves’, to give ‘mountains
RETTŌ archipelago (or other land projecting up) surrounded by
TŌMIN islanders sea’, namely ‘island’. YK1976:387; KJ1970:668;
shimaguni island nation OT1968:304.
Mnemonic: BIRD ALIGHTS ON MOUNTAIN-
OUS ISLAND
湯381 TŌ, yu Bronze ; seal . Has 42 ‘water’, and
161 (‘sun shining up high’) as phonetic with as-
L3 hot water sociated sense ‘hot sun, hot’. MS1995:v2:768-9;
12 strokes KJ1970:879; YK1976:388; OT1968:596. We sug-
gest taking 66 ‘sun’ with as rays.
SENTŌ public bath
yuge steam Mnemonic: RAYS FROM RISING SUN MAKE
CHAnoyu tea ceremony
WATER HOT
登382 TŌ, TO, noboru Ma, taking the second common OBI form
above as showing a stone platform or pedestal
L3 climb for mounting a horse, with two helping hands
12 strokes below and the feet of the rider above;
Shirakawa also takes the element similar
TŌJŌ appearance in shape to as a mounting platform.
TOZAN mountaineering MS1995:v2:894-5; KJ1970:733; YK1976:388;
kinobori tree-climbing MR2007:239-40; SS1984:648. We suggest in
its original meaning ‘tall food vessel’, and as
OBI forms , ; bronze . Interpretations funny feet.
diverge. Often taken as ‘tread or step
heavily’, with 379 ‘food vessel’ as phonetic Mnemonic: TWO FUNNY FEET CLIMB TALL
with associated sense ‘climb’ (Mizukami, Katō,
Yamada). An alternative analysis is found in FOOD VESSEL
138 The 200 Third Grade Characters
等383 TŌ, hitoshii, nado ‘order’, but regarding the additional sense ‘equal’
which has, Shirakawa cites a pre-modern
L3 class, equal, et cetera Chinese commentary which explains this on
12 strokes the basis of sorting out big and small bamboo
writing tablets, resulting in groups of tablets of
ITTŌ first class equal size; if we accept this explanation, ‘etc. (et
JŌTŌ high class cetera)’ – meaning the inclusion of further similar
TŌATSUSEN isobar items – can be regarded as an extended sense.
KJ1970:482; YK1976:389; SS1984:648.
Seal . Late graph (Shuowen). Has 58 ‘bam-
boo’, here denoting bamboo writing tablet, and Mnemonic: BAMBOO TABLETS ETC AT TEM-
149 (‘temple’) as phonetic with associated PLE ARE ALL CLASSED EQUAL
sense ‘arrange, put in order’. Similar to 359
動384 DŌ, ugoku/kasu Seal . Late graph (Shuowen). Has 78
‘strength, power’, and 326 (‘heavy’) as
L4 move phonetic with associated sense ‘shake’, to give
11 strokes meaning ‘exert power’, and by extension ‘move’.
YK1976:391; KJ1970:704; OT1968:128.
DŌBUTSU animal
DŌKI motive Mnemonic: STRENGTH MOVES HEAVY OBJECT
ugoki movement
童385 DŌ, warabe that by the time of Shuowen, the NJK graph
had been devised to create the orthographical-
L3 child ly contrastive pair ‘slave, servant’ as opposed
12 strokes to ‘child’, but even after that was still often
used for ‘child’, and likewise has meanings
DŌWA nursery tale of both ‘child’ and ‘servant’. In early Chinese, the
JIDŌ children associated words for ‘slave, servant’ and ‘child’
DŌSHIN child’s mind appear to have been of the same pronuncia-
tion, assuming they were in fact separate words
Bronze . Seal . Bronze form has 1535 (Schuessler lists them together as one entry).
‘needle’ over 326 (‘heavy’) as phonetic with Aesthetically a displeasing graph at bronze
associated sense ‘slave’, also with 76 ‘eye’ stage because it consists of multiple elements
added in the middle. In ancient China, slaves one on top of the other; this visual imbalance
were tattooed on the forehead with a needle became moderated at the seal script stage.
to indicate ownership, and ‘eye’ here is taken to MS1995:v2:984-5; KJ1970:735; YK1976:392;
denote forehead, the eye being much easier to QX2000:350-51; AS2007:500. Take modern
represent pictographically. There is debate over graph as 77 ‘stand’ and 238 ‘village’.
this graph’s different meanings ‘slave, servant’
and ‘child’. Qiu observes that in ancient texts Mnemonic: CHILD STANDS IN VILLAGE
represented both ‘slave, servant’ and ‘child’, and
農386 NŌ necessarily distinguished strictly as in modern
Japanese) with ‘clam’ (later written as NJK
L3 farming
13 strokes ) , sometimes also with 2003 (or other
equivalent graph for) ‘hand’. Overall meaning is
NŌJŌ farm ‘cut (small) trees and vegetation with sharp-
NŌMIN farmers ened clam shells to clear for growing crops’.
NŌGYŌ agriculture Bronze forms commonly include 63 ‘field’
(originally had a general sense, not necessarily
OBI ; bronze ; seal . Some variation ‘wet/paddy field’), with or without an element
in shape, but OBI commonly has 79 or for ‘forest’ or ‘hand’, but interpreted in same
40 ‘forest’ (these two graphs originally not way as OBI form. The seal form has what has
The 200 Third Grade Characters 139
sometimes been taken as 囟 ‘fontanelle/skull’ gest using 279 ‘bend’ (though incorrect),
as a slope, and the lower part as a scythe.
(see 147 ‘think’), but this is a miscopying
or misinterpretation of in the bronze forms Mnemonic: FARMING INVOLVES BENDING
(Katō). MS1995:v2:1280-81; KJ1970:738-9; AND CUTTING ON SLOPES
MR2007:263; YK1976:406-7; AS2007:49. We sug-
波387 HA, nami Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 42
‘water’, and 396 (‘skin, hide’) as phonetic
L3 wave with associated sense ‘move up and down,
8 strokes heave’. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘be covered with;
skewed, slanting’. YK1976:407; OT1968:567;
SHŪHA frequency TA1965:658-60.
ONPA sound wave
naminori surfing Mnemonic: WAVES FORM ‘SKIN’ OF WATER
配388 HAI, kubaru loan usage. Other commentators, though, are
typically more cautious on how to interpret
L3 distribute this graph, as there are no examples of usage
10 strokes in the Chinese classics to help analysis. At the
bronze stage, in some occurrences the shape
SHINPAI worry of the ‘person kneeling’ element changed; this
HAITATSU delivery change is reflected in the seal form, which was
kubarite card dealer then rendered as 866 (‘self’) in block script.
MR2007:522; MS1995:v2:1346-7; KJ1970:798-9;
OBI ; seal . Has 318 ‘wine jar, wine’, and YK1976:410.
right-hand element showing a kneeling person.
Ma interprets original meaning as ‘person Mnemonic: DISTRIBUTE WINE TO
wanting wine badly’, while Mizukami takes
right-hand element as having associated sense ONESELF – WHILE KNEELING
‘serve, accompany’, and regards ‘distribute’ as a
倍389 BAI with associated sense ‘oppose, rebel’. Original
meaning of the graph is ‘oppose, rebel’, but
L3 double, -fold Tōdō gives a classical reference to support the
10 strokes sense ‘multiply’, as does Schuessler. KJ1970:758-
9; YK1976:411-2; OT1968:71; TA1965:158;
GOBAI five-fold
BAIKA doubling AS2007:159. We suggest taking 咅 as 77 ‘
BAISŪ multiple
stand’ and 22 ‘open mouth’.
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 41 ‘per-
Mnemonic: PERSON STANDS OPEN-
son’, and 咅 (a CO meaning ‘spit’) as phonetic MOUTHED AT DOUBLE
箱390 hako other’, which is taken as referring to the long
rails on either side of an oxcart. The graph
L3 box was originally used to denote the part of an ox-
15 strokes cart used for carrying goods (Katō, Shirakawa),
and since this was box-like in shape, by exten-
kobako little box sion the meaning ‘box’ evolved. MS1995:990-91;
hakobune ark KJ1970:551; SS1984:548.
hakoiri boxed
Mnemonic: BAMBOO SIDES MUTUALLY OP-
Seal ; a relatively late graph (Shuowen). POSED IN BOX
Has 58 ‘bamboo’, and 348 (‘mutual’) as
a phonetic with associated sense ‘face each
140 The 200 Third Grade Characters
畑391 hata, hatake One of a limited number of graphs devised in
Japan based on the formational principles of
L3 (dry-) field Chinese characters, known as ‘kokuji’ ( ‘na-
9 strokes tional characters’). Has 8 ‘fire’ and 63 ‘field’,
meaning ‘dry field’ (as opposed to a paddy
CHAbatake tea field field). OT1968:671.
tahata fields, estate
mugibatake wheat field Mnemonic: A DRY-FIELD IS AN EASILY
BURNED FIELD
発392 HATSU, HOTSU feet treading’ and 170 ‘hand holding stick’)
regarded as phonetic representing the sound
L4 discharge, start, leave of a bow when released. ‘Go out, leave, be-
9 strokes gin’ are extended usages. MS1995:v2: 894-6;
KJ1970:779; YK1976:415. We suggest taking as
HAPPYŌ announcement two funny feet and as 65 ‘two’ bent legs .
HOSSOKU inauguration
HATSUDENKI generator Mnemonic: TWO FUNNY FEET AND TWO
Bronze ; seal ; traditional . Has 107 BENT LEGS LEAD TO DISCHARGE
‘bow’, and 癹 (a combination of 382 ‘two
反393 HAN,TAN, soru/rasu takes the same two elements as representing
a person scrambling up a cliff ). Meanings such
L3 oppose, anti, reverse, as ‘oppose’ are extended usage. According to
bend, cloth, measure Ogawa, the SJ reading TAN (denoting a unit of
4 strokes measure for cloth, or land ) derives from as
an abbreviation of 944 (‘step’: also has an
HANNŌ* reaction SJ reading TAN), and one meaning of in pre-
HANKAKU anti-nuclear modern China was a unit of measure for cloth.
TANmono textiles MS1995:v1:194-5; KJ1970:785; YK1976:415;
MR2007:269-70; OT1968:153; ZY2009:v2:572.
OBI ; seal . Generally treated as 2003
‘(right) hand’, with as phonetic with associat- Mnemonic: CLIFF OPPOSES HAND
ed sense ‘raise the hands, overturn’ (though Ma
坂394 HAN, saka consists of 64 ‘earth, ground’ with 393
(‘slope, oppose’) as phonetic with associated
L3 slope sense ‘sloping’, to give ‘sloping ground’. In Tōdō’s
7 strokes word-family ‘be covered with; sloping’. Note:
meaning of as left-hand element is ‘piled-
KYŪHAN steep slope up earth, terraced elevated land, mound’: see
sakamichi slope 1907. KJ1970:787; OT1968:213; TA1965:658-60.
kudarizaka downhill
Mnemonic: SLOPE IS OPPOSED GROUND
A late, post-Shuowen graph; generally treated
as variant of 1865 (seal form of : ).
板395 HAN, BAN, ita 791 (‘board, print’), reflecting the fact that early
printing in Japan, as in China, used wooden
L3 board, plate blocks. consists of ‘tree, wood’, with 393
8 strokes (‘oppose’) as phonetic with associated sense
‘thin, flat’, to give ‘flat board’. In Tōdō’s word-
KOKUBAN blackboard family ‘spread out flat, open out in circular pat-
itagami cardboard tern’. YK1976:419; OT1968:496; TA1965:654-6.
itamae chef
Mnemonic: OPPOSED WOODEN BOARDS
Occurs in seal form , but not included in
Shuowen; generally treated as a variant of The 200 Third Grade Characters 141
皮396 HI, kawa meaning ‘remove [animal hide] with the hand’.
The modern meaning range ‘[animal] hide,
L3 skin, leather leather, fur, skin’ reflects a restricted semantic
5 strokes shift. YK1976:421; MS1995:v2:900; OT1968:689.
As a mnemonic we suggest taking the modern
HIFU skin graph as (393 ‘opposed’) with one extra
HINIKU sarcasm stroke.
kinokawa bark
Mnemonic: SKINS WITH AN OPPOSED EXTRA
Bronze ; seal . Bronze form has 2003
‘(right) hand’, and (later / ) as phonetic STROKE
with associated sense ‘remove’, to give original
悲397 HI, kanashii/shimu Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 164
‘heart, mind’, and 794 (originally bird wings,
L3 sad meaning ‘oppose’, and by extension ‘deny;
12 strokes wrong’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘sad,
misery, grief’. The overall meaning ‘sad, misery’
HIGEKI tragedy can be understood as ‘opposing/conflicted feel-
HIMEI shriek, wail ings’. YK1976:424; KJ1970:797; SS1984:713.
kanashimi sorrow
Mnemonic: MY HEART HAS WINGS – YET I AM
SAD!
美398 BI, utsukushii OBI ; seal . Has 426 ‘sheep’ (often
), and 56 ‘big’, to give meaning ‘big/fat
L3 beautiful, fine
9 strokes sheep’. By extension from this positive as-
sociation, ‘good to eat/drink’, and ‘beautiful’.
BIJIN beautiful woman MS1995:v2:1040-41; KJ1970:801; YK1976:424.
BIJUTSU fine arts See 1657 for further comment on standards of
BIGAKU aesthetics beauty in early Japan.
Mnemonic: A BEAUTIFUL FAT SHEEP
鼻399 BI, hana originally ‘arrow with big head’) as phonetic
with associated sense in dispute: ‘stick out’
L3 nose (Yamada, Ogawa), or ‘two things are together’
14 strokes (Mizukami, Tōdō), or ‘naturally draw in and
expel air’ (Mizukami). MS1995:v2:1522-3;
BION nasal sound YK1976:425; OT1968:1171. Suggest as ‘nose’,
hanasaki tip of nose
hanagusuri bribe as 63 ‘field’, and lower part as two ‘tens’
35.
Originally found in OBI in simpler graph
150 (‘nose’, ‘self’). Seal form for is . Has , Mnemonic: OWN NOSE FOLLOWS TRAIL
originally a pictograph of the nose, and 畀 (CO,
THROUGH TWENTY FIELDS
142 The 200 Third Grade Characters
筆400 HITSU, fude the fact that brushes typically had a bamboo
shaft, though sometimes wood was used. In
L3 writing brush OBI, texts were sometimes written first using
12 strokes a brush, then incised with a knife-like instru-
ment. The brush was the most common writing
ENPITSU pencil instrument in China and Japan until displaced
HISSHA writer by the steel-tipped pen, etc. in modern times.
fudezukai penmanship YK1976:426; KJ1970:55; MS1995:v2:1062.
OBI ; seal . The simpler, older form shows a Mnemonic: HAND HOLDS BAMBOO WRITING
hand holding a writing brush ( 159); to this,
BRUSH
58 ‘bamboo’ was later added, reflecting
氷401 HYŌ, kōri on the left, but in the seal script this changed
to the right, giving , as in modern Chinese
L3 ice usage. The form standard in Japanese is
5 strokes found in Chinese calligraphic tradition (Tang
Dynasty onwards). Distinguish also from 644
HYŌZAN iceberg ‘long’. MR2007:450; MS1995:v1:116; KJ1970:809;
HYŌTEN freezing point FC1974:v1:191-2. Suggest taking the extra
kōrimizu ice water stroke relative to 42 ‘water’ (at the top left) as
a crack in the ice.
OBI ( ); bronze ( ) ; seal ; the latter
now a CO . Quite a rare graph in OBI and Mnemonic: A CRACK IN THE WATER? – THAT
bronze. OBI form depicts cracks or irregularities
in ice. At bronze stage 42 ‘water’ was added MUST MEAN ICE
表402 HYŌ, omote, arawasu sense ‘envelop, enclose’, to give ‘outer garment
to cover inside’ (Katō, Mizukami, Yamada), or as
L3 show, surface, list semantic and interpreted as a garment worn
8 strokes over a fur coat (Mizukami, Qiu). The meanings
‘front, surface; show’ are extended usages.
HYŌMEN surface KJ1970:843-4; MS1995:v2:1164-5; YK1976:427;
HYŌGEN expression QX2000:20. Suggest take the top part as odd
JIKOKUHYŌ timetable variant of ‘master’ 315, with ‘clothing’ .
Seal . Has 444 ‘clothing’, and 230 ‘fur, Mnemonic: THE ODD MASTER’S CLOTHES
hair’. The function of the element is dis-
puted: taken either as phonetic with associated SHOW A LONG LIST
秒403 BYŌ either as phonetic and semantic meaning
‘small’ (Ogawa), or as phonetic with associated
L3 second (of time) sense ‘slender, thin’ (Yamada) or ‘ear (of cereal)’
9 strokes – again, something small – (Katō). The sense
‘small’ was then extended to small units, giving
NIBYŌ two seconds ‘second’ in the dimension of time. KJ1970:847;
BYŌSHIN a second hand YK1976:429; OT1968:731.
BYŌSOKU speed per sec.
Mnemonic: A LITTLE BIT OF CEREAL EATEN IN
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 87 ‘grain
plant/cereal’, and 160 (‘few, little’) taken A SECOND
The 200 Third Grade Characters 143
病404 BYŌ, yamai, yamu Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has ‘(sick-)
bed’ (the ‘sickness’ determinative, based on a
L4 illness, sickness person resting on a bed), and 1932 (origi-
10 strokes nally, probably chopping board used in rituals,
now ‘third class’), as phonetic with associ-
BYŌKI illness ated sense ‘be added’, to give ‘illness which
BYŌNIN sick person gets worse’. KJ1970:837,938-40; YK1976:429;
KOKUSHIBYŌ plague OT1968:678; SS1984:728.
Mnemonic: THIRD CLASS HEALTH LEADS TO
ILLNESS
品405 HIN, shina loan usage. Note that already in OBI this graph
appears to have had quite a wide semantic
L4 goods, quality, kind range: ‘a kind, class, piece’ (Schuessler). As
9 strokes Mizukami and others have noted, three here
denotes ‘many’ rather than specifically ‘three’ (cf.
SHŌHIN commodity
HINSHITSU quality 40). MR2007:250; YK1976:430; KJ1970:207;
shinamono goods AS2007:415; MS1995:v1:228-9. Take as three
boxes.
OBI ; seal form similar . Has three mouths,
taken to mean ‘talk a lot, many people talking’. Mnemonic: THREE BOXES OF QUALITY
Yamada has a similar view regarding a gener-
alised meaning of talking. Ma takes ‘goods’ as a GOODS
負406 FU, makeru/kasu, ou ciated sense ‘the back’, to give ‘carry [someone]
on the back’ (Katō, Yamada, Ogawa), and then
L3 defeat, carry more generally ‘carry on the back’. Shirakawa,
9 strokes though, takes it more literally as ‘carry shellfish
on the back’. ‘Turn the back on, oppose’ may
FUSHŌ wound be seen as extended usage, and ‘be defeated’
FUTAN burden as a loan usage. KJ1970:821; YK1976:433;
makegirai unyielding MS1995:v2:1230-32; OT1968:952; SS1984:740.
Bronze ; seal . Generally taken as ‘person’ Mnemonic: DEFEATED PERSON CARRIES
(see 41), on top of 10 (original meaning
‘shell, money’) used here as phonetic with asso- SHELL-MONEY AWAY
部407 BU Yamada feel sense unclear as originally was
a proper noun for a tribe in western China, and
L3 part, section treat it as loan usage for ‘part, section’. Tōdō,
11 strokes however, includes in a word-family ‘oppose;
divide’, linking it to a word later written 1975
BUBUN part ‘cut, split open’. Shirakawa also takes the sense
BUCHŌ head of division as ‘divide’. KJ1970:759; YK1976:435; TA1965:155-
heya* room
8; SS1984:745-6. Suggest taking 咅 as 77
Seal ; late graph (Shuowen). Has right-hand
determinative 376 (full form: ), ‘village, ‘stand’ and 22 ‘mouth’.
settlement’, and 咅 ‘spit’ (see 389), here as pho- Mnemonic: STAND OPEN-MOUTHED AT PART
netic with disputed associated sense. Katō and OF THE VILLAGE ON THE RIGHT
144 The 200 Third Grade Characters
服408 FUKU on this basis posits the extended meaning
‘something worn close to the body, clothes’.
L4 clothes, yield, serve Additionally, may be treated as also hav-
8 strokes ing a semantic role: if ‘hand’ is taken with the
other element interpreted as ‘person kneeling
FUKUSŌ clothing submissively’, this gives the meaning ‘obey, sub-
FUKUJŪ submission mit’ (Ogawa, Shirakawa). MS1995:v2:1100-01;
Hattori* a surname KJ1970:793-4; OT1968:481; SS1984:750. Note:
The element in , which has gone through
OBI ; seal . The OBI form (left-hand) cor- an intermediate stage , is an altered form of
responds to 1450 ‘boat, hollowed-out vessel’,
with , made up originally of a hand positioned , and is not 18 ‘moon’ or the abbreviated
typically at the back of an element representing form of 209 ‘meat, flesh’, which were often
a person kneeling submissively (Katō) but here confused from an early period (though useful
acting as phonetic with associated sense such as mnenomics). We suggest taking as a hand
as ‘lie/face downwards’, or ‘adhere to some- reaching up to clothes hoist.
thing’, to give overall meaning ‘work while look-
ing down into a vessel (boat/large container)’. Mnemonic: SERVILE HAND PUTS CLOTHES
Mizukami gives an additional associated sense
‘boards attached tightly to sides of a boat’, and ON HOIST UNDER THE MOON
福409 FUKU generally taken as indicating a person receiv-
ing wine after a ritual offering it to the deities.
L3 good fortune On this basis, the overall original sense of the
13 strokes graph was ‘sacred/auspicious wine from a ritual
to the gods’. It then underwent a change to
KŌFUKU happiness a more generalised meaning to ‘something
FUKUbiki lottery received from the deities’, and by extension
FUKUINSHO Gospels ‘good fortune’. KJ1970:827; MS1995:v2:954-5;
YK1976:438. We suggest taking the right-hand
OBI forms , . The first OBI form has / components as 1 ‘one/single’, 22 ‘mouth/
entrance’, and 63 ‘field’.
‘altar, deity; show’ 723, and a CO 畐 as semantic
Mnemonic: ALTAR AT SINGLE ENTRANCE TO
and phonetic meaning ‘(full) wine jar’ (it is a
pictograph of a wine jar). The second OBI has FIELD – WHAT GOOD FORTUNE
these two elements and in addition two hands,
物410 BUTSU, MOTSU, different colors, but then adopted through loan
usage for a word meaning ‘not’) as phonetic
L4 mono with associated sense ‘various’, to give overall
thing meaning ‘cow of various colors (mottled hide)’.
8 strokes A generalised shift in meaning gave rise to the
sense ‘things’, which according to Schuessler
JINBUTSU person is already found in OBI texts. KJ1970:830-32;
SHOKUMOTSU food MS1995:v2:832-3, v1:146-8; YK1976:439-40;
tabemono food AS2007:520.
OBI ; seal . Has ( ) 108 ‘cow’, and an Mnemonic: COW WITH STREAMERS FROM ITS
NJK (originally a graph with OBI forms taken
as mostly depicting fluttering streamers of HORNS – WHAT A FUNNY THING
The 200 Third Grade Characters 145
平411 HEI, BYŌ, taira, hiratai strokes above as the OBI graph for 38 ‘small’,
to give ‘small floating plant’; at the bronze
L3 flat, even, calm stage, the top horizontal stroke was added,
5 strokes probably for the flat surface of the water. ‘Flat,
even’ is extended usage, and ‘calm’ a further
HEIKI calmness extended sense. YK1976:443; KJ1970:167;
BYŌDŌ equality MS1995:v1:446-7. We suggest taking the graph
hirate palm of hand as a whole, i.e. as a pictograph, of evenly bal-
anced scales.
OBI ; bronze . The bottom two strokes of
the OBI form show an aquatic plant. Yamada Mnemonic: SCALES ARE FLAT AND EVEN
suggests the curved shape indicates it has no
roots and is just floating, and takes the three
返412 HEN, kaesu/ru Bronze ; seal . Has 85 ‘go, walk, move’,
and 393 (‘oppose’) as phonetic, here with
L3 return associated sense ‘return, reverse’. KJ1970:786-7;
7 strokes MS1995:v2:1284-5; YK1976:446.
HENJI reply Mnemonic: REVERSE MOVEMENT AND
HENSAI repayment RETURN
shikaeshi retaliation
勉413 BEN q.v. (originally a woman striving to give birth;
now meaning ‘avoid, escape’) as phonetic with
L4 strive associated sense ‘be born’. Along the same lines,
10 strokes Tōdō notes as the original way of writing NJK
BENKYŌ study ‘childbirth’, and includes it in the word-family
KINBEN diligence ‘take out/produce with great effort’. The graph
BENGAKU study
thus has the meaning ‘make an effort, strive’.
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Katō and Yama- KJ1970:854; YK1976:449; TA1965:739-41.
da take as 78 ‘strength, power’, with 2018
Mnemonic: STRIVE STRONGLY TO ESCAPE
放414 HŌ, hanasu/tsu ‘release, spread, extend’. Shirakawa, alternative-
ly, takes as showing an exposed corpse, and
L3 release, emit the whole graph as showing the corpse being
8 strokes beaten in a ritual to drive out evil spirits. Ogawa
regards what others take as as in error for
KAIHŌ liberation
HŌSHA radiation 41 ‘person’. Whichever analysis is followed,
tebanasu let go in broad terms the overall sense is still ‘beat
with a stick and chase away’, leading to other
Bronze . Has (usual right-hand form of related meanings such as ‘emit’ and ‘release’.
112 ‘hit with a stick’), and left-hand element MS1995:v1:570-71; SS1984:785; OT1968:435;
with disputed function and meaning. Based YK1976:453.
on bronze forms, Mizukami interprets the left-
hand element as 223 (‘direction, person’), Mnemonic: BEATING A PERSON IS A FORM
serving as phonetic with associated sense
OF RELEASE FOR SOME
146 The 200 Third Grade Characters
味415 MI, aji, ajiwau Seal ; late graph (Shuowen). Has 22
‘mouth’, and 617 (originally a tree with luxu-
L4 taste, relish riant foliage, but borrowed to mean ‘not yet’)
8 strokes as phonetic with associated sense ‘delicious’
(Ogawa says ‘good’), to give ‘taste, flavor’. Also
IMI meaning used by extension to denote an attribute or
KYŌMI interest quality. KJ1970:869; YK1976:464; OT1968:179;
ajimi tasting AS2007:512.
Mnemonic: TASTE NOT YET IN THE MOUTH
命416 MEI, MYŌ, inochi orders control others, and so meanings such
as ‘fate’ and ‘life’ represent extended usage. In
L3 life, order Shang times the simpler graph was used to
8 strokes write two words of similar pronunciation and
probably related (both have the meaning ‘order,
MEIREI order command’, but the word later written also
SEIMEI life had the lesser sense ‘give a name’); the later ap-
inochitori fatal pearance of in bronze texts signals that each
of the two words could be represented unam-
Bronze ; seal . Has (see 41) ‘person biguously from that point on. MS1995:v1:224;
kneeling’, and as phonetic with associ- YK1976:467-8; KJ1970:177-8; OT1968:178;
ated sense ‘shout loudly’ together with 22 AS2007:387, 361.
‘mouth, speak’ for emphasis, to give the overall
meaning ‘order, command’ (to kneeling person) Mnemonic: LIFE CAN HINGE ON A SPOKEN
(Yamada). Ogawa, though, takes this graph as
ORDER
‘mouth’ with 633 ‘order’ as semantic and
phonetic, meaning ‘use others’. Those who give
面417 MEN, omo(te), tsura the long outside line in the bronze form as
showing the front surface of the face), or a mask
L3 face, aspect, mask (Katō, Yamada). The long line is more suggestive
9 strokes of something around a face, i.e. mask, yet the
Shuowen takes it as meaning ‘face’. ‘Face’ led to
GAIMEN exterior extended senses such as ‘aspect’. QX2000:184;
omoshiroi interesting MR2007:401; OT1968:1093; KJ1970:870-71;
hanazura muzzle YK1976:470. Suggest using 76 ‘eye’.
OBI ; bronze ; seal . Interpretation varies. Mnemonic: FACE-MASK WITH BIG EYE IN THE
Taken to represent either the face with a line or
lines in front of it (Qiu, Ma, Ogawa – Qiu sees MIDDLE AND A FLAT TOP
問418 MON, tou OBI ; seal . Has 22 ‘mouth’ (here as
‘speak/call’), and 231 ‘gate/door’ serving
L4 ask here as phonetic with associated sense ‘ques-
11 strokes tion aggressively’; later acquired generalized
meaning ‘ask’. MS1995:v1:234-5; KJ1970:834-5;
SHITSUMON question YK1976:473.
GAKUMON scholarship
toiya/tonya* dealer Mnemonic: ASK WHO’S CALLING AT THE
DOOR
The 200 Third Grade Characters 147
役419 YAKU, EKI give warnings. This is appropriate for the seal
form, but not older forms. The OBI and bronze
L3 role, service, duty equivalents of this graph have not but either
7 strokes two persons, or one person who – in some
cases – is kneeling: in combination with ,
YAKUNIN functionary this gives the overall meaning ‘forced work/
YAKUSHA actor labor’ (Mizukami, Katō, Schuessler). Often
HEIEKI military service the work appears to have been of a military
nature. YK1976:474-5; KJ1970:88; SS1984:827;
OBI ; bronze ; seal . Typically analyzed OT1968:346; AS2007:568.
as 131 ‘go/walk’, with 170 ‘hand holding
big stick’, to give overall sense ‘travel round with Mnemonic: GO OFF WITH STICK IN HAND TO
stick’. Shirakawa treats the stick as ritualistic,
and Ogawa sees it as a symbol of authority to DO ONE’S DUTY
薬420 YAKU, kusuri Bronze ; seal ; traditional . Has 53
plant/grass and 98 (qv, originally ‘oak tree’
L4 medicine, drug or type of musical instrument, later loaned for
16 strokes ‘music; pleasure’), here serving as phonetic
with associated sense ‘heal, cure’. The bronze
YAKKYOKU pharmacy form lacks the element 69 ‘white’, which may
KAYAKU gunpowder represent an acorn (see 98). MS1995:v2:1136-7;
kusuriyubi ring finger KJ1970:874; YK1976:475-6.
Mnemonic: MEDICINAL PLANT GIVES PLEASURE
由421 YU, YŪ, yoshi (‘small-necked wine jar’), which he takes as
initially showing a fleshy gourd that produced a
L4 reason, means, way, form of oil (see 422 ‘oil’). Ogawa also treats
from 卣 and as having same early forms. Differ-
5 strokes ences in analysis of early forms of reflect
difficulties often found in deciding which old
YURAI derivation forms correspond to which modern graphs. The
RIYŪ reason abstract meanings for such as ‘from’ may be
JIYŪ freedom taken as loan usages. KJ1970:24; YK1976:476;
SS1984:829; OT1968:669,144. Take as 63
Seal . Etymology disputed. Katō and Yamada ‘field’ and l as a drill.
treat as originally same graph as 169 (later
divergence in shape), showing basket/bag for Mnemonic: THERE’S A REASON FOR THE
pressing out liquid in wine-making. Shirakawa
sees early forms of as the same as for 卣 DRILL IN THE FIELD (see 422 below)
油422 YU, abura agrees, regarding the meaning ‘oil’ as a loan
usage. Shirakawa, though, treats as ‘water/
L3 oil liquid’ with as semantic and phonetic
8 strokes meaning ‘oil’, regarding (early form of ) as
the original way of writing . Ogawa gives
YUDEN oil field another alternative, treating as , with
TŌYU kerosene as phonetic with associated sense ‘extract’. Tōdō
aburaE oil painting also includes in word-family meaning ‘extract’,
but regards ‘oil’ as loan use of . YK1976:476-
OBI ; seal . Etymology disputed. Yamada 7; KJ1970:886; SS1984:829; OT1968:570,669;
and also Matsushima list OBI forms; Yamada TA1965:185-9.
takes as 42 water/liquid, with 421 (‘reason’)
as phonetic with associated sense unknown Mnemonic: THE REASON IS THAT THE LIQUID
because originally it stood for a proper noun
(river name). On the basis of the seal form, Katō IN THE FIELD IS OIL (see 421 above)
148 The 200 Third Grade Characters
有423 YŪ, U, aru form above for is the same as that for ,
and Ma notes the latter is borrowed sometimes
L4 have, exist for (both were very close in pronunciation
6 strokes in early Chinese), but regards the other OBI
form above for as obscure. Qiu observes
SHOYŪSHA owner that for a time in antiquity ‘hand’ was used
UMU existence for in the sense ‘have’, and also was
arigatō thank you sometimes used for ‘hand’, thereby con-
fusing later commentators on the Chinese
OBI forms , ; bronze . Mizukami, Katō classics. Such interchangeability of graphs well
and Yamada all analyze the bronze form as illustrates the complexity of historical Chinese
character use. MS1995:v1:636-7; KJ1970:22-3;
209 ‘meat, flesh’ (later modified in shape YK1976:478; TA1965:139-43; MR2007:358,267;
through regularization to ) with 2003 QX2000:346,349,401; AS2007:580-81.
‘(right) hand’; they also attribute the sense
‘offer’ to the latter, while Tōdō takes it instead Mnemonic: EXISTENCE IS DEPENDENT ON
as ‘enclose, keep’. The overall meaning of
thus becomes ‘offer meat held in the hand’, or HAVING MEAT IN HAND
‘keep in the hand’. The above does not account
for the OBI forms, however. The simpler OBI
遊424 YŪ, YU, asobu indicate smallness – in this case small ripples
in the flag. 斿 has a role as phonetic, having
L3 play, relax an associated meaning of ‘waves, advance’
12 strokes (Katō, Yamada) – such motion often giving an
unhurried impression – or ‘shake, sway’ (Ogawa,
YŪRAN sightseeing Tōdō). The resultant overall meaning for is
YUSAN excursion ‘walk unhurriedly, wander around’. ‘Relax’ and
asobiba playground ‘play’ are extended meanings. YK1976:479;
KJ1970:464; OT1968:1009; TA1965:195-6. We
A post-Shuowen graph, found in Yupian (6th suggest taking 223 as ‘side’, 41 ‘person’,
century AD). It consists of 85 ‘walk, go, move’, and 27 ‘child’.
with the CO 斿. The latter represents a ‘flutter-
ing flag/streamer’: see also 353, and note Mnemonic: CHILD PLAYS ALONGSIDE MOV-
that here flag/streamer has 27 ‘child’ (as
opposed to ‘arrow’ 145) possibly added to ING PERSON
予425 YO, kanete regarded as loan usages. Mizukami, Yamada,
and Ogawa follow Shuowen and take as con-
L3 already, prior, me sisting of 540 ‘elephant’, with as phonetic
4 strokes with associated sense ‘big and calm’, to give
original meaning ‘big elephant’, and Karlgren is
YOYAKU booking in broad agreement. This analysis is questioned
YOSŌ expectation by Schuessler and Shirakawa, who maintain
YOTEI schedule there are no examples of early usage in this
sense; Shirakawa does note the early use of
OBI ; seal ; traditional . In modern times in the sense ‘beforehand’. MS1995:v2:1226-7,
in Japan, has been – and continues to be – v1:26-7; YK1976:480; OT1968:29; BK1957:41;
popularly regarded as an abbreviated version of AS2007:592; SS1984:841-2. We suggest taking
the traditional form , but the latter is in fact the upper part as a ‘bent figure’ and thus
a separate character from both historically ‘bent over’, and the lower part as a variant of
and in modern Chinese. itself depicts a weav- 367 in its original meaning of ‘nail’.
ing shuttle to move thread back and forth hori-
zontally, and by extension to represent actions Mnemonic: THE NAIL IS ALREADY BENT
done with the shuttle, e.g. ‘push’. The meanings
‘I/me’, ‘beforehand’, and ‘already’ are generally
The 200 Third Grade Characters 149
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