OBI shows it as based on pictograph of an eye, generating a range of extended meanings. Use for ordinal suffix is loan usage. SS1984:824; QX2000:178; KJ1970:873.
Mnemonic: SQUARE-EYED AND VERTICAL – WATCHING TOO MUCH TV?
77
L5
立
RITSU, tatsu/teru
stand, rise, leave
5 strokes
自立 JIRITSU independence
立場 tachiba standpoint
目立つ medatsu stand out
OBI and bronze forms such as depict a person standing, ground beneath them to emphasize the act of standing rather than the figure. Later forms such as show little change. SS1984:875; QX2000:19; OT1968:744. ‘Leave’ is an extended meaning based on rising.
Mnemonic: STAND TO TAKE YOUR LEAVE
78
L4
力
RYOKU, RIKI, chikara
strength, effort
2 strokes
能力 NŌRYOKU ability
人力車 JINRIKISHA rickshaw
力持ち chikaramochi strongman
Early forms such as OBI seem to be generally interpreted as showing an arm and hand. Less convincingly, Shirakawa prefers to interpret as depicting a plow, and by association agricultural work and therefore physical strength. (See also 男 57 ‘male’.) On the other hand, if it were indeed a plow, it could be argued that one might expect rather a meaning such as ‘cutting’ or ‘planting’ or ‘preparing’. KJ1970:907; YK1976:492; BK1957:244; OT1968:123; SS1984:888-9. We suggest taking the modern form as a shoulder and upper arm.
Mnemonic: STRONG UPPER ARM AND SHOULDER
79
L4
林
RIN, hayashi
forest
8 strokes
林学 RINGAKU forestry
小林 Kobayashi a surname
密林 MITSURIN dense forest
Early forms show a simple doubling of ‘tree’ 73. Unlike in Japanese, in Chinese from the outset 林 and 森 40 ‘woods’ have been used with essentially the same meaning, i.e. ‘forest’. Schuessler considers the Chinese word written 森 probably evolved as an intensive derivative from that written as 林. MR2007:341; SS1984:889; QX2000:54; AS2007:358-9; QX2000:198.
Mnemonic: TWO TALL TREES IN THE FOREST
80
L5
六
ROKU, mu-
six
4 strokes
六月 ROKUGATSU June
六日 muika* sixth day
六角 ROKKAKU hexagon
OBI and bronze forms seem to indicate a simple building of some sort (Shirakawa suggests a temporary, tent-like structure), the graph then probably having been borrowed for the meaning ‘six’ through the phonetic loan principle. Qiu prefers a more abstract interpretation, taking it just as a geometric symbol. SS1984:919; KJ1970:43-4; OT1968:96; QX2000:32. We suggest taking the whole form as a pictorial mnemonic.
Mnemonic: LADEN TABLE FOR SIX LOSES ITS LEGS
THE 160 SECOND GRADE CHARACTERS
81
L4
引
IN, hiku
pull, draw
4 strokes
引力 INRYOKU gravity
字引 JIbiki dictionary
取り引き torihiki dealings
OBI ; bronze ; listed in the Shuowen as . Very similar to modern version. Karlgren takes as depicting a bow together with the bowstring. Katō and Yamada take the long vertical stroke as a phonetic element with associated sense ‘pull, extend’. SS1984:30; BK1957:106; KJ1970:164; YK1976:59.
Mnemonic: FANCY BOW WITH STRING WAITING TO BE PULLED
82
L3
羽
U, ha, -wa, hane
wing, feather, bird-counter
6 strokes
羽毛 UMŌ plumage
羽織 haori haori coat
一羽 ICHIwa one bird
Traditional 羽. OBI form shows to be based on pictograph of bird’s wings or feathers.
