Based on pictograph of a cloud (云). The graph was borrowed for its sound value to represent a homophonous word in early Chinese meaning ‘say’ (also an NJK with that meaning), as well as for another word meaning ‘revolve’. Then, to clearly indicate ‘cloud’, 雨 3 ‘rain, weather element’ was added at the seal stage, giving 雲. MR2007:453-4; SS1984:41; KJ1970:72; YK1976:63-4; AS2007:597; KJ1985:653; MS1995:v2:1418-20.
Mnemonic: RAIN FROM HEAVENLY CLOUDS
84
L3
園
EN, sono
park, garden
13 strokes
公園 KŌEN park
動物園 DŌBUTSUEN zoo
花園 hanazono flower garden
Late graph (Shuowen) . Has determinative 囗 ‘surround’, and 袁 as a phonetic, with associated meaning ‘fence’. 袁 is a CO with an original meaning of ‘long robe’, ‘ample clothing’, with associated sense of encircling, hence encircled area. Tōdō includes these in a word-family meaning ‘round/surround’. KJ1970:110; TA1965:611-21. As a mnemonic, we suggest taking 袁 as 土 64 ‘soil’, 囗 22 ‘opening’ and as ‘funny clothing’ 衣 444.
Mnemonic: AT OPENING OF ENCLOSED PARK, FUNNY CLOTHES GET SOILED
85
L4
遠
EN, tōi
distant
13 strokes
遠足 ENSOKU excursion
遠視 ENSHI longsighted
遠回り tōmawari detour
The determinative 辶 derives from 彳 131 ‘road, go’ and 止 143 ‘stop’ (originally, picto-graph of foot, hence also ‘go’). Right element is CO 袁 84 with semantic role as well as phonetic. Beyond that, views diverge, depending on meaning given to 袁. Katō and Ogawa broadly agree the basic sense of 袁 is ‘long’, thus ‘long movement’. Shirakawa, by contrast, sees it as ritualistic sending off of a deceased person on their last distant journey. Tōdō differs, taking linguistic form of the full graph 遠 as a member of a word family with the basic meaning of ‘make room, give latitude’. KJ1970:109-10; OT1968:1010; SS1984:59; TA1960:624-31. As with 84, we suggest 袁 as 土 64 ‘soil’, 囗 22 ‘opening’ and as ‘funny clothing’ 衣 444.
Mnemonic: GO TO DISTANT OPENING TO SEE FUNNY SOILED CLOTHES
86
L5
何
KA, nan(i)
what? how many?
7 strokes
何回 nanKAI how often?
何歳 nanSAI how old?
何者 nanimono who?
Ma and Shirakawa see the OBI form as a person carrying a halberd over their shoulder. Yamada takes 可 655 (‘able, should’) as phonetic, with associated sense ‘hunchback’, and ‘carry on the back’ as an extended meaning, while Katō takes ‘carry on the back’ as the primary associated sense. This sense has now been taken over by 荷 259 ‘load’, leaving 何 with just a loan sense. MR2007:381-2; SS1984:72; YK1976:79; KJ1970:122. Suggest taking it as a combination of 亻 41 ‘person’ and 可 ‘655 ‘able, should’.
Mnemonic: WHAT!? HOW MANY LOADS CAN A PERSON CARRY!?
87
L3
科
KA
course, section
9 strokes
科学 KAGAKU science
学科 GAKKA school subject
英語科 EIGOKA English Dept
Combines 禾, based on pictograph of grain plant , and 斗 1766, based on pictograph of ladle , giving rise to meaning ‘measure’ > ‘sift’ > ‘category’ > ‘section’. Used already in the sense of ‘class, degree’ in classical Chinese texts such as Analects of Confucius. 禾 also probably served phonetic role in coining this character, as Late Han sound values of 禾 and 科 were similar. ‘Course’ is associated meaning. SS1984:75; OT1968:448; AS2007:333, 273.
Mnemonic: A COURSE ON MEASURES FOR GRAIN PLANTS
88
L4
夏
KA, GE, natsu
summer
10 strokes
初夏 SHOKA early summer
真夏 manatsu midsummer
夏至 GESHI summer solstice
Traditional 夏. Early forms (bronze) such as , are complex graphs widely seen as showing someone dancing, probably with mask. Ogawa postulates that the dance was held in summer, and this graph came to mean ‘summer’ by association. The determinative in 夏 is traditionally 夊 (no.35) ‘walk slowly/drag foot’, even though now conventionally written just like
