A late graph (Shuowen); seal script form is . Interpretations diff er. There is general agreement that the enclosed element in seal script is 人 41 ‘person’. 厂 (in mirrored form) is taken as phonetic with associated meaning ‘roll over and over’ (Katō) or ‘round’ (Yamada). Tōdō includes the underlying word in a word-family meaning ‘round; surround’, and takes 厂 as semantic (see ‘cliff’ 47, being based on pictograph for the same) as well as phonetic, to give ‘person rolling themselves into ball shape at foot of cliff, to hide’. KJ1970:336-7; YK1976:107-8; TA1965:611-19. We suggest 九 13 ‘nine’, plus extra stroke to ‘round off’.
Mnemonic: NINE IS ROUNDED OFF WITH AN EXTRA STROKE
102
L3
岩
GAN, iwa
rock, crag
8 strokes
岩石 GANSEKI rock
岩屋 iwaya cave
火成岩 KASEIGAN igneous rock
A late graph (post-Shuowen). Has 山 26 ‘mountain’ and 石 47 ‘stone, rock’. Tōdō includes it in a word-family meaning ‘angular and hard’. YK1976:108; TA1965:866-8.
Mnemonic: STONY MOUNTAIN IS ALL ROCK
103
L4
顔
GAN, kao
face
18 strokes
顔面 GANMEN face
顔色 kaoiro complexion
顔付き kaotsuki countenance
Bronze consists of a head (頁) exaggerated, and 彦 (NJK; male name; etymology disputed). Katō sees 彦 here as phonetic with associated sense ‘forehead’, and 顔 itself originally meaning ‘forehead’. Shirakawa sees 彦 as depicting tattooing of forehead as marking adulthood. ‘Face’ shows minor semantic shift. KJ1970:222; SS1984:137-8,269.
Mnemonic: ONLY THREE HAIRS LEFT STANDING ON HEAD: GLUM FACE
104
L1
汽
KI
steam, vapor
7 strokes
汽車 KISHA steam train
汽船 KISEN steamship
汽笛 KITEKI steam whistle
Relatively late origin (Shuowen). ‘Water’ 氵 42, and 气 ‘vapor, steam’ (see 12) which also serves as phonetic. KJ1970:230; GY2008:498.
Mnemonic: STEAM COMPRISES WATERY VAPORS
105
L3
記
KI
chronicle
10 strokes
記者 KISHA reporter
記事 KIJI article
日記 NIKKI diary
Relatively late (Shuowen). Has 言 118 ‘words’ and 己 866 (‘self’, originally ‘twisted thread’) with associated sense taken as i] ‘record’, thus ‘record words’ (Katō, Yamada), or ii] ‘something twisted is straightened’, thus ‘put confused matters in order’ (Tōdō). TA1965:127-8; KJ1970:233-4; YK1976:113-4.
Mnemonic: A WORDY CHRONICLE WITH A TWIST IN IT
106
L4
帰
KI, kaeru
return
10 strokes
帰化 KIKA naturalization
帰省 KISEI homecoming
帰り道 kaerimichi way back
OBI ; seal ; traditional 歸. Interpretations vary. The right side 帚 element occurs in OBI texts as a pictograph for ‘broom held in hand’, and then also to represent the word for ‘wife’ (otherwise written unambiguously as 婦 800). The meaning ‘return’ seems related to the ancient custom of a groom going to the home of his new bride to collect her, and for them to return to his own home. Katō and Yamada take the top left element of 歸 as phonetic, with associated meaning ‘follow’, while Ogawa considers the lower left-hand element 止 143 ‘stop’ serves in this role, with the same meaning. For Shirakawa, alternatively, the top left element of the traditional form at the OBI stage shows pieces of raw meat used as part of a ceremony to mark the return of soldiers to camp. Present form has a much simplified left-hand element (similar to ‘cut/sword’ determinative 198刂) to represent combined upper and lower left-hand elements. MR2007:377,464; KJ1970:254-5; YK1976:113; OT1968:540; SS1984:144.
Mnemonic: RETURN WITH WIFE CARRYING BROOM AND SWORD
595; QX2000:192.
