href="#fb3_img_img_6594d362-70bc-51b9-a672-748707277ab1.jpg" alt="Image"/>; seal . The simpler OBI has a person 亻 41 kneeling or lying on a mat; the more complex form adds the element 宀 30 ‘roof’. In the seal form the element for ‘mat’ is distorted in shape, and this gets worse in the block script version, which has 百 , seemingly miscopied. Overall meaning is a person sitting in a chair or lying on (or next to) a mat in a building. MS1995:v1:378-9; MR2007:371; KJ1970:519-20. We suggest taking 百 as 百 71 ‘hundred’.
Mnemonic: A HUNDRED PERSONS LODGING UNDER THE SAME ROOF
328
L4
所
SHO, tokoro
place, situation
8 strokes
場所 baSHO place
所有 SHOYŪ possession
居所 idokoro whereabouts
Bronze ; seal . This graph is generally interpreted as 斤 1233 ‘ax’, with 戸 120 (‘door’) as a phonetic for the sound of wood being chopped. The meaning ‘place’ is a loan usage – a physical place at first, then extended to figurative senses such as ‘situation, circumstances’. MS1995:v1:544-6; KJ1970:534; YK1976:264; AS2007:486.
Mnemonic: CHOP DOWN DOOR WITH AX TO GET INTO THE PLACE
Or GIVEN THE SITUATION, CHOP THE DOOR DOWN WITH AN AX
329
L4
暑
SHO, atsui
hot (weather)
12 strokes
酷暑 KOKUSHO intense heat
避暑地 HISHOCHI cool resort
暑さ atsusa heat
Late graph (Shuowen) ; traditional form 暑 (note dot). Has 日 66 ‘sun’, and 者 314 (‘person’) as phonetic meaning ‘burn’. (The latter element may be taken – as Ogawa does – as semantic also, based on its original meaning relating to firewood). KJ1970:492; YK1976:265; OT1968:471.
Mnemonic: PERSON UNDER HOT SUN
330
L3
助
JO, tasukeru/karu
assist, help
7 strokes
助手 JOSHU assistant
助力 JORYOKU help, support
助け合い tasukeai mutual aid
Bronze . Has 力 78 ‘strength’, and 且 1135 (modern meaning ‘besides’, ‘further’, originally ‘cairn/piled stones’), here used as a phonetic with associated sense of ‘help’ or ‘aid’, to give ‘help with strength’ or ‘add strength’. MS1995:v1:138-9; KJ1970:1673; YK1976:266-7.
Mnemonic: HELP FURTHER BY ADDING STRENGTH
331
L1
昭
SHŌ
bright, light
9 strokes
昭和 SHŌWA Showa Period
昭代 SHŌDAI enlightened era
昭々 SHŌSHŌ brightness
Seal . Has 日 66 ‘sun’, and 召 1486 (‘summon’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘bright, clear; shine’. MS1995:v1:616-7; KJ1970:607; OT1968:466.
Mnemonic: SUMMON SUN, AND LET THERE BE BRIGHT LIGHT
332
L3
消
SHŌ, kieru, kesu
extinguish, vanish, consume
10 strokes
消費 SHŌHI consumption
消しゴム keshiGOMU eraser
消火器 SHŌKAKI fire extinguisher
Late graph (Shuowen) ; traditional form 消. Has 氵 42 ‘water’, and 肯 (modern 肖 1490, now meaning ‘look alike’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘few, scant, small’. ‘Water becomes scarce’ was original meaning, but became more general in relation to using up. KJ1970:606; SS1984:440; YK1976:271-2. We suggest taking the right hand element as 小 38 ‘little’ and 月 18 ‘moon’.
Mnemonic: WATER HAS VANISHED FROM OUR LITTLE MOON
333
L3
商
SHŌ, akinau
trade, deal, sell
11 strokes
商業 SHŌGYŌ commerce
商人 SHŌNIN merchant
商い akinai trade, business
OBI ; bronze . Interpretations vary. Some scholars take these early forms to show firewood on a platform/stand, with ritual significance (Shirakawa, Ma). More convincing is the view that the lower part represents the hindquarters of an animal such as a cow, or the buttocks/thighs of a woman, with the ‘opening’ element 口 22 being the vagina; the upper part, which seems to show a large tattooing needle with a handle, is then taken as phonetic with associated sense such as ‘go out, emerge’, giving overall meaning of ‘vagina’ (from which children emerge) (Mizukami, Katō, Yamada). Another associated sense is ‘pierce’, and so vaginal penetration could be another
href="#fb3_img_img_6594d362-70bc-51b9-a672-748707277ab1.jpg" alt="Image"/>; seal 