4805311703 complete japanese kanji-67-86 (1)

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66 
THE 160 SECOND GRADE CHARACTERS
引力 INRYOKU　gravity
字引 JIbiki　dictionary
取り引き torihiki　dealings
羽毛 UMŌ　plumage
羽織 haori　haori coat
一羽 ICHIwa　one bird
星雲 SEIUN　nebula
浮雲 ukigumo　drifting cloud
雲行き kumoyuki　turn of events
Traditional 羽. OBI form shows to be based 
on pictograph of bird’s wings or feathers. 
MR2007:279; MS1995:v2:1046-7; YK1976:62-3.
Mnemonic: FEATHERED WINGS
Based on pictograph of a cloud (云). The 
graph was borrowed for its sound value to 
IN, hiku
pull, draw
4 strokes
U, ha, -wa, hane
wing, feather,
bird-counter
6 strokes
UN, kumo
cloud
12 strokes
引
羽
雲
L4
L3
L3
81
82
83
公園 KŌEN　park
動物園 DŌBUTSUEN　zoo
花園 hanazono　fl ower garden
original meaning of ‘long robe’, ‘ample cloth-
ing’, 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 
Late graph (Shuowen) . Has determina-
tive 囗 ‘surround’, and 袁 as a phonetic, with 
associated meaning ‘fence’. 袁 is a CO with an 
EN, sono
park, garden
13 strokes園L3
84
OBI ; bronze ; listed in the Shuowen as . 
Very similar to modern version. Karlgren takes 
as depicting a bow together with the bow-
string. 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
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
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 67
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 
Ma and Shirakawa see the OBI form as a 
person carrying a halberd over their shoul-
der. Yamada takes 可 655 (‘able, should’) as 
phonetic, with associated sense ‘hunchback’, 
遠足 ENSOKU　excursion
遠視 ENSHI　longsighted
遠回り tōmawari　detour
何回 nanKAI　how often?
何歳 nanSAI　how old?
何者 nanimono　who?
科学 KAGAKU　science
学科 GAKKA　school subject
英語科 EIGOKA　English Dept
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 diff ers, 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
EN, tōi 
distant
13 strokes
KA, nan(i)
what? how many?
7 strokes
KA
course, section
9 strokes
遠
何
科
L4
L5
L3
85
86
87
and ‘carry on the back’ as an extended mean-
ing, while Katō takes ‘carry on the back’ as 
the primary associated sense. This sense has 
now been taken over by 荷 259 ‘load’, leav-
ing 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!?
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
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 
KA, GE, natsu 
summer
10 strokes夏L4
88 postulates that the dance was held in summer, 
and this graph came to mean ‘summer’ by asso-
ciation. The determinative in 夏 is traditionally 
夊 (no.35) ‘walk slowly/drag foot’, even though 
now conventionally written just like 夂 (no.34) 
‘(descending) foot’. See Appendix. SS1984:75; 
KJ1970:118-9; OT1968:229-30. Suggest taking 
夂 as ‘crossed legs’, and the upper part as head.
Mnemonic: MASKED HEAD AND CROSSED 
LEGS SHOW SUMMER MADNESS
L4
88
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68 The 160 Second Grade Characters
Some OBI forms, as , are seen as pig under 
roof, but other OBI and bronze such as are 
seen as dog under roof. In support of the pig 
analysis, Ma suggests the structures to house 
people and pigs were not all that diff erent in 
Of quite late provenance. Shuowen has the 
simpler form 哥 (NJK, ‘elder brother’), to which 
at a later date the right-hand element 欠 496 
‘yawn, mouth open wide’ was added. In this 
more complex character, 哥 serves a phonetic 
農家 NŌKA　farmhouse
武家 BUKE　warrior family
小説家 SHŌSETSUKA　novelist 
歌手 KASHU　singer
短歌 TANKA　short verse
歌声 utagoe　singing voice
KA, KE, ie, -ya
house, specialist
10 strokes
KA, uta, utau
song, sing
14 strokes
家
歌
L4
L4
89
90
ancient times. Shirakawa, however, in support 
of the dog analysis, observes that dog sacrifi ce 
was common at that period. Katō believes 豕 
to be a pig, here as a phonetic with associated 
sense ‘leisure’, i.e. building for relaxing. Over 
time the character has become associated with 
‘profession’, with particular families/houses 
being associated with particular work through 
the hereditary system in China. MR2007:367-8; 
KJ1970:124-5; BK1957:28; SS1984:76.
Mnemonic: SPECIALIST’S HOUSE LOOKS LIKE 
A PIG-STY!
role which is regarded by Katō and Yamada as 
also denoting longer articulation, while Tōdō 
includes it in a word-family meaning ‘bend’ 
(specifi cally here, manipulate or move the vocal 
chords). One can perhaps think of the early 
Chinese equivalent of KA-KA as like the English 
‘(Tra)-la-la’. KJ1970:122; YK1976:84; TA1965:578-
82. As a mnemonic, suggest again taking ‘can, 
able’ 可 655 and doubling it.
Mnemonic: GAPING MOUTH SINGS THE 
CAN-CAN
OBI ; bronze forms , ; seal ; traditional 
畵. Numerous interpretations. Upper part of 
OBI form is taken by both Gu and Katō as a 
hand holding a writing brush, but Gu takes low-
er part as pictographic for what is drawn, while 
映画 EIGA　movie
画面 GAMEN　screen
計画 KEIKAKU　plan
Katō treats instead as phonetic with associated 
sense ‘draw’. Katō takes bronze stage meaning 
as ‘(draw) fi eld boundary lines’; Karlgren regards 
the lower part in bronze as representing a map; 
Shirakawa, by contrast, sees them in bronze as a 
writing brush over a shield, the shield being an 
object to be embellished. 画 is a later abbrevi-
ated shape. MS1995:v2:880-81; KJ1970:327; 
SS1984:83; BK1957:224-5; OT1968:24; 
GY2008:579.
Mnemonic: FIELD IN PICTURE PARTITIONED 
BY STROKES
GA, KAKU
picture, stroke
8 strokes画L4
91
回転 KAITEN　revolution
回数 KAISŪ　frequency
言い回し iimawashi　turn of phrase
A symbol of rotational motion . Appar-
ently on the basis of the bronze forms e.g. , 
Shirakawa sees it as depicting a current swirling 
round. SS1984:86-7; QX2000:174.
Mnemonic: CO-AXIAL ROTATION
KAI, mawaru/su
turn, rotate
6 strokes回L4
92
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 69
Traditional 會. Early forms (OBI and bronze) 
show and . Upper and middle parts are 
typically seen as showing lid over vessel or 
pot – probably cooking pot. Putting a lid on 
a pot suggests a subsequent extended sense 
of ‘join, ‘come/put together’, and the phonetic 
会社 KAISHA　company
会釈 ESHAKU　greeting
国会 KOKKAI　the Diet
element of this graph (top strokes) is also taken 
to have that meaning. Alternatively, regarding 
the lower element, Karlgren suggests a stand, 
while Shirakawa takes it to be a rice steamer. 
會 was abbreviated to 会on the basis of cursive 
forms. MR2007:323-4; TA1965:643-5; YK1976:87; 
AS2007:287-8; BK1957:95-6; SS1984:86; 
FC1974:v1:1082-3. Suggest remembering its 
present form as person(s) 人 41, 二 65 ‘two’, and 
nose厶, and imagine you’re in New Zealand for 
a Maori greeting that entails rubbing noses. 
Mnemonic: TWO PERSONS’ NOSES MEET
KAI, E, au
meet
6 strokes会L5
93
海軍 KAIGUN　navy
日本海 NIHONKAI　Japan Sea
海辺 umibe　seaside
Bronze . Has ‘water’ 氵 42, and 每 225 (‘eve-
ry’) as phonetic with associated sense widely 
taken as ‘dark’ (or similar). In Tōdō’s word-family 
KAI, umi
sea
9 strokes海
絵画 KAIGA picture, painting
口絵 kuchiE frontispiece 
絵本 EHON picture-book
KAI, E
picture
12 strokes絵
L4
L3
94
95
‘black, dark’. Ma notes that one of the mean-
ings of 每 is ‘dark’, and Katō also points to early 
use of 每 in the sense of ‘dark grey’, and links 
this to the ocean. Schuessler notes that in early 
China (the Zhou dynasty) the words for ‘ocean/
sea’ and ‘dark’ were close in pronunciation. 
MR2007:220; KJ1970:149; AS2007:270, 288; 
OT1968:548.
Mnemonic: EVERY DROP OF WATER ENDS UP 
IN THE SEA
Traditional 繪. A graph of relatively late origin 
(Shuowen) . Right-hand element is phonetic, 
meaning ‘join, come together’ (see 会 93 
‘meet’), and is combined here with 糸 29 
‘thread’ to represent initially a meaning such as 
‘embroidered pattern’, but later more broadly 
to include drawings or pictures in general. 
SS1984:92; KJ1970:321; YK1976:90-91.
Mnemonic: THREADS MEET IN EMBROIDERED 
PICTURE 
外人 GAIJIN foreigner
外科 GEKA surgery
外側 sotogawa outside
GAI, GE, soto, hoka, 
hazusu/reru 
outside, other, undo, 
miss
5 strokes
外L5
96
Bronze ; seal . Interpretations vary, but 
it is widely agreed that 卜 signifi es divination, 
as practiced in ancient China. The shape 卜 
represents cracks in the surface of turtle shells 
etc (see too 占1598). Opinions diff er regard-
ing left-hand element 夕. Ma and Katō see it 
as 夕 46 ‘moon’, i.e. night. The Shuowen notes 
that divination was normally done at dawn, 
thus suggesting doing something outside 
norms, hence an extended meaning of ‘outside’. 
Schuessler accepts 夕46 as ‘moon’ but treats 
it only as phonetic. Shirakawa, though, takes 
夕 as ‘meat, fl esh’ (see 肉 209), noting animal 
sacrifi ces were made during the divination pro-
cess. MR2007:359-60; KJ1970:91; AS2007:506; 
SS1984:98-9. 
Mnemonic: CRESCENT MOON WITH A CRACK 
ON THE OUTSIDE?!
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70 The 160 Second Grade Characters
角度 KAKUDO　angle
角笛 tsunobue　bugle, horn
街角 machikado　street corner
KAKU, tsuno, kado
horn, angle, corner 
7 strokes角L3
97 OBI . Based on pictograph of horn of ox, 
sheep, or similar animal; ‘corner, angle’ may 
be extended senses from protruding horn. 
MR2007:306; MS1995:v2:1182-3; YK1976:194-5.
Mnemonic: ANGULAR HORN IS QUITE 
SQUARE WITH BROKEN TIP
気楽 KIRAKU　comfort
楽器 GAKKI　instrument
楽しみ tanoshimi　pleasure
GAKU, RAKU, ta-
noshii/mu
pleasure, music
13 strokes
楽L4
98
Traditional 樂. Interpretations vary. OBI form 
; bronze . OBI form is seen as i) an oak/ 
horse chestnut tree (Yamada, Katō), spe-
cifi cally with silkworm cocoons (Mizukami) 
or threads (Ogawa) in it; or ii) as a musical 
instrument (Ma, Shirakawa) – Shirakawa sees 
it as a handbell with wooden handle, rung 
to please the deities. Tōdō is of the view the 
graph originally meant ‘make a loud noise’, 
later borrowed for ‘music’. The element 白 69 
(‘white’) was added at bronze stage, possibly 
as a phonetic, but could be semantic (or both), 
as it might originally have depicted an acorn. 
Schuessler notes relationship with ‘joy’ has 
been much debated. YK1976:488; KJ1970:196; 
MS1995:v1:684-6; OT1968:513; MR2007:338-9; 
SS1984:111; TA1965:273-5; AS2007:596-7. Use 
木 73 ‘wood, tree’
Mnemonic: TASSELED DRUM ON WOODEN 
STAND MAKES PLEASING MUSIC
生活 SEIKATSU　life
活気 KAKKI　liveliness
活動 KATSUDŌ　activity
KATSU
activity, life
9 strokes活L3
99
A late graph (Shuowen). Has ‘water’ 氵42 and 
舌 755 (‘tongue’) as phonetic, with associated 
sense ‘move freely’. Tōdō includes it in two 
word-families: one means ‘give freedom/room’, 
the other signifi es ‘water moves strongly’. ‘Live/
life’ is an extended sense from ‘move strongly/
vigorously’. KJ1970:329-30; YK1976:198-9; 
TA1965:624-9, 638-9.
Mnemonic: WET TONGUE IS A SIGN OF AN 
ACTIVE LIFE
KAN, KEN, aida, ma
space, gap
12 strokes間L5
100
Bronze and seal (Shuowen) forms show
月 18 ‘moon’ through 門 231 ‘gate’, as does the 
traditional form, though in modern times 月
has been replaced by 日 66 ‘day/sun’. The ‘moon’ 
時間 JIKAN　hour, time
人間 NINGEN　human being
間違い machigai　mistake
component is felt by Katō and Ogawa to be a 
phonetic, though the Late Han sound values 
for 間 and月seem to be markedly diff erent. Per-
haps for this reason Qiu prefers a semantic role 
for 月 and believes the graph ‘shows a gate with 
an opening through which moonlight can be 
seen’. KJ1970:217-8; OT1968:1058; AS2007:303, 
595; QX2000:192. 
Mnemonic: SUN SHINES THROUGH GAP IN 
SALOON DOORS 
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 71
丸薬 GAN’YAKU　pill
丸み marumi　roundness
日本丸 NIPPON-maru　‘HMS’ Nippon
A late graph (Shuowen); seal script form is . 
Interpretations diff er. There is general agree-
ment that the enclosed element in seal script is 
人 41 ‘person’. 厂 (in mirrored form) is taken as 
GAN, maru, marui
round, circle, ball, 
ship-mark
3 strokes
丸
岩石 GANSEKI　rock
岩屋 iwaya　cave
火成岩 KASEIGAN　igneous rock
顔面 GANMEN　face
顔色 kaoiro　complexion
顔付き kaotsuki　countenance
汽車 KISHA　steam train
汽船 KISEN　steamship
汽笛 KITEKI　steam whistle
GAN, iwa
rock, crag
8 strokes
GAN, kao
face
18 strokes
KI
steam, vapor
7 strokes
岩
顔
汽
L3
L3
L4
L1
101
102
103
104
A late graph (post-Shuowen). Has 山 26 ‘moun-
tain’ 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
Bronze consists of a head (頁) exaggerated, 
and 彦 (NJK; male name; etymology disputed). 
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
phonetic with associated meaning ‘roll over and 
over’ (Katō) or ‘round’ (Yamada). Tōdō includes 
the underlying word in a word-family mean-
ing ‘round; surround’, and takes 厂 as semantic 
(see ‘cliff ’ 47, being based on pictograph for the 
same) as well as phonetic, to give ‘person roll-
ing 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
Katō sees 彦 here as phonetic with associated 
sense ‘forehead’, and 顔 itself originally mean-
ing ‘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
記者 KISHA　reporter
記事 KIJI　article
日記 NIKKI　diary
KI
chronicle
10 strokes記L3
105 Relatively late (Shuowen). Has 言 118 ‘words’ 
and 己 866 (‘self’, originally ‘twisted thread’) 
with associatedsense taken as i] ‘record’, thus 
‘record words’ (Katō, Yamada), or ii] ‘something 
twisted is straightened’, thus ‘put confused mat-
ters in order’ (Tōdō). TA1965:127-8; KJ1970:233-
4; YK1976:113-4. 
Mnemonic: A WORDY CHRONICLE WITH A 
TWIST IN IT
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72 The 160 Second Grade Characters
牛肉 GYŪNIKU　beef
牛耳る GYŪJIru*　control someone
牛飼い ushigai　cowherd
帰化 KIKA　naturalization
帰省 KISEI　homecoming
帰り道 kaerimichi　way back
弓道 KYŪDŌ　archery
弓状 KYŪJŌ　arch
弓取り yumitori　archer
GYŪ, ushi
cow, bull
4 strokes
KI, kaeru
return
10 strokes
KYŪ, yumi
bow, archery, arc
3 strokes
牛
帰
弓
L4
L4
L1
108
106
107
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 
Based on pictograph of a bow. Some OBI and 
bronze forms include the bowstring , others 
do not; bowstring is omitted in seal script 
(Shuowen) onwards. Other meanings 
such as ‘arc’ by extension. MR2007:483; 
MS1995:v1:466-7.
Mnemonic: STRINGLESS BOW
the top left element of 歸 as phonetic, with 
associated meaning ‘follow’, while Ogawa con-
siders 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 simplifi ed 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
Based on pictograph of the head of a cow or 
bull. At the OBI stage , the horns are promi-
nent. Opinion is divided as to whether the cross 
line indicates ears or crown of the head. Katō 
favors a perspective from behind the head. 
MR2007:229-30; QX2000:181; KJ1985:396.
Mnemonic: COW WITH EARS AND BROKEN 
HORN
金魚 KINGYO　goldfi sh 
魚釣り uotsuri　angling
魚屋 sakanaya　fi shmonger
Based on the pictograph of a whole fi sh, e.g. 
bronze form . MR2007:454; QX2000:45. As a 
mnemonic we suggest taking the four strokes 
of the tail as the ‘fi re’ determinative 灬 8.
Mnemonic: FISH WITH SQUARE BODY AND 
FIERY TAIL
GYO, uo, sakana
fi sh
11 strokes魚L5
109
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 73
東京 TŌKYŌ　Tokyo
上京 JŌKYŌ　going to capital
京浜 KEIHIN　Tokyo-Yokohama
勉強 BENKYŌ　study
強盗 GŌTŌ　burglar/burglary
強み tsuyomi　strong point
KYŌ, KEI
capital
8 strokes
KYŌ, GŌ, shiiru,
tsuyoi/meru/maru 
strength, compel
11 strokes
京
強
L4
L4
110
111
Typical OBI ; bronze . OBI forms seem to 
show some sort of building seemingly on top 
of a hill or artifi cially raised mound of earth. 
Katō and Ogawa favour this interpretation. In 
ancient China nobles often lived in houses el-
Seal . According to Qiu, 强 (a variant of 強; 
standard in PRC usage) originally refers to type 
of ‘insect’ 虫 60, but came to be used as substi-
tute for another graph of more complex shape, 
i.e. 彊. In part, this was because pronunciation 
for the two words concerned in early Chinese 
represented by 強/强 and 彊 was identical, if 
we accept Schuessler’s reconstruction of sound 
evated above the general populace. Shirakawa, 
by contrast, interprets both OBI and bronze 
forms as showing a watchtower over an arched 
gate. Either way, the graph can be taken as a 
structure controlled by those in positions of 
power, leading to extended meanings such as 
‘great’ and ‘capital (city)’ KJ1970:345; OT1968:38; 
SS1984:190-91. Suggest take graph as tōrō 
(stone garden lantern).
Mnemonic: FANCY LANTERN SYMBOLISES 
THE CAPITAL
values. Latter graph is made up of 弓 ’bow’ 107 
and two ‘fi eld’ graphs 田 63 with three straight 
dividing lines (note that as independent graph 
this component here had the sense of ‘bound-
ary’). The meaning of 彊, fi rst found in OBI texts, 
is tentatively taken as ‘strong bow’ by Tōdō, 
who sees ‘unmoving’ – and thereby ‘strong’ – 
as extended senses of ‘boundary’. As for 弓, 
it is thought that the bow, being of standard 
length, may have had the additional role of be-
ing a convenient tool for making land measure-
ments. QX2000:358; AS2007:427; MR2007:484; 
TA1965:394-5. Suggest taking ム as a nose. 
Mnemonic: STRONG BOW AIMED AT 
INSECT’S NOSE
On the basis of the OBI and bronze 
forms, the components of this graph are con-
sidered to be 爻 roof crossbeams (represent-
ing a building), 子 27 ‘child’, and 攴/攵 a hand 
教会 KYŌKAI　church
教室 KYŌSHITSU　classroom
教え子 oshiego　pupil
近所 KINJO　neighborhood
最近 SAIKIN　recently
近道 chikamichi　shortcut
holding a stick, meaning ‘strike, beat, compel’ 
(distinguish 攵 from 夂 ‘descending foot’; see 
Appendix). That is, this was a school where 
children were taught by coercive methods; 
Shirakawa says it was children of nobility who 
were taught by elders. By extension, the graph 
came to be used for ‘teach’. Modern form has 
equivalent to 耂, known as the ‘old man’ deter-
minative. SS1984:195; KJ1970:173; OT1968:439.
Mnemonic: OLD MAN, STICK IN HAND, 
TEACHES CHILD TO COUNT BEAMS
KYŌ, oshieru
teach
11 strokes
KIN, chikai
near
7 strokes
教
近
L4
L4
112
113 Seal . Has ⻌ 85 ‘walk along road, go’, and 斤
1233 (‘ax’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘a 
little’. ‘Near’ is an extended sense based on ‘walk 
a short distance’. MR2007:503; KJ1970:285; 
OT1968:993; TA1960:695-8.
Mnemonic: GO TO AN AX NEARBY
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74 The 160 Second Grade Characters
父兄 FUKEI　guardians
兄弟 KYŌDAI　brothers
兄さん niisan*　elder brother
KEI, KYŌ, ani
elder brother
5 strokes兄L4
114
OBI forms , ; seal . Lower element, 
which in OBI has 人 ‘person’ or 卩 ‘kneeling per-
son’ (see 41), changes to another determinative 
(no.10) for ‘person’, viz. 儿 (see also 41) in seal 
form. Analyses vary. In one view, shows child 
with big head (taking 口 as standing for ‘head’). 
In another view, 口 22 ‘mouth; speak’, and 儿 
as phonetic with associated sense ‘big’, giving 
‘loud/big voice’, and by extension ‘big’ > ‘big/
elder brother’ (both views noted in Mizukami). 
Alternatively some scholars take as ‘person who 
utters incantations/prayers’ (Ma, Shirakawa). 
KJ1970:348-9; MR2007:397; SS1984:226; 
MS1995:v1:90-91.
Mnemonic: ELDER BROTHER IS JUST MOUTH 
AND LEGS
形式的 KEISHIKITEKI　formal
人形 NINGYŌ　doll
形見 katami　keepsake
Seal forms , . Relatively late origin 
(Shuowen). Interpretations vary. Has 彡 ‘color, 
brush pattern’ (etc.) (determinative no. 59), 
and left-hand element identical with or close 
in shape to 井 1575 ‘well’. In one view, taken as 
Of quite late origin (Shuowen) . Varied in-
terpretations. The modern form comprises the 
determinative 言 118 ‘words/say’ and 十 35 ‘ten’. 
In OBI and bronze texts, a symbol close in shape 
to 十 represented the word for ‘seven’, not ‘ten’, 
but by the time of the Shuowen dictionary of 
KEI, GYŌ, kata(chi)
shape, form
7 strokes形
合計 GŌKEI　sum total
計算 KEISAN　calculation 
速度計 SOKUDOKEI　speedometer
元気 GENKI　health, vigor
元来 GANRAI　originally
元通り motodōri　as before
KEI, hakaru
measure
9 strokes
GEN, GAN, moto
origin, source
4 strokes
計
元
L3
L4
L4
115
116
117
around 100AD we fi nd 十 being used for ‘ten’. 
Ogawa takes ‘words’ together with the number 
‘ten’ as combining to give meanings such as 
‘count, calculate, plan’. Qiu prefers to regard 
it simply as an abstract geometric symbol. 
Shirakawa is alone in looking to interpret theright-hand element of this graph as originally 
having links to the ancient Chinese practice 
of divination (卜, see 96), speculating it was 
misinterpreted as 十. OT1968:920; QX2000:18, 
31, 32; SS1984:230.
Mnemonic: COUNTING IN TENS MAKES IT 
EASY TO MEASURE
OBI and bronze forms depict side view of a 
person with exaggeratedly large head , to 
convey meanings such as ‘head’ and ‘begin-
ning’. The modern form uses 儿 for ‘person’ (see 
41). MR2007:209; SS1984:267-8; QX2000:182; 
YK1976:146. Use 二 65 ‘two’.
Mnemonic: TWO BENT PERSONS OF SAME 
ORIGIN
consisting of 彡 meaning ‘writing brush hairs’, 
and 开 as phonetic with associated sense ‘imi-
tate, model after’, giving ‘model, copy’ (Katō). 
Another analysis treats as 彡 ‘pattern’, and 开/井 
as semantic and phonetic meaning ‘square 
frame’, giving ‘mold (to make copies)’ (Tōdō). 
Shirakawa also sees 开/井 as representing 
a frame or mold. TA1965:501-3; SS1984:227; 
KJ1970:359; KJ1985:214.
Mnemonic: THREE STROKES NEXT TO A GRID 
FORM IS A DISTINCTIVE SHAPE
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 75
発言 HATSUGEN　statement
無言 MUGON　silence
言葉 kotoba　word
原子 GENSHI　atom
原文 GENBUN　original text
草原 kusahara　grassy plain
戸外 KOGAI　outdoors
戸主 KOSHU　head of house
戸口 toguchi　doorway
GEN, GON, koto, iu
word, say, speak
7 strokes
GEN, hara
plain, origin
10 strokes
KO, to
door
4 strokes
言
原
戸
L5
L3
L3
118
119
120
Typical OBI form . Interpretations vary. Some 
commentators (Karlgren, Ma) take this to be 
based on a pictograph of a fl ute, and treat 
‘words, speak’ as a loan usage. Others diff er, 
typically taking it as 口 22 ‘mouth’ with a pho-
netic element (interpretations of which vary), 
but Shirakawa takes it as a tattooing needle 
for oath-taking with receptacle for the written 
oath. BK1957:80; MR2007:256; KJ1970:386-7; 
YK1976:162; SS1984:268-9.
Mnemonic: MOUTH SPEAKS THREE AND A 
BIT WORDS
There is agreement that the bronze forms 
depict a spring gushing out from the foot 
of a cliff , and is thus the early version for the 
word later represented by 源 864. This led to 
an extended meaning of ‘source/origin’. The 
graph acquired the meaning of ‘plain, open 
country’, but this is a borrowed sense originally 
represented by a much more complex graph. 
QX2000:193, 329; SS1984:269; KJ1970:631-2. As 
a mnemonic, we suggest taking it as 厂 47 ‘cliff ’, 
白 69 ‘white’ and 小 38 ‘little’.
Mnemonic: ORIGINALLY CLIFF WITH A LITTLE 
WHITE SPRING, NOW A PLAIN
Based on OBI and bronze pictographs of a 
single-leaf door . In similar fashion, the 
double-leaf door or gate is represented in mod-
ern script as 門 231. MR2007:457; QX2000:180; 
SS1984:273. Take top horizontal line as a ceiling.
Mnemonic: SINGLE-LEAF DOOR UNDER A 
CEILING
復古 FUKKO　restoration
古着 furugi　old clothes
考古学 KŌKOGAKU　archeology
KO, furui
old
5 strokes古L5
121
OBI ; typical bronze forms , . Views vary. 
Katō and Tōdō take as showing old skull, ‘old’ 
then being an extended meaning; Katō notes 
that in ancient China skulls were revered as 
representing spirits of the dead. Shirakawa 
takes the lower element not as ‘mouth, say’ 
口 22 but ‘receptacle’, and takes the graph 
as showing shield placed over receptacle for 
prayers or spells. Analysis along the lines of ‘ten 
mouths’ (though a useful mnemonic) in the 
sense of ‘relate past’ or similar fails to take into 
account the OBI and bronze forms for 十 35 
‘ten’. KJ1970:330-31; TA1965:385-9; SS1984:273-
4. Take as 十 35 ‘ten’, and 口 22 ‘say’. 
Mnemonic: AN OLD ORAL TALE TOLD TEN 
TIMES OVER 
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76 The 160 Second Grade Characters
午後 GOGO　p.m., afternoon
午前 GOZEN　a.m., morning
正午 SHŌGO　noon
GO
noon
4 strokes午L5
122
Based on pictograph of a pestle: OBI ; bronze 
; Shuowen . Associated with the horse in 
the context of the Twelve Earthly Branches, a 
traditional classifi catory system employed from 
the Shang Dynasty to denote hours of the day, 
compass points, and so on. The ‘hour of the 
Horse’ (actually two hours) was the seventh of 
the Twelve Branches, and corresponded rough-
ly to 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., hence the extended 
meaning of ‘noon’. Distinguish from 牛 108 ‘cow’. 
QX2000:335; SS1984:282; AS2007:519.
Mnemonic: COW BROKE TIP OFF HORN AT 
NOON
以後 IGO　after
後半 KŌHAN　second half
後味 atoaji　aftertaste
GO, KŌ, ushiro, ato, 
nochi, okureru
behind, after, delay
9 strokes
後L5
123
Bronze ; seal . Analyses vary. Taken in one 
view (Katō) as meaning ‘go back/backwards’, 
with 幺 29 (‘fi ne threads, small’) as phonetic 
with associated sense ‘go’, giving ‘go back/
語調 GOCHŌ　tone of voice
物語 monogatari　saga
日本語 NIHONGO　Japanese lang.
GO, kataru
tell, speak, talk
14 strokes語L5
124
Bronze ; Shuowen form . Has 言 118 
‘words, language’, and 吾 (NJK, ‘I/we’) as 
backwards’. ‘Behind, after’ and ‘be behind, 
put afterwards’, etc. are all in the same word-
family (Schuessler). Katō takes the lower 
right-hand element in 後 as 夂 (‘descending 
foot’ [determinative no.34]) meaning ‘go’, but 
Tōdō takes it as ‘walk slowly, drag foot’, which 
is the sense normally attributed to 夊 (deter-
minative 35); see Appendix. TA1965:304-5; 
OT1968:229; KJ1970:404; AS2007:280. Take 夂 
as crosslegged, 彳131 ‘go’. 
Mnemonic: GO CROSSLEGGED ON 
THREADING ROAD AND FALL BEHIND
phonetic with associated sense taken as ‘defend 
verbally’ (to questions), or ‘exchange’ (Ogawa, 
Tōdō). In latter case, ‘tell, speak’ is a generalized 
sense. KJ1970:395; SS1984:284; OT1968:930; 
TA1965:427. Take 吾 as 五 21 ‘fi ve’ and 口 22 
‘mouth’.
Mnemonic: FIVE MOUTHS SPEAK MANY 
WORDS
Ma considers the OBI form to show an ax-
head and Katō similarly takes it as an ax, but 
questionable. Shirakawa interprets as some 
工場 KŌJŌ　factory
人工 JINKŌ　man-made
大工 DAIKU　carpenter
kind of tool also. Based on a bronze form with 
thicker bottom stroke, Gu takes as tool for 
compacting soil. Ogawa believes a chisel is rep-
resented, but this is less convincing. Others see 
it as an adze-cum-square. By the bronze stage 
it had acquired its modern form. MR2007:308; 
KJ1970:405-6; SS1984:285; OT1968:309; 
GY2008:23.
Mnemonic: WORK WITH CARPENTER’S 
SET-SQUARE
KŌ, KU
work
3 strokes工L4
125
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 77
公共 KŌKYŌ　public
公平 KŌHEI　fairness
紀州公 KISHŪKŌ　Lord Kishu
KŌ, ōyake
public, fair, lord
4 strokes公L3
126
OBI , ; seal . Views vary. One takes 八 
‘eight’ in its original sense ‘divide’, ‘open up’, and 
lower element (口) as ‘enclose, surround’. Over-
all meaning is then taken as either ‘open up a 
physical area’ (Shirakawa takes as walled area 
for ceremonies at Court), or ‘open up something 
enclosed /kept by individuals)’, giving ‘open 
up’, and by extension ‘public; fair (distribution)’ 
(Mizukami, Shirakawa, Yamada, Katō). A minor-
ity view takes the lower element in OBI as a re-
ceptacle, treating the whole graph as originally 
meaning ‘(lidded) jar’, and takes other mean-
ings as loan uses (Ma). At seal stage, the lower 
element was changed to 厶; Katō says changed 
in error, but 厶 was originally (OBI) a closed 
circle shape (‘enclose and make one’s own’; 
later 私 887 ‘I, me’). MS1995:v1:100-02,188-90; 
SS1984:285-6; YK1976:173; KJ1970:396-7; 
MR2007:228. We suggest taking 厶 as a nose, 
and 八 70 in its modern meaning ‘eight’. 
Mnemonic: EIGHT LORDS SHOW NOSE IN 
PUBLIC
広大 KŌDAI　vast
広島 Hiroshima　place-name
広告 KŌKOKU　advertisement
KŌ, hiroi/geru/garu
wide, spacious
5 strokes広L3
127
Bronze ; traditional 廣. One of various graphs 
of the most numerous category, the semantic-
phonetic compound type (see Introduction). 
Based on OBI and bronze forms, Qiu assesses 
early equivalents of the determinative 广 as 
‘a kind of structure’, and as one simpler than 
that represented by the ‘roof’ determinative 
宀 30. Tōdō takes thephonetic component 
黄 as having an associated sense ‘spread out’; 
Shirakawa and Katō are in general agreement. 
MR2007:408; QX2000:180; TA1965:414-5; 
SS1984:287; KJ1970:324. We suggest taking the 
modern form’s 厶 as a nose. 
Mnemonic: SPACIOUS BUILDING TO NOSE 
AROUND IN
交通 KŌTSŪ　traffi c
外交 GAIKŌ　diplomacy
交換 KŌKAN　exchange
OBI ; bronze ; and seal forms show 
fl ames over a kneeling person’s head; 
KŌ, majiru, kawasu
mix, exchange
6 strokes交
日光 NIKKŌ　sunlight
光年 KŌNEN　light year
光学 KŌGAKU　optics
KŌ, hikari, hikaru 
light, shine
6 strokes光
L3
L4
128
129 interpreted as conveying the meaning ‘light’ 
(as opposed to darkness). At the seal stage, the 
lower element was changed to 儿‘person’ (see 
41). MR2007:425; SS1984:289; KJ1970:325-6. 
Take modern form as ‘person’ 儿 and as ‘odd’ 
fl ames 火 8. 
Mnemonic: LIGHT SHINES FROM ODD 
FLAMES OVER PERSON’S FLAT HEAD
The OBI and bronze forms show a person with 
legs crossed ; leading to extended meanings 
such as ‘exchange’. MR2007:429; SS1984:288; 
KJ1970:173; OT1968:37. We suggest taking the 
modern form as 六 80 ‘six’ over a cross.
Mnemonic: MIX SIX CROSSES – FAIR 
EXCHANGE
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78 The 160 Second Grade Characters
OBI ; seal . OBI forms are very close to or 
the same as those for 老 638 ‘aged, old’; they 
depict an old person with bent back and long 
hair, leaning on a stick. At the bronze stage, the 
lower element was changed in some cases from 
the stick shape to 丂 (CO ‘fl oating weed’), as in 
the seal form. This serves here as phonetic with 
考案 KŌAN　idea 
参考 SANKŌ　reference
考え事 kangaegoto　a concern
KŌ, kangaeru
consider
6 strokes考L4
130 associated sense ‘bent over’ (or Ogawa says 
‘old’), giving a word for ‘old person’ diff erent in 
early Chinese pronunciation from that written 
as 老 . 考 was subsequently borrowed for its 
sound value to write another word meaning 
‘examine, consider’. MR2007:393; OT1968:805; 
KJ1970:891-2; MS 1995:V2:1048-51. We suggest 
taking 耂 (which is actually nicknamed the ‘old 
man’ determinative) as ‘entering the ground’ 
(see ‘ground’ 土 64), and the lower element as a 
(physically) crooked old man.
Mnemonic: CROOKED OLD MAN CONSIDERS 
BURIAL IN THE GROUND
実行 JIKKŌ　carrying out
行列 GYŌRETSU　procession
行方 yukue*　whereabouts
KŌ, GYŌ, iku, yuku,
okonau
go, conduct, line
6 strokes
行L5
131 OBI forms such as show this to be based 
on pictograph of crossroads. It has a range of 
extended meanings such as ‘go, travel’, ‘act’, 
‘be in line’. In broad terms this same semantic 
range can be seen in Chinese from early texts 
(OBI) onwards. SS1984:291; KJ1970:157-8; 
QX2000:180, 208; AS2007:540. As determina-
tive, abbreviated to 彳, meaning ‘move/road’.
Mnemonic: GO TO THE CROSSROADS IN A LINE
OBI and bronze forms such as and show 
a structure – possibly a watchtower – on top 
of a hill or mound, quite similar in shape to OBI 
高原 KŌGEN　plateau
最高 SAIKŌ　highest
高値 takane　high price
KŌ, taka, takai 
tall, high, sum
10 strokes高L5
132 forms for 京 110 ‘capital’. Ma interprets the bot-
tom element 口 as representing a hollowed-out 
room in the hill or mound, while Katō takes it as 
an entrance, and Shirakawa alternatively takes 
it instead as a receptacle for prayers or incanta-
tions. MR2007:325-6; KJ1970:164; SS1984:304-5; 
TA1965:262. As with 110, we suggest associat-
ing graph with a tōrō (stone garden lantern). 
Mnemonic: TALL LANTERN-LIKE WATCHTOWER 
ON A HIGH HILL
Traditional 黃. Some OBI and other early forms 
such as and seem to depict a fl aming 
arrow with what is probably a counterweight, 
while others of a diff erent shape, such as , 
黄葉 KŌYŌ　yellow leaves
黄金 ŌGON　gold
黄色(い) kiiro(i)　yellow
are seen as showing a person standing wearing 
what is taken to be a jeweled belt. The color 
of the fl aming arrow or belt by extension was 
used for the word for ‘yellow’. MR2007:499-500; 
OT1968:1162; KJ1970:962; SS1984:306. Mne-
monically challenging, but we suggest using 
艹 53 ‘grass’ and taking 田 as 63 ‘fi eld’ as partial 
prompts.
Mnemonic: ARROW BURNS YELLOW WITH 
GRASS FROM FIELD
KŌ, Ō, ki
yellow
11 strokes黄L 4
133
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 79
合理 GŌRI　rationality
合戦 KASSEN　battle
話し合い hanashiai　discussion 
OBI ; bronze . In one view, seen as pic-
tograph of a receptacle with lid (Ogawa). 
GŌ, KATSU, au/waseru
meet, join, fi t
6 strokes合L 4
134 Alternatively, taken as 口 22 ‘mouth; speak’, and 
 as phonetic with associated sense ‘reply’, 
giving ‘reply (to questions)’. ‘Meet, put together, 
join’ are extended senses if the fi rst view above 
is followed, or loan uses in relation to the 
second. MR2007:323; OT1968:166; SS1984:317; 
MS1995:v1:212-3. 
Mnemonic: COVER FITS OVER A RECEPTACLE
幽谷 YŪKOKU　deep ravine
谷底 tanisoko　valley bottom
長谷川* Hasegawa　a surname
OBI ; bronze ; seal . Views diff er. In one 
view, upper strokes in OBI and bronze are seen 
as water fl owing, and 口 as a (mountain) spring 
(Gu). Another view sees mountain slopes and 
valley depression (Shirakawa). Yet again, the 
KOKU, tani 
valley, gorge
7 strokes谷L 3
135 upper strokes are treated as meaning ‘open 
up’ (reduplication of 八 70 ‘divide up, open up’), 
combining with 口 22 ’mouth, cavity’ as se-
mantic and phonetic to give ‘wide open mouth’ 
(Katō); in this view, ‘mountain valley’ seems 
to be taken as an extended sense. Mizukami 
agrees broadly, but notes ‘cave from which 
spring water emerges’ as alternative mean-
ing. MR2007:450; SS1984:320-21; OT1968:946; 
KJ1985:573.
Mnemonic: DOUBLY WIDE OPEN VALLEY 
MOUTH
OBI ; bronze ; seal ; traditional 國. OBI 
form has 戈 545 ‘halberd, arms’, and lower left 
口 here indicating ‘boundary’ to make up 戓, 
in one view meaning ‘defend defi ned area with 
arms’ (Shirakawa treats the area more specifi -
cally as fortifi ed town). Used in the sense ‘state’ 
外国 GAIKOKU　overseas
国家 KOKKA　state
国々 kuniguni　nations
already from the Shang Dynasty. In bronze, 囗 
or probably added to emphasize bounda-
ries. 国 is considered to represent a word in 
the same Chinese word-family as 域 828 ‘area, 
limits’ (Schuessler). There is an alternative 
interpretation of 戓 (see 828), but still includes 
the meaning ‘defi ned area’ as in the above 
view. MR2007:477; SS1984:321; KJ1970:28; 
YK1976:188-9; MS1995:v1:258-9,536-7; 
AS2007:268. We suggest taking the enclosed 
part of the modern form as 玉 15 ‘jewel’.
Mnemonic: A COUNTRY IS AN ENCLOSED 
JEWEL
KOKU, kuni
country, region
8 strokes国L 5
136
Bronze ; seal ; traditional 黑. Interpreta-
tions diff er somewhat (the top part of the 
graph is taken as representing, for instance, 
a primitive window or chimney or grille), but 
黒板 KOKUBAN　blackboard
黒海 KOKKAI　Black Sea
黒幕 kuroMAKU　manipulator
there is broad agreement that the depiction 
in the original bronze forms involves fl ames 
(now in its short form 灬 8) and smoke rising 
and causing an accumulation of soot, hence 
the extended meaning ‘black’. KJ1970:961; 
OT1968:1165; SS1984:322. We suggest taking 
里 238 as the graph for ‘village’, comprising 田 
63 ‘fi eld’ and 土 64 ‘ground’.
Mnemonic: GROUND IN BURNT FIELD IS 
BLACK
KOKU, kuroi
black
11 strokes黒L 4
137
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80 The 160 Second Grade Characters
Originally the graph was just 乍, with OBI forms 
such as showing what is seen as timber 
being cut with an ax. Some bronze forms have 
Etymology uncertain. Early forms , . There 
are numerous proposals for this graph, which 
appears from OBI onwards. Among them, Ma 
notes the view that it depicts a plant appear-
ing above the surface for the fi rst time. Ogawa 
and Shirakawa, by contrast, see it as a length 
今週 KONSHŪ　this week
今度 KONDO　this time
今頃 imagoro　around now
製作 SEISAKU　production
作品 SAKUHIN　a work
動作 DŌSA　action
天才 TENSAI　genius
五才 GOSAIfi ve years old
才能 SAINŌ　talent 
細工 SAIKU　craftsmanship
細長い hosonagai　slender
細々 komagoma　in detail
The OBI forms such as are taken by Katō and 
Ogawa to depict a roof covering some sort of 
object; Shirakawa interprets as a lid and stop-
per over a container. Either way, the meaning 
‘now’ represents a loan usage. KJ1970:175-6; 
OT1968:42; SS1984:325.
Mnemonic: NOW IS THE TIME TO COVER THAT 
OBJECT 
a hand appended; later this was dropped, and 
the ‘person’ determinative 亻 41 was added. 
‘To make’ evolved as an extended meaning. 
As the phonetic in 作, 乍 also has associated 
sense of ‘modifi ed, not genuine’ (cf English 
‘made up’). MS1995:v1:18-20, 54; KJ1970:435-6; 
OT1968:25,53. We suggest taking 乍 as a saw.
Mnemonic: PERSON USES SAW TO MAKE 
THINGS
KON, KIN, ima 
now
4 strokes
SAKU, SA, tsukuru
make, make up
7 strokes
SAI
talent, age, -year
3 strokes
SAI, hosoi, komakai
slender, fi ne
11 strokes
今
作
才
細
L5
L4
L3
L3
138
141
139
140
of wood secured in the ground, with a hori-
zontal length or bundle to form a cross shape; 
Shirakawa then hypothesizes that this served 
as a marker of sacred places. Katō follows 
the hypothesis of a noted Chinese scholar, 
who believes it depicts a river blocked up, 
with disastrous consequences. It is unclear 
as to how it gained its present meanings, but 
probably through loan usage. MR2007:341-2; 
OT1968:399; SS1984:334; KJ1970:420-21.
Mnemonic: PROPPING UP THE CROSS 
SHOWS TALENT
Late graph (Shuowen). Seal form has 糸 29 
‘thread’ as semantic, and 囟 (CO originally a 
pictograph of skull or fontanelle) as phonetic, 
with associated sense ‘thin, slender’. The change 
from 囟 to 田 in standard script is due either 
to script regularization or mistaken analysis. 
KJ1970:469; YK1976:198; SS1984:338. We sug-
gest taking 田 as 63 ‘fi eld’.
Mnemonic: SLENDER PATH THREADS 
THROUGH FIELD
02-2nd Kanji Char_GR Jpn KJ.indd 8002-2nd Kanji Char_GR Jpn KJ.indd 80 9/30/15 6:05 PM9/30/15 6:05 PM
The 160 Second Grade Characters 81
計算 KEISAN　calculation
予算 YOSAN　budget
算数 SANSŪ　arithmetic
On the basis of the bronze form , Mizukami 
interprets the graph as consisting of 兮, mean-
ing ‘fl at’ or ‘balanced’ (according to Katō, CO 
丂 originally referred to waterweed spreading 
fl at over the surface, see 130), and 止 143 ‘stop’, 
SAN
reckon, count
14 strokes算
中止 CHŪSHI　suspension
止め役 tomeYAKU　peacemaker
止め処 tomedo*　an end 
吹田市 SUItaSHI　Suita City
市場 SHIJŌ　market
魚市 uoichi　fi shmarket
一矢 ISSHI　retaliation
矢印 yajirushi　arrow sign
矢先に yasaki ni　just on the point of
SHI, tomeru/maru
stop
4 strokes
SHI, ichi
city, market
5 strokes
SHI, ya
arrow
5 strokes
止
市
矢
L3
L4
L4
L1
142
143
144
145
OBI forms such as and , already stylized, 
are taken as a person’s foot; ‘stop, remain’ is an 
extended sense (Qiu), but the graph can also 
indicate action with the feet, i.e., ‘go, move’ (see 
e.g. 歴 636 ‘istory’), apparently due to confu-
sion with several other early graphs similar in 
shape and pronunciation. MS1995:v1:702-03; 
QX2000:329; BK1957:253-4; OT1968:536, 25. 
Mnemonic: FOOTPRINT STOPS OVER LINE
giving an extended meaning of ‘stop/stay [at 
a place] and exchange items of equal value’, 
refl ecting an ancient barter system for goods. 
Ogawa is in general agreement. Shirakawa, less 
convincingly, takes the bronze form as a picto-
graph depicting a large sign to show where 
a market was being held. MS1995:v1:436-7; 
OT1968:313; SS1984:362-3; KJ1985:194. We 
suggest taking lower part as ‘cloth’ 巾 1232 and 
亠 as a top hat.
Mnemonic: GO TO MARKET TO BUY CLOTH 
AND TOP HAT 
OBI ; bronze . Based on a pictograph of an 
arrow. See also 黄 133 (‘yellow’) and 至 886 
(‘reach’). MS1995:v2:928-9; KJ1970:460-61; 
SS1984:363. We suggest taking the graph as 大 
56 ‘big’ with single top stroke as a broken tip. 
Mnemonic: BIG ARROW WITH BROKEN TIP
Relatively late origin (Shuowen) . The top 
element is ⺮ 58 ‘bamboo’, which Katō takes as 
referring to bamboo tallies used for counting 
in ancient times, together with 具 284 (‘equip-
ment, means’) as phonetic with associated 
sense ‘count’, giving ‘to count’. KJ1970:443; 
SS1984:353; OT1968:755, 98.
Mnemonic: USE BOTH HANDS TO COUNT ON 
A BAMBOO ABACUS
姉妹 SHIMAI　sisters
姉さん neesan* elder sister
姉上 aneue　elder sister (formal)
SHI, ane
elder sister
8 strokes姉L4
146 Etymology disputed. Generally recognised from 
bronze stage onwards . Has 女 37 ‘woman’, 
and a phonetic interpreted in various ways, 
such as 市 144 (‘market’), with associated sense 
‘young plant sprouting’ (Katō), or as (CO; ‘veg-
etation growing vigorously’) with associated 
sense ‘unequal’ (Mizukami, Tōdō) or ‘projecting’ 
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82 The 160 Second Grade Characters
A graph of relatively late occurrence, initial 
forms and . Mizukami interprets the top 
思想 SHISŌ　ideology
思考 SHIKŌ　thought
思い出 omoide　recollection
表紙 HYŌSHI　book cover
和紙 WASHI　Japanese paper
手紙 tegami　letter
SHI, omou
think
9 strokes
SHI, kami
paper
10 strokes
思
紙
L4
L4
147
148
element as CO 囟 ‘skull’, with 心 164 ‘mind, 
heart’; Ogawa is in agreement. Shirakawa 
takes the top element to represent ‘brain’. 
MS1995:v1:502-3; OT 1968:364; SS1984:368. 
We suggest taking top element as 田 63 ‘fi eld’ 
though it is incorrect as the etymology.
Mnemonic: I THINK MY HEART WILL ALWAYS 
BE IN MY FIELD
A late graph (Shuowen) . Traditionally the 
invention of paper has been attributed to Cai 
Lun, who did invent a type of coarse paper in 
AD105, but in earlier times scraps of diff erent 
fabrics and the like were used. Before paper 
appeared, texts in China were written on vari-
ous materials, the closest to paper being silk. 
This accounts for the use of 糸29, the ‘thread’ 
determinative. 氏 522 (which originally repre-
sented a ladle) serves as phonetic for ‘smooth’. 
SS1984:370; OT1968:769; KJ1985:474.
Mnemonic: APPLY LADLE TO THREADS TO 
MAKE PAPER
竜安寺 RYŌANJI　Ryoan Temple
寺院 JIIN　Buddhist temple
山寺 yamadera　mountain temple
Mizukami takes bronze forms to combine 
‘hand’ 920 寸 orig. ‘hand’, with 止 143 ‘stop’, 
latter acting as phonetic with associated sense 
‘control’; Katō broadly agrees. Ogawa identifi es 
same two elements as ‘keep in the hand’. In-
stead of 止, Tōdō takes top element as 之 (NJK; 
‘move, go’, see 151). Note some OBI and bronze 
forms of 止 and 之 are very similar (之 might 
originally have depicted foot, like 止); Karlgren 
asserts 止 ‘is mostly used in the bone and the 
JI, tera
temple 
6 strokes寺L3
149 bronze inscriptions as loan for the homopho-
nous 之 in its various meanings’ (Schuessler 
has these two graphs as near-homophones, 
not complete homophones in Late Han times). 
Originally meaning ‘control with hand’, in Han 
times 寺 acquired the sense of ‘place to control/
administer’, and also – after transmission of 
Buddhism to China c.1st century A.D. – the more 
specialized sense of ‘Buddhist temple’. By cleri-
cal script stage upper element had changed 
to 土. MS1995:v1:392-3,18-19; KJ1970:480; 
OT1968:285; BK1957:253-4; AS2007:613; 
SK1984:230. Take as 土 64 ‘ground’ and 寸 920 
‘hand’.
Mnemonic: HAND OFFERS GROUND TO 
TEMPLE
(Ogawa). The Kangxi zidian dictionary lists both 
姉 and 姊, with the same meaning, but treats 
the latter as auxiliary to 姉, which stands as the 
main entry. MS1995:v1:320-21; KJ1970:14-15; 
TA1965:770-76; OT1968:255; ZY2009:v1:203-4. 
Mnemonic: WOMAN GOING TO MARKET IS 
AN ELDER SISTER
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 83
As Mizukami and Ma note, OBI forms such as 
 have 之 ‘move, go’ (NJK graph taken either 
as foot moving away from boundary line or as 
vegetation sprouting up out of ground; see too 
149), here as semantic and phonetic meaning 
自分 JIBUN　oneself
自然 SHIZEN　Nature
自信 JISHIN　self-confi dence
時代 JIDAI　era, period
二時 NIJI　two o’clock
時々 tokidoki　sometimes
JI, SHI, mizukaraself
6 strokes
JI, toki
time, hour
10 strokes
自
時
L4
L5
150
151 ‘move’, and 日 66 ‘sun, day’, to give a sense 
‘movement of the sun’, and then – by extension 
– ‘season, time’. Ogawa interprets instead as 
日 and 寺 149 (in later forms) as phonetic with 
associated meaning ‘go’. Came to be used for 
‘hour’ when the Twelve Branches were adopted 
to refer to the way a 24-hour day was divided 
up into twelve segments each of two hours. 
MS1995:v1:618-20; MR2007:352; SS1984:382; 
AS2007:463, 613; OT1968:468. Suggest 寺 149 
‘temple’ as a mnemonic.
Mnemonic: TELL TIME BY SUN ON TEMPLE 
室内 SHITSUNAI　indoors 
教室 KYŌSHITSU　classroom
室町 Muromachi　place/period name
OBI forms such as depict ‘roof/building’ 宀 
30, under which there is a graph interpreted 
SHITSU, muro
room, house
9 strokes室L4
152 as an arrow arriving at its target (or at least 
somewhere), to give the sense of ‘arrive, reach’ 
(modern 至: see 886 ‘reach’), with an over-
all extended meaning ‘place to shelter’, and 
thus ‘room’. MS1995: v1:370-01; SS1984:387; 
OT1968:277.
Mnemonic: ARROW REACHES ROOF OF 
ROOM
At the OBI stage, written simply with a graph 
 to represent a mound of earth or the 
earth deity (modern 土 64 ‘ground’). Eventu-
ally in bronze inscriptions written with the 
determinative 示 723 ‘show’ in original sense 
社会 SHAKAI　society
会社 KAISHA　company, fi rm
社交性 SHAKŌSEI　sociability
SHA, yashiro
shrine, company
7 strokes社L5
153 ‘altar’ added in its short form 礻. Some bronze 
forms also have 木 73 ‘tree’ as an additional 
component, and this is taken as refl ecting the 
frequent custom of planting trees on these sa-
cred sites. Mizukami defi nes the original mean-
ing of this graph as ‘a place to revere where the 
earth deity is, who has the wondrous power to 
emit various things from within the earth’, and 
hence ‘shrine’. MS1995:v2:938-40; SS1984:391; 
OT1968:718. 
Mnemonic: GROUND IS A SHRINE
Based on pictograph of nose . Extended 
meaning ‘self’ refl ects custom of Chinese 
people visually referring to themselves by 
pointing to the nose, whereas Western people 
typically point at the chest. MR2007:287-8; 
MS1995:v2:1086-88; KJ1970:482-3. Use 目 76 
‘eye’.
Mnemonic: NOSE JUST A STROKE AWAY 
FROM THE EYE, SYMBOLISING SELF
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84 The 160 Second Grade Characters
弱点 JAKUTEN　weak point
弱み yowami　weakness
弱虫 yowamushi　weakling
JAKU, yowai/meru
weak
10 strokes弱L4
154
Late occurrence (Shuowen). The early form (seal 
script) is made up of two bows each with 
the three-stroke ‘embellishment’ 彡 115, and 
this leads Shirakawa to interpret the graph as 
depicting two ceremonial bows, i.e. ones not 
for use in warfare and therefore not robust, giv-
ing the sense of ‘weak’. Ogawa takes the early 
graph as representing a bow being bent on a 
frame so it could fl ex, then embellished, and by 
extension ‘weak’. SS1984:398; OT1968:340. We 
suggest taking as double ‘ice determinative’ 
冫 401.
Mnemonic: ICED-UP BOWS ARE WEAK, 
DOUBLY SO 
首領 SHURYŌ　leader
首輪 kubiwa　necklace
首切り kubikiri　decapitation
SHU, kubi
head, neck, chief
9 strokes首L4
155
OBI , ; bronze . OBI forms clearly depict 
the head of an animal, some with horns 
(Karlgren). Some scholars (e.g. Mizukami, 
Shirakawa, Qiu) tend to see some bronze 
forms as showing hair attached to a person’s 
head or eye. ‘Chief’ is an extended meaning. 
MS1995:v2:1462-4; SS1984:401; QX2000:178; 
MR2007:401; BK1957:283-4. We suggest taking 
modern form as 自 150 ‘self/nose’ with brow 
and horns. 
Mnemonic: A NOSE, BROW AND HORNS 
SIGNIFY A HEAD
晩秋 BANSHŪ　late autumn
秋分 SHŪBUN　autumn equinox
秋空 akizora　autumn sky
Much variation in elements of OBI forms such as 
, , and also varied interpretations. Complex 
OBI forms seem to show fi re under some sort 
of creature, which Qiu interprets as a hornless 
dragon, but Ma takes as a cricket: quite possibly 
this element served as a phonetic. Shirakawa 
SHŪ, aki
autumn
9 strokes秋L4
156 and Ogawa list a complex graph made up of 禾 
87 ‘grain plant’ on the left and 龜 ‘turtle’ over 灬 
8 ‘fi re’ on the right, taking the right-hand part 
as a phonetic for ‘burn’ or ‘gather’, though Qiu 
considers this to be a corrupt variant. Mizukami 
and Katō also list several simpler OBI forms that 
appear to depict a bundle of grain plants , 
and this can be more readily seen as referring 
to harvesting cereals, and by extension the 
season, autumn. MS1995:v2:962-4; QX2000:234; 
MR2007:424; SS1984:407; OT1968:730-1.
Mnemonic: RICE PLANTS (OR INSECTS!) CAN 
GET BURNED IN AUTUMN
週間 SHŪKAN　week
先週 SENSHŪ　last week
二週目 NISHŪme　second week
SHŪ
week
11 strokes週L5
157 A late graph (post-Shuowen). Has ⻌ 85 ‘walk, 
go’, and 周 532 ‘around’ as phonetic with associ-
ated sense ‘go round’. The extended usage for 
‘week’ based on going round one cycle, in this 
case a seven-day period, evolved through West -
ern infl uence, as traditionally in China and Japan 
a ten-day cycle had been the norm (see 旬1472). 
KJ1970:1514-5; YK1976:253; SS1984:409; 
DJ2009:v3:1069.
Mnemonic: ANOTHER WEEK GOES ROUND 
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The 160 Second Grade Characters 85
OBI forms such as have ‘(a type of ) tree’ and 
日 66 ‘sun, day’, often with a third element 屯 
1806 (modern meaning ‘camp’). Some scholars 
(Mizukami, Katō) take the tree to be specifi cally 
a mulberry, though Ma points to OBI forms 
supporting his view of a more general sense 
青春 SEISHUN　youth
売春 BAISHUN　prostitution
春着 harugi　spring clothes
SHUN, haru
spring(-time)
9 strokes春L4
158 of ‘forest’. 屯 seems to serve as phonetic, but 
Schuessler sees a semantic role too: he notes 
the original meaning as ‘begin to grow’ (of 
plants in spring). As for the modern form of 
158, Qiu sees top part (top fi ve strokes) of 春 
as a fused version of the ‘plant’ determinative 
艸 53 with 屯. MS1995:v1:616-7; KJ1970:118; 
MR2007:224; AS2007:197; QX2000:20. Sug-
gest taking modern form as 三 25 ‘three’, 人 41 
‘person’ and 日 66 ‘sun’.
Mnemonic: THREE PEOPLE OUT IN THE 
SUN – MUST BE SPRING
OBI forms for this graph comprise four short 
vertical strokes , apparently contrasting with 
three for 小 38 ‘small’. There are varying views 
on the signifi cance of the fourth stroke. Ma, for 
instance, takes it as simply a means to visually 
distinguish the underlying word from the near-
書記 SHOKI　secretary
教科書 KYŌKASHO　text book 
葉書 hagaki　postcard
少年 SHŌNEN　a youth
少数 SHŌSŪ　minority
多少 TASHŌ　more or less
Bronze . The graph seems to occur very 
rarely in OBI, the graphs of which were typically 
carved directly into the bone or shell surface 
with a knife, though it should be noted that at 
SHO, kaku
write, text
10 strokes
SHŌ,sukunai,sukoshi
few, a little
4 strokes
書
少
L5
L5
159
160 homophone written 小, while Ogawa takes it 
as representing ‘one’, i.e. still a small number or 
‘few’. Qiu, by contrast, feels the word for ‘small’ 
was represented by both the three-dash and 
four-dash versions, and that the 小:少 distinc-
tion was a later development, the four-dash 
version having evolved into the modern 
form; Katō is of the same view. MR2007:226; 
OT1968:292; QX2000:175; KJ1970:606; 
AS2007:535,454.
Mnemonic: THREE WITH ONE IS STILL JUST 
A FEW 
least a small number of OBI texts were written 
fi rst with a brush and then incised. The bronze 
forms such as above depict a hand holding a 
writing brush (聿; see 400) over 者 314 (‘per-
son’) as phonetic – the latter later reduced to 
日– with associated sense such as ‘imitate’ or 
‘write’, giving ‘copy text, write’. MS1995:v1:632-3; 
KJ1970:491; OT1968:813.
Mnemonic: BRUSH IN HAND WRITES TEXT IN 
LINES
会場 KAIJŌ　meeting place
入場 NYŪJŌ　admission
広場 hiroba　open space
JŌ, ba
place
12 strokes場L4
161 Possibly a relatively late graph (Shuowen) , 
though Mizukami lists forms which he believes 
to be OBI equivalents, depicting divided-up 
and leveled land . The later formsare taken as 
土 64 ‘earth, ground’, and 昜 (CO, original sense 
‘sun rises up’) as phonetic with associated sense 
taken as i] ‘remove obstructions from ground’, 
giving ‘ground made level by removing things’ 
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	The 160 Second-Grade Characters