The short story of Kanji pictures
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘road’ radical. On the right is an element showing firewood stacked high to build a large bonfire. Combined, this kanji originally represented a bonfire that could be seen from far away. Over time, it came to mean ‘distant’ or ‘far.’
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘sickness’ radical, depicting a person lying on a bed. On the right is an element showing firewood stacked high to build a large bonfire. Combined, this kanji originally represented curing a sick person using fire in ancient times. Over time, it came to mean ‘cure’ or ‘medical treatment.
This kanji is made of two parts.On the left is the ‘fire’ radical.On the right is an element showing firewood stacked high to build a large bonfire. Combined, this kanji originally represented a bonfire lit to illuminate the night or clear the fields. Over time, it came to mean a blazing fire that spreads rapidly and burns everything in its path.
この漢字は、左側は「火」、右側は薪（まき）を高く積み上げた様子を表しています。もともとは夜を明るく照らしたり、畑を切り開くために大きく燃え上がらせた「かがり火」を表していました。そこから、すべてを焼き尽くすような「激しく燃え広がる火」を意味するようになりました。
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is a radical representing something soft, rising, and fluffy like clouds. On the right is the ‘demon’ or ‘ghost’ radical, depicting a deceased person. Combined, this kanji came to mean ‘soul’—the spirit that leaves a person’s body after death.
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘human’ radical. On the right is the ‘mumbling’ radical, which represents something soft, rising, and fluffy like clouds. Combined, this kanji means to speak vaguely to someone or to mumble words quietly.
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘bull’ radical, depicting a bull’s face with horns. On the right is the ‘do not’ radical, depicting cloths or streamers fluttering in the wind so quickly that they become blurred and vanish. Combined, this kanji originally represented various animals whose names people did not know. By extension, it came to mean everything that exists on Earth.
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘do not’ radical, depicting cloths or streamers fluttering in the wind so quickly that they become blurred and vanish. On the right is the ‘sword’ radical. Combined, this kanji represents severing someone’s head with a sword, meaning ‘to behead’ or ‘to cut off a head’ so that it is no longer there.
この漢字は、左側は風になびいて見えなくなる旗や布を表す「勿」、右側は「刀（かたな）」を表しています。刀で首をスパッと切り落とし、その場からなくしてしまう様子を描いたもので、「首をはねる・首を切り落とす」という意味になりました。
This kanji is made of two parts. At the top is the ‘do not’ radical, depicting cloths or streamers fluttering in the wind so quickly that they become blurred and hard to distinguish. At the bottom is the ‘heart’ radical. Together, this kanji represents a state of mind that lacks focus or presence, ultimately meaning ‘careless’ or ‘neglectful.
