The short story of Kanji pictures
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘jewel’ radical, depicting a king holding a precious gemstone. On the right is an element representing a woman with beautiful long hair. Combined, this kanji came to mean something precious, rare, or exquisite—like a royal jewel or a woman’s long, beautiful hair.
Some kanji are made by repeating the same character three times to emphasize its meaning. This kanji combines three ‘stone’ radicals to represent a massive pile or rumble of many stones rolling together.
Some kanji are made by repeating the same character three times to emphasize its meaning. This kanji combines three ‘tree’ radicals to represent a dense forest filled with many trees.
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘metal’ radical, which depicts digging metal out of the earth under a roof. On the right is an element showing a person held or squeezed from both sides. Combined, this kanji represents scissors—a metal tool used to pinch and cut something.
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘hand’ radical. On the right is an element depicting a person held or squeezed from both sides. Combined, this kanji means to hold, pinch, or sandwich something strictly between two things.
This kanji combines two parts: the ‘white’ radical on the left, symbolizing a white skull, and a right-side symbol for something bound tightly. Together, they originally depicted a bright white target set up for practice. Over time, it came to mean a target, a goal, or a specific focus.
This kanji is made of two parts. On the left is the ‘thread’ radical. On the right is an element depicting something important tied or bound tightly. Combined, this kanji originally represented tying important things together so they wouldn’t break apart. From this concept of binding, it came to mean bundling or consolidating, and by extension, making a promise.
