カテゴリー: C

On the left side of this figure, you can see a person standing, while on the right, there is a piece of wood being cut for a project they are crafting. Therefore, this character beautifully captures the essence of what it means to ‘create’ or ‘make’ something.

This specific character perfectly combines the symbol for a road on the left with a literal cross in the center. It is a wonderfully straightforward design where ‘road’ meets ‘cross’ to mean exactly what it looks like: a ‘crossroad’.

How do you see this character’s shape? It symbolizes the face of a cow with two sharp horns, with a protective wooden bar securely fastened across them. This reflects an ancient custom designed to protect people from the danger of being gored. Therefore, this character has come to represent ‘caution’.

On the right side of this figure, you can see a baby sleeping peacefully in a basket, while on the left, a person—perhaps the father—stands firmly on their own two feet, watching over the infant with great care. This visual conveys a profound sense of feeling comfortable and being safely defended from the outside world. In this way, these characters often generate a whole new meaning derived from combining two distinct images.

On the left side of this figure, you can find the symbol for land, and on the right, a sword. Therefore, this character represents a place built upon the earth and protected by weapons—meaning a ‘castle’.

This character depicts a bird chirping with its mouth open. On the left side, you can see the symbol for a mouth. Therefore, this character carries the meaning of ‘chirp’ or ‘cry’.

This character depicts two men dancing and matching their steps against each other. Therefore, it carries the meaning ‘to compare’.

At the top of this kanji, you can see plants being stored under a roof for food. Below that is a ‘foot’ symbol, which means ‘to walk.’ Together, these parts show humans storing food for the coming season, which gives the kanji its meaning: calendar or history/record.

This figure perfectly mirrors the intense energy of the last one! Inside this character, you can find two persons standing face-to-face, matching each other blow for blow. Yes, they are now fighting with everything they have! This is why this striking, symmetrical kanji means ‘COMPETE’ or ‘RIVALRY’ in Japanese.

On the left side of this kanji, you can find a TREE, and on the right, the BONE of an ANIMAL oriented heading up. Together, they represent the absolute center of life: the core of a plant and the core of an animal. This is why this powerful character means ‘CORE’ or ‘NUCLEUS’ in Japanese.