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An Etymological Dictionary of Chinese Characters
Interpretations by Lawrence J. Howell and Hikaru Morimoto |
| Covering 6,500 Chinese characters as used in Japan |
Word Family of Terms Originally Pronounced KAP
Semantic Values of the Sound KAP: Frame + Press
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This word family contains terms involving direct, physical pressure against a framing element, whether the framing element is concrete or abstract. Examples include
A heavy helmet weighing on the head (甲)
The unpleasant sensation of fatty meat weighing heavily on the stomach (圧)
An object sunken in the middle on account of downward pressure (凹)
Be pressed upon by dogs/wild animals (狭) or by other attackers (脅)
Hand pressed to the back of a fleeing person (及)
Cover pressed down upon a container (合)
Among the non-Everyday Use Characters, we find the following examples:
A person forced to withdraw (劫)
One person sandwiched between two others (夾)
Beans/peas sandwiched between the surfaces of a pod (莢, 筴)
An object sandwiched between the tips of tongs, pincers or scissors (鋏)
A narrow valley sandwiched between two mountains (陜)
Boulders resting heavily against each other (岌)
Water pressing heavily upon the earth (洽, 浥)
Water pressing against a sluice, or floodgates (閘)
The upper and lower lips pressed against each other (哈)
The jaw as the body part that allows objects to be sandwiched between the teeth (頬, 嗑)
Food/drink or air forced down the throat (呷, 歙, 噏)
Pressure exerted on an animal to tame it (狎)
Pressure exerted on the body by the shoulder blades (胛) or the sides (脇)
A carrying container weighing heavily on the back (笈)
A woman fitted with heavy clothes (姶)
Clothes wrapped tightly about the body (裛)
Lidded utensils/boxes (盒, 盍, 蓋, 匣, 篋, 磕, 饁)
A heavy, lined garment (袷)
The retracted wings of a bird pressed tightly to its body (翕)
A clam weighed down by a heavy shell (蛤)
A heavy gate (閤, 闔)
A vertical mountain cave with a covered entrance (峇)
A tight cage into which a wild animal is kept (柙)
Dimples pressed into the face (靨)
An object compressed in the palm (捻)
The hands pressed together at the breast (揖)
Extensions of meaning or abstract applications of the senses noted above are found in the remaining characters in this group.
甲 (5) コウ；カン S/B  BIS  SIS  SCR 
S/B is an ideograph suggesting the idea of containing an object by pressing down upon it → armor; helmet; shell. From BIS onward, however, the character becomes a pictograph of a hard, seed-bearing husk. First in a series and first calendar sign are borrowed meanings.
岬 (8) コウ；みさき
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon → press between) + 山 mountain → mountain gorge. Compare 峡. In Japan, however, the character has been applied to any kind of land that juts into the sea, therefore cape or promontory.
押 (8) オウ；お（さえ・さえる・し・す）
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon) + 手 hand/action indicator → press down upon → push; thrust; shove; hold down; stop; stamp (papers/a passport etc.); (a) weight; pressure → seize; catch; arrest → control (← restrain and control). 押 was devised to replace 甲 after the latter came to refer to a husk or shell.
圧 (5) アツ Formerly 壓
As per 厭 (Type 2 Phonetic) (greasy meat weighing heavily on the intestines) + 土 earth → press down on an object in covering it with earth → pressure. The present form of the character simplifies by using only the top and bottom elements of 壓.
凹 (5) オウ
Pictograph of an object sunken in the middle due to pressure from above → concave; indented; hollowed out.
挟 (9) キョウ；はさ（まる・む） Formerly 挾
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 手 hand/action indicator → insert; interpose; be caught/sandwiched between.
峡 (9) キョウ Formerly 峽
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 山 mountain → ravine; gorge. Compare 岬.
狭 (9) キョウ；せば（まる・める）；せま（い） Formerly 狹
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 犬 dog/beast → be pressed upon by wild animals, with nowhere to turn → narrow (← narrow margin for escape) → small; reduce; narrow-minded.
脅 (10) キョウ；おど（かす・す）；おびや（かす）
As per 劦 (Type 1 Phonetic) as described in 協 (combined power of many → pressure from both sides) + 肉 flesh → one's side → threaten (← be threatened by attackers at both sides; compare 狭) → frighten; fear; be scared; startle.
業 (13) ギョウ；ゴウ；わざ S/B  BIS  SIS 
S/B, BIS and SIS are pictographs of a stand with notched wooden supports on either end. Heavy bells and/or drums were suspended from a wooden bar that was placed atop of (and connected) a pair of such stands (compare 對 the previous form of 対), exerting pressure upon the notches → work/act (← come upon difficulties in working ← create notches) → skill; occupation (← employ hard-gained skills in earning a living) → karma (← result of actions taken).
及 (3) キュウ；およ（び・ぶ・ぼす） Formerly  S/B 
S/B shows a person + a hand reaching toward another person (compare 服 and 付) → reach/extend and press a hand to the back of a fleeing person → overtake → amount to; equal. By further extension are and and as well as (← equally), while come to, exert (upon) and affect derive from the original sense of exerting pressure with one's hand.
吸 (6) キュウ；す（う） Formerly 
As per 及 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press a hand to the back of a fleeing person) + 口 mouth → press the lips together in sucking in air → suck; breathe; inhale; take in → absorb; smoke (tobacco).
級 (9) キュウ Formerly 
As per 及 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press a hand to the back of a fleeing person) + 糸 thread → press together threads (compare 給) of like quality → rank; class; grade (← order; sequence) → head (← make promotions contingent on the taking of heads on the battlefield).
急 (9) キュウ；いそ（ぐ） Formerly  SIS 
SIS shows 急 to have originally consisted of 及 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press a hand to the back of a fleeing person) + 心 heart/emotions → feelings of being pressed → rush; hurry; hasten → sudden; emergency; steep.
合 (6) ゴウ；カッ；ガッ；あ（う・わす・わせる）
Cover (as described in 会 and in 今) + 口 hole → press a cover upon an object so that it covers precisely → fit; join; put together; meet. Extended meanings include suit; match; agree/coincide with; correspond to; be correct; add (to); combine; set/adjust (a device); adapt oneself to; and check (with/against).
給 (12) キュウ
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) join + 糸 thread → join separate(d) pieces of thread (compare 級) to maintain continuity of production → supply; supplement; fill; give; salary.
泣 (8) キュウ；な（かす・かせる・く）
水 water + 立 (Type 8 Phonetic), here, an abbreviated form (Type 3 Phonetic) of 粒 droplet → small, wet objects pressing upon the cheeks → teardrops → cry; sob; weep → moan; regret.
邑 (7) ユウ；オウ；くに；むら
As per 巴 (Type 1 Phonetic) (spread flat on one's belly → spread) + 囗 circular enclosure → enclosed area/district → village; settlement; town. Confusingly, when used as a radical, 邑 is written as 阝, the same simplification as employed for 阜 piled earth. The difference is that 邑 appears on the right (examples: 邦, 邸, or 郊) while 阜 appears on the left (examples: 防, 限, or 陥).
叶 (5) キョウ；かな（う）
口 mouth + 十 (Type 3 Phonetic) (gather) → the voices of many united in supplication → harmonize. Also, be realized/have one's prayer answered (← grant a group's wish/request).
劫 (7) ゴウ Alternate Form 刧
As per 去 (Type 2 Phonetic) (sink inward) + 力 power/energy → force another to withdraw → threaten. Long period of time derives from the compound 劫波, a transliteration of the Sanskrit kalpa.
怯 (8) キョウ；コウ；おび（える）；ひる（む）
As per 去 (Type 2 Phonetic) (sink inward) + 心 heart/emotions → shrink from; be fearful; cowardice.
夾 (7) キョウ
大 person standing outstretched and pressed upon by 人 a person on either side → insert; sandwich between.
莢 (10) キョウ；さや
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 艸 grass/plant → shell/pod (that sandwiches the bean contained inside).
鋏 (15) キョウ；はさみ；やっとこ
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 金 metal → metallic rod used to sandwich an object → pincers; tongs; scissors. Compare 鉗.
頬 (15) キョウ；ほお；ほほ
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 頁 head → the jaw (← part of the head that enables food and other objects to be pressed between the upper and lower rows of teeth). Cheeks is via a different perspective on sandwiching with regard to the head (i.e., the parts that sandwich a person's face).
呷 (8) コウ；あお（る）
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon) + 口 mouth → gulp (down); swallow → inhale; drink. Also, quack (← loud noise produced in gulping).
狎 (8) コウ；な（れる）
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon) + 犬 dog/beast → discipline an animal to tame it → be accustomed to; be on intimate terms with → be overly familiar with; make light of.
胛 (9) コウ
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon) + 肉 flesh → shoulder blade (exerting downwards pressure on the muscles beneath).
笈 (9) キュウ；おい
As per 及 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press a hand to the back of a fleeing person) + 竹 bamboo → (bamboo) container for clothes, books and other objects, carried on the back.
姶 (9) オウ
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 女 woman → woman fitted with heavy clothes (compare 袷) → beautiful; good-looking.
恰 (9) コウ；あたか（も）
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 心 heart/emotions → fit one's heart; match one's ideas → precisely; just (as); as though. The pronunciation カッ in compounds derives from an older Japanese pronunciation of the character, カフ (compare 合).
盒 (11) コウ；ふたもの
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 皿 dish/plate/bowl → lidded utensil.
袷 (11) キョウ；コウ；あわせ
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 衣 clothing → heavy lined garment (← lining precisely fitted to the fabric) → lined kimono. Compare 姶.
翕 (12) キュウ；あ（う）；あつ（まる・める）
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 羽 feather/wing → retracted wings, pressed tightly to a bird's body → put together; gather → happen (← putting together or gathering regarded as an occurrence).
蛤 (12) コウ；はまぐり
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 虫 insect/creature → clam (← creature encased in a tightly sealed shell). Compare 蜆.
閤 (14) コウ
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) fit + 門 gate → heavy, small, side door/gate, normally kept shut → (woman's) chamber (compare 閨). Also, (government/public) office and palace.
靨 (23) ヨウ；えくぼ
As per 厭 (Type 2 Phonetic) (greasy meat weighing heavily on the intestines → press down on) + 面 face → dimple(s).
盍 (10) コウ
Originally, 皿 dish/plate/bowl + a variant of 奄 (Type 2 Phonetic) (cover) → lidded container → cover; meet. Why is a borrowed meaning. Eventually, the top element came to be transcribed as 去 withdraw.
蓋 (13) ガイ；カイ；コウ；おお（う）；ふた Alternate Forms 盖 葢
盍 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover + 艸 grass/plant → roof thatched with grass → cover; lid.
侠 (8) キョウ；きゃん Formerly 俠
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 人 person → person of rank, sandwiched by bodyguards → chivalry (← dedicate oneself unstintingly to the service of another). Tomboy is a borrowed meaning. The preferred form of this character would be with 夾 rather than the simplifed form as given.
脇 (10) キョウ；わき
A variant of 脅 (Type 1 Phonetic) (one's side), with the 肉 flesh element repositioned, and emphasizing the physical points the armpits and the sides/flanks → side.
捻 (11) ネン；テン；ジョウ；ねじ（る）；ね（じる）；ひね（る）
As per 念 (Type 2 Phonetic) (idea contained in the heart → contain) + 手 hand → contain an object in the palm while twisting it with one's fingers → twist; turn; twirl.
揖 (12) ユウ；シュウ
The right-hand element (Type 1 Phonetic) combines 口 mouth + 耳 ear → place one's ear close to another's mouth. 揖 adds 手 hand/action indicator → bow with the hands clasped together at the breast → come together; assemble. Also, yield.
峇 (9) コウ
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover/fit + 山 mountain → vertical mountain cave (with a covered entrance).
洽 (9) コウ；あまね（く）
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover/fit + 水 water → water covering an extensive area → far and wide; moisten. Also, harmony of thought/emotion (← bring into uniformity ← cover extensively). Compare 浥.
匣 (7) コウ；はこ
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon) + 匚 enclosure → (lidded) box.
閘 (13) オウ；コウ
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon) + 門 gate → sluice; floodgate → opening and closing of a gate (compare 沍). Compare also 闔.
溘 (13) コウ
盍 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover/meet + 水 water → sudden/abrupt (cessation) (← slam a lid on a water container, cutting off the flow of liquid).
闔 (18) コウ；と（じる）
盍 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover/meet + 門 gate → doors (of a gate, the edges of which meet when the doors are closed) → close. Compare 閘. Also, put away and contain in entirety → all.
愜 (12) キョウ；こころよ（い）
匧 (Type 1 Phonetic) combines 夾 (be pressed between) + 匚 enclosure → contents tightly packed in a box. Compare 匣. 愜 adds 心 heart/emotions → heart filled with contentment → be satisfied; be comfortable.
篋 (15) キョウ；はこ
As per 匧 (Type 1 Phonetic) as described in 愜 (contents tightly packed in a box) + 竹 bamboo → (rectangular, bamboo) box.
陜 (10) キョウ；コウ；せま（い）
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 阜 piled earth → mountain pass/narrow gorge (compare 岬 and 峡). Also, (sandwiched between and therefore) narrow.
筴 (13) キョウ；サク；めどぎ
As per 夾 (Type 1 Phonetic) (be pressed between) + 竹 bamboo → variety of bean plant (compare 荅), the stalk of which was used in divination (compare 筮 and 蓍). Also, bamboo writing brush and chopsticks → insert; sandwich between, as well as inscribed tablets.
岌 (7) キュウ；ギュウ
As per 及 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press a hand to the back of a fleeing person → connect at an angle) + 山 mountain → (perilously) high and steep mountain with large boulders resting against each other.
悒 (10) ユウ；うれ（える）
邑 (Type 1 Phonetic) here in the atavistic sense of its constituent element 巴 (spread flat on one's belly) + 心 heart/emotions → be depressed; have a heavy heart.
曄 (14) ヨウ
As per 華 (Type 5 Phonetic) (florid) + 日 sun/day → shine; thriving.
歙 (16) キュウ；キョウ；ショウ；す（う）
As per 翕 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press tightly) + 欠 bent, open-mouthed figure → press tightly on the diaphragm to suck in the breath. Compare 呷.
磕 (15) カイ；カツ；コウ
盍 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover + 石 stone → tightly press a stone/earthenware cover into place. The sound of rocks or drums struck in turn is a borrowed meaning.
汲 (6) キュウ；く（む）
As per 及 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press a hand to the back of a fleeing person) + 水 water → draw water (← lower a well bucket into contact with the surface of the well water) → scoop (up/out); ladle (out) → pour (tea).
噏 (15) キュウ；す（う）
As per 翕 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press tightly) + 口 mouth → insect that compresses its mouth in sucking blood from a host → compress; absorb; inhale. Compare 吸.
勰 (15) キョウ
As per 劦 (Type 1 Phonetic) as described in 協 (the combined power of many) + 思 think; consider → a meeting of the minds → harmonious; peaceful.
柙 (9) コウ；おり
As per 甲 (Type 1 Phonetic) (press down upon → press between) + 木 tree/wood → animal cage → (place in a) box.
祫 (11) コウ；ギョウ
合 (Type 1 Phonetic) join + 示 altar/the supernatural → commemorate ancestors jointly (i.e. a festival in which ancestors both proximate and distant in the bloodline are jointly commemorated).
嗑 (13) コウ
盍 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover + 口 mouth → close the jaw and cover food in the mouth. The compound 嗑嗑 refers to the act of speaking (← repeated opening and closing of the jaw).
挹 (10) ユウ；く（む）
邑 (Type 1 Phonetic) here in the atavistic sense of its constituent element 巴 (spread) + 手 hand/action indicator → spread the hands in scooping water → scoop. Also, spread the hands over the chest in a gesture of respect.
浥 (10) ユウ；オウ；うるお（う）
邑 (Type 1 Phonetic) here in the atavistic sense of its constituent element 巴 (spread) + 水 water → water spreading heavily over the earth → moist earth → moist; damp. Compare 洽.
裛 (13) ユウ
邑 (Type 1 Phonetic) here in the atavistic sense of its constituent element 巴 (spread) + 衣 clothing → spread (= wrap) clothing about oneself → clothe oneself → cover a book. Also, enveloping fragrance (← aroma that envelops one's clothing).
饁 (19) ヨウ；おく（る）
盍 (Type 1 Phonetic) cover + 食 food/eating → cooked meal placed in a container and transported to field laborers. Compare 饟.
哈 (9) ゴウ
合 (phonetic) fit + 口 mouth → press the lips together in sucking in air (the same idea as in 吸). The opening and closing of a fish's mouth is via a separate term appended to this character → school of fish.
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Etymological Keypoints
This column of keypoints appears on each page of this online etymological dictionary of kanji, Chinese characters as used in Japan. For detailed information on any of the following topics, click the MORE hyperlinks to reach the appropriate sections of the Reference Page.
Types of Characters
Chinese characters are of three types: pictographs, ideographs and compound characters.
Pictographs
Pictographs are representations of concrete objects: moon, sun, river, mountain, bird, sword, mouth, hand and so on. Pictographs also account for nearly all of the radicals (or classifiers) as described below in the Compound Characters section. There are several hundred pictographs in all. MORE
Ideographs
The handful of ideographs among the Chinese characters convey abstract notions such as unity, concealment, extension etc. MORE
Compound Characters
Compound Characters are composed of two elements. The first element is a "radical" (or "classifier"). Character dictionaries assign nearly all characters to one of approximately 70 of these radicals.
The second element is a sound note, suggesting both the pronunciation and the meaning of the character. In a small number of compound characters the sound conveyed by the second element is anomalous, for which reason compound characters have traditionally been divided into phonetic compounds and semantic compounds.
MORE on Phonetic Compounds
MORE on Semantic Compounds
Phonetic elements (or sound notes) most often match that of the compound character precisely, such as 夬 KUAT and 決 KUAT. In other instances the initial or final consonants are altered: 甚 TAM and 勘 KAM; 胥 SAG and 婿 SAR. In a smaller number of cases the vowel is transposed: 而 NAG and 需 NUG. We also find phonetic elements functioning in other ways such as to convey onomatopoeic or mimetic sounds, to transliterate loan words and so on. There are eight types of sound notes in all. MORE
Word Formation In Proto-Chinese
This dictionary arranges Chinese characters according to word families of phonologically and semantically related terms. Building upon research undertaken by Bernhard Karlgren and Akiyasu Todo, the earliest sounds of the terms in proto-Chinese are reconstructed along the pattern Consonant-Vowel-Consonant. MORE
Initial consonants are K, L, M, N, P, S and T. The vowel in most terms is something between short A and E, here rendered as A. The vowel may also be O or U, and a number of word families feature the medial glide UA. Final consonants are G/K, NG, M, N, P, R and T.
Semantic Function of Consonants
Each initial consonant suggests a broad semantic background for characters beginning with that consonant. Here are the semantic indicators for each initial consonant, followed by a partial selection of the kinds of terms found in each initial consonant network.
Initial K- = Frame: boxes and containers; foundations of buildings; cavities; enclosed passageways; shackles/handcuffs; square tools; crossroads; humans, gates and other objects framing each other by standing in opposition; nuts in shells, grain in husks, beans/peas in a pod, shellfish in shells and other objects in containers; yokes; molds; footwear and garments that contain the body in full or part
Initial L- = Continuum: footpaths; literal and figurative belts; strips of material; stripes; dripping, flowing or trickling water/liquid; linked waves; patterned grain of wood; chains/cables; lengths of rope; interwoven vegetation; furrows; stretching vines
Initial M- = Conceal: the sun concealed (by darkness, cloud cover, vegetation); threads, insects, and heads of grain that are fine/tiny to the point of near-invisibility; persons concealed by passing away; fish nets or traps concealed beneath the surface of the water; physical/figurative blindness; concealing grass/vegetation; concealing curtains or pieces of cloth
Initial N- = Flexible: supple female bodies; supple body parts (ears, earlobes, droopy beard); vegetation/food softened/made supple by being heated; cloth/fabric softened in liquid; bodies wasted/softened by illness; swordblades and other flexible weapons; clinginess; seals created from softened clay; pliable hides; vines and other flexible objects that coil/twist about; gently bending arms and vegetation
Initial P- = Spread: goods spread for display/sale; food spread for a feast/meal; spreading leaves/vegetation; liquid/fragrance that spreads to right and left, or in all directions; liquid overflowing its container; hands spread to slap/strike, or to grip a handle; spreading wounds; spreading tiles; lightning spreading through the sky; waterplants spreading over the surface of water; sails and other types of spreading cloth; seeds spread through fields; pelts/fabric wrapped about the body; wings wrapped around a bird's body; sea creatures enveloped in shells; objects such as fabric or soft boards that spread in being folded back upon themselves
Initial S- = Small/Thin/Slender: piles of vegetation, plant matter, grain, food etc; piled rocks; piled earth; pile of wood shavings; objects that are cut/aligned irregularly; long or tall, slender objects such as masts, reeds, wells or fences; hairpins, phalluses, trails of liquid and other slender objects that penetrate tight spaces; fragments of metal, wood or bone; moss, coral, baby teeth and other small, tightly adhering objects; arrangements of small/fine objects such as thorns on a plant, birds in trees or sand on a beach; sheaves, wheel spokes converging in hubs, arrows compacted in a quiver and other tightly compressed objects
Initial T- = Straight: literal piles of objects such as firewood, meat, valuables or metal; figurative piles; lizards, snakes, wriggling insects and other straight creatures; the shuttle of a loom, a horizontal bar on a vehicle and other machines/machine parts that move in a straight line; straight movement in both vertical and horizontal directions; pipes, tubes, caverns and other straight, tubular objects; flames, gas, the sun and other rising objects
(Initial S terms represent a branch of the initial T group, emphasizing small/thin/slender applications of the idea of straightness.) MORE
Among the final consonants, the G/K ending suggests that the meaning of the character is directly connected with the main idea expressed by the initial consonant (see above). KAG/LAG/MAG/NAG/PAG/SAG/TAG and their final K variants KAK/LAK/MAK/NAK/PAK/SAK/TAK may be considered linguistic templates which the other finals modify to create more specific meanings for the relevant terms. Each of the remaining final consonants suggests a specific semantic nuance for the characters ending with that consonant. Here are the semantic indicators for each final consonant, followed by a partial selection of the kinds of terms found in each final consonant group.
Final -NG = Extend: bodies that stretch and/or go stiff; persons or objects standing in distant opposition; sound/fragrance drifting from one point to another, linking the two points in distant opposition; actions or processes that continue a long time, such as savoring food in the mouth, protracted spasms, lengthy songs or dramatic performances; endlessly flowing water; vegetation spreading out of sight; long strings of shells/jewels; writing/ornamentation spread at length over a surface; tall piles or long trails of objects; steam, vapor or gas that rises high in the air
Final -M = Encompass: people fallen into holes; food or other objects contained in the mouth; fruit encompassed by skin; grain encompassed by husks; objects covered by thick vegetation or by darkness; drenched objects; a fetus encompassed in a womb; needles, hairpins and other slender objects concealed in filling narrow spaces; cavities and containers filled with liquid
Final -N = Adhere/Be proximate: weapons contacting an enemy's body; contact of body parts with other objects; hunting/fishing implements contacting their targets; tightly knit groups of people, birds, fish and other creatures; tight rows of like objects; cloth tightly wrapped about (parts of) the body; roofs fit upon buildings; paired objects in close proximity; points of contact between land and water; proximate pieces of finely cut/chopped objects such as vegetation and food; objects lying flat on the ground
Final -P = Press: be pressed upon by attackers; objects sandwiched between others; objects exerting pressure downward, or directly upon the ground; tight compaction of like objects such as threads, insects or vegetation; human bodies pressing upon bedding or upon other human bodies
Final -R = Continuum: elongated objects such as garments or weapons; prolonged activity such as speech, prayer, singing, rituals, irrigation, erosion, carving, scraping, polishing or sharpening of knives; prolonged sensations such as reverberations, irritation or illness; continuous states or relationships such as human friendship, reverence of ancestors or the lasting effect of glue-like substances; neat lines of people or of objects such as eaves, fruit or footprints; abstract elongation such as in the slow passage of time
Final -T = Cut/Divide/Reduce: reduction in size by cutting of vegetation, carving of wood, or biting/chewing of food; division of objects such as in the splitting of logs or the ripping of cloth; reduction of empty space in objects such as rooms and containers, or in the covering of open space by vegetation or water; reduction in length such as in knotting a rope; reduction of darkness by the application of light; reduction of physical capacities on account of fatigue, illness, blindness or numbness; reduction of physical capacities of animals by trapping, tethering or penning them; reduction of emotional capacities on account of anger, distress or excitement MORE
Semantic Function of the O and U Vowels
The vowel O suggests the idea of curvature, sometimes extending to "curve and surround/envelop."The U vowel, when it is the lone vowel in a term (examples: KUG, LUG, SUG, TUNG) refers to a circle (whether full or nearly full) or to a bulky/lumpy mass. However, when the U vowel is employed as part of the diphthong UA (examples: KUAN/KUAR/KUAT, SUAN/SUAR/SUAT), the signification is most often the O vowel sense of curving/round.
Here are the semantic indicators for these vowels, followed by a partial selection of representative terms.
Vowel O = Curvature: backs bent with illness or age; tree branches or the necks of humans/animals bent with weight; contorted bodies; trees bent with decay; arched bridges; curved stretches of land or other natural phenomena such as caverns; winding constructions such as palaces and official buildings; birds or the sun curving into sight over the horizon; coiling vegetation, snakes or threads; curved movement such as in kneading or bending objects into shape, sweeping with a broom, or rowing a boat; bulging objects such as water jugs, gourds, pimples or pregnant bellies; curved objects such as eggs, nuts or colanders; objects with curved portions such as a swordblade, the hull of a boat, or a flag attached to a pole and flapping in the breeze; arcs formed by liquid poured from a container, or by humans/animals moving in a semi-circle
Vowel U = Circle/Mass: round objects such as baskets, huts or circular buildings; lumpy objects such as heads, hunched bodies, breasts; skin protuberances or tree stumps; massive objects such as pillars, ridgepoles, downed boars or heavy bells; crowds of people or swarms of insects/creatures; curved objects such as earthenware, roofs or animal horns; round cavities filled with fluid or occupied by bodies; circuitous trails, winding hills and other curved landscape features; masses of hair such as in topknots or shaggy dog fur; masses of grain/vegetation; heaps of food; tightly-massed inanimate objects such as ships in a harbor, spokes in a hub or precious stones in an accessory; objects compacted by hand or tightly grasped in the fist
Vowel UA = Curving/Round: melons; wings; hoops; baskets; round and tubular containers; pools of water; objects enclosed in the hands; crowns; arcs or halos of light; circular piles of vegetation; round fruit; barrels; revolving objects and other forms of rotating/circular movement; rounded mountain tops or hill peaks; round bundles of goods or of vegetation; curling of the fingertips or cupping of the hands; strips of cloth wrapped about and covering the eyes; bound objects such as scrolls and tablets; round fish eggs; blossoming buds; cylindrical tubes, skewers or blocks; puckering of the lips; persons or objects arranged in a circle; squatting figures; winding waterways or passages; round holes and tools for drilling round holes MORE
Sample Terms
Semantically related terms are by no means restricted to a single consonant network. Five kanji concerned with the humble pea or bean and their seed vessels (the pod) suggest why and how this is.
The KAP word family (Frame + Press) contains the character 莢, meaning "pod." Here, the twin sides of the seed vessel are visualized as framing elements that press against the peas or beans contained within.
In the KUAN word family (Frame + [Curving/Round] + Adhere/Be Proximate) we find 豌 ("pea"), referring to the round legumes contained in and adhering to the framing element, the pod.
The NAM word family (Flexible + Encompass/Conceal) has 荏 "beans," that is, beans covered and hidden by a flexible pod.
荅 "bean pod" belongs to the TAP word family (Straight + Press). Here, the emphasis is on the pod as a straight object the sides of which exert pressure upon the contents.
Finally, 荳 "bean" is a member of the TUG word family (Straight + Circle/Mass + Straight). In this case, the emphasis is on the round or lumpy shape of the bean contained in the straight object, the pod. MORE
Using the Dictionary
Hyperlinks to individual word families are located at the left side of this page. To look up individual characters, use the search box at top right or one of the four indices at the located at the top center of the page.
For ease of reference, characters presented within an etymology are hyperlinked to their full etymological explanation.
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Site Contents Copyright (C) 2004-2008 Lawrence J. Howell
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