480531170

6
L4
音
ON, IN, oto, ne
sound
9 strokes
ONGAKU music
SHIIN consonant
HATSUON pronunciation
Precise etymology disputed. Early bronze equi -
valent . The lower element is interpreted
either as a mouth (Karlgren, Katō) or as a prayer
receptacle. Shirakawa takes the latter view,
and maintains that the (extra) horizontal stroke
inside the receptacle represents a written
prayer. Katō regards and (see ‘word’, 118)
as having been used interchangeably in ancient
times, though Karlgren treats them as having
been separate. References: BK1957:173, 80;
KJ1970:68; SS1984:68. We suggest taking as
‘rising’ 77 and as ‘sun’ 66.
Mnemonic: SOUND OF THE RISING SUN
7
L5
下
KA, GE, shita, moto,
shimo, sageru, oriru,
kudasaru
under, lower
3 strokes
GEHIN vulgarity
TEIKA decrease
kawashimo downstream
OBI . Mizukami suggests the curve was to
help distinguish this character from early forms
of 65 (‘two’). At some point, a vertical stroke
was added beneath the longer horizontal. Qiu
feels this change was also for graphic distinction
– in this case from the early forms of 39
(‘above’), which was written with a short horizontal
stroke over a longer one to represent ‘go
up, above’. Shirakawa takes the longer horizontal
line in early forms as depicting the palm of
the hand (in profile). References: BK1957:28;
QX2000:46; MS1983:151; SS1984:69.
Mnemonic: T-BAR WITH DROOPY LOWER
HANDLE UNDERNEATH
8
L5
火
KA, hi
fire
4 strokes
KAYŌbi Tuesday
KAZAN volcano
hibana spark
OBI shows it to be based on a stylized
sketch of a burning fire. As a lower determinative
/ element, it typically occurs as .
References: SS1984:70; KJ1970:953-4.
Mnemonic: FLAMES OF FIRE
9
L4
花
KA, hana
flower, blossom
7 strokes
KABEN petal
hanami blossom viewing
hanabi fireworks
A late character. The top element is the typical
abbreviation of the ‘plant’ determinative
53 (itself based on a pictograph of plants
growing), while the lower element ‘change’
(see 258), serves as phonetic (associated sense
here disputed), and is a pointer to the reading,
which in modern Sino-Japanese is KA (also a
phonetic indicator in KA 455, etc.). According
to Shirakawa, the graph was probably
not devised in China until the early 5th century
AD; Katō gives a wider timeframe, viz the Six
Dynasties period (ca. 222-589AD). References:
SS1984:72; KJ1970:315.
Mnemonic: FLOWERS BLOSSOM WHEN
PLANTS CHANGE
The 80 First Grade Characters 49