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23
L5
校
KŌ
school, check
10 strokes
KŌSEI proofreading
KŌKŌ high school
KŌCHŌ school principal
A graph of the common semantic-phonetic
category. The right-hand component as an
independent graph has meanings of ‘crossed
(esp. legs), mixed’ (see 128). Later, the ‘wood/
24
L5
左
SA, hidari
left
5 strokes
SAHA leftist faction
hidarigawa left side
hidarite left hand
OBI is based on a pictograph of a hand orientated
from left to right. Bronze equivalents add
125, originally a pictograph for some kind
25
三
SAN, mithree
L5
3 strokes
SANGATSU March
third day
SANKAKU triangle
tree’ determinative 73 was added, to clarify
the sense ‘wooden shackles’. Other meanings
for , found already in the Chinese classics,
include ‘compare’, ‘collate’, ‘check’, ‘enclosure’,
and ‘school’. Perhaps to be explained in the
sense of ‘school’ through the phonetic loan
principle, as suggested by Katō. KJ1970:172;
AS2007:536, 307; ZY2009:v2 506. We suggest
using ‘six’ 80 to help remember it.
Mnemonic: CHECK OUT SIX WOODEN
CROSSES AT THE SCHOOL
of tool used in work. Can be taken as semantic
compound (‘left hand’ with ‘tool, work’) (Karlgren),
or as semantic-phonetic compound, in
which case the first two strokes of have both
semantic and phonetic roles. MR2007:271-2;
BK1957:22-3; SS1984:331; KJ1970:37;
AS2007:637.
Mnemonic: LEFT HAND HOLDS THE
CARPENTER’S SQUARE
Three short straight lines , a simple mnemonic
device; occurring from OBI onwards.
Similar depictions were used in certain other
ancient writing systems (Egyptian hieroglyphs,
Sumerian cuneiform, and suchlike). SS1984:350;
KJ1970:40.
Mnemonic: THREE FINGERS
26
L5
山
SAN, yama
mountain, hill
3 strokes
HYŌZAN iceberg
TAKUSAN large quantity
yamamichi mountain trail
OBI , based on jagged mountains.
MR2007:407; KJ1970:40; QX2000:175.
Mnemonic: TRIPLE PEAKED MOUNTAIN
27
子
SHI, SU, ko
Based on a pictograph of an infant . Note
child
L5
that this graph has also been used to denote
3 strokes
the first of the twelve ‘Earthly Branches’ of the
traditional Chinese sexagenary cycle. QX2000:
DENSHI electron
178; BK1970:254; MR2007:517; KJ1985:158.
kodomo child(ren)
YŌSU state of things
Mnemonic: CHILD ON MUM’S BACK WITH
ARMS OUT
or: CHILD WRITES THREE THEN STRIKES IT OUT
The 80 First Grade Characters 53