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63
L 4
田
DEN, ta
rice-field, paddy
5 strokes
DEN’ENrural area
tauerice planting
inaka*countryside
Generally seen as based on pictographs for
a field or fields divided by paths, very similar
to the modern form. Shirakawa believes the
original sense was ‘hunt’, and the meaning ‘field’
was a later loan use, but historical sound values
in Schuessler leave this open to question.
KJ1970:915; BK1957:104; AS2007:496,184.
Mnemonic: A FIELD DIVIDED INTO FOUR
QUARTERS
64
土
DO, TO, tsuchi
earth, ground
L 5
3 strokes
DOYŌbiSaturday
TOCHIland
tsuchikusai unsophisticated
OBI . Interpretations quite diverse. One
(Ogawa, Gu) is that early (OBI and bronze)
forms show a clod/mound of earth raised to
honor the earth god, or represent the earth god
himself (Shirakawa). Another is a plant coming
out of the soil (Katō, re bronze forms only). Yet
another (Karlgren) sees the graph as ‘a drawing
of the phallic-shaped sacred pole of the altar of
the soil’. OT1968:208; GY2008:22; SS1984:639;
KJ1970:956; BK1957:36-7.
Mnemonic: A PLANT BREAKS THROUGH THE
GROUND
65
L5
二
NI, futatwo
2 strokes
NIGATSUFebruary
NIJŪtwenty
NININ/futari* two people
Two horizontal lines of equal length are found
in OBI; later, sometimes with a shorter top
stroke, as in the modern form. KJ1970:39;
SS1984:668.
Mnemonic: TWO LINES MEANS TWO, EVEN IF
ONE IS SHORT
66
日
NICHI, JITSU, hi, -ka Based on pictograph of the sun , spot/line
sun, day
probably added to distinguish it as real object
L5
4 strokes
and not a mere abstract shape. MR2007:352;
SS1984:669; KJ1970:952-3.
NICHIYŌbiSunday
HONJITSUtoday
Mnemonic: IN LINE WITH THE SUN, A NEW
futsuka*second day
DAY’S BEGUN
67
入
NYŪ, hairu, ireru/ru
enter, put in
L5
2 strokes
YUNYŪimport
iriguchientrance
iremonocontainer
The OBI form and bronze forms depict the
entrance to a dwelling . Many see the modern
stylized form as a person bending (see 41)
to enter, which is incorrect but a useful mnemonic.
SS1984:669-70; KJ1970:515; YK1976:401.
Mnemonic: BEND TO ENTER THROUGH
INVERTED V-SHAPED OPENING
62 The 80 First Grade Characters