Kanji
composed with Radicals (1)

(1) Roof


The top radical, a flattened , represents "roof". Here are a few examples:

                    L26 

meaning:           house  

on reading:        

kun reading:     いえ

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                   L26 

meaning:           residence, house

on reading:       タク

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


宿                   L6

meaning:            inn

on reading:        シュク

kun reading:       やど

You'll note that the radical under "roof" to the left is ( ひと, person) and the radical to the right under "roof" is ( ひゃく, hundred). So, we could think of the character for "inn" as meaning something like "one hundred people under a roof " or "many people under a roof".

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                     L7

meaning:           comfort, safe

on reading:        アン

kun reading:      やす やす らか

While perhaps not politically correct today, "a woman under a roof" was apparently considered a good way to express "safety", "comfort" etc., in Chinese.

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                     L31

meaning:            room

on reading:         シツ

kun reading:       むろ

The character means "arrive" or "lead to" so you could think of this character for "room" as meaning "an arrival place under a roof".

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                     L32

meaning:           guest

on reading:       キャクカク

The kanji means "each, every, various" so we could think about this character as "each (person) under a roof is a guest".

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                     L44

meaning:           defend, protect

on reading:        シュ

kun reading:       まも

, the element under "roof" is an old unit of measurement like an inch or a centimeter. In ancient times measurements were based on the body, so the character has an association with "hand". You might find "to hold down the house so it doesn't move an inch" as a useful memory aid for this character.

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                  L13

meaning:          treasure

on reading:      ホウ

kun reading:     たから

Under the radical we have , which means "jewel". So "a treasure is a jewel we keep in the house". This word is not in a SUN KK, but can be found in the Un'yoo Renshuu on page 113 of SUN 1.

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.


                      L45

meaning:            wealth

on reading:         

kun reading:       とみ

Under the in this character we have a , a , and a all arranged vertically. You might remember the character this way: "a wealthy house has one mouth per field."

Write the character in the window below.



Your PC should support Japanese characters.



Copyright © 2017 ICI (International Communication Institute),. All Rights Reserved.