and seal script becomes standardized as 耳 31 ‘ear’ with 門 231 (‘door’/‘gate’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘distinguish’. The other meaning ‘ask’ (a word with slightly different pronunciation from ‘hear’ in early Chinese) might represent a loan usage. MS1995:v2:1060-61; KJ1970:834-5; YK1976:442; MR2007:459; AS2007:514.
Mnemonic: AN EAR AT THE DOOR MEANS SOMEONE IS LISTENING
220
L3
米
BEI, MAI, kome
rice, America
6 strokes
米価 BEIKA price of rice
米国 BEIKOKU America
白米 HAKUMAI white rice
OBI , based on pictograph of ears of grain. Katō takes the horizontal line as chaff. The graph now stands for ‘rice’, but disputed whether originally rice grains were represented, or millet. The sense ‘America’ is based on an old on reading ME, formerly used to write 亜 米 利 加 AMERIKA. KJ1970:840-41; YK1976:444-5; SS1984:765-6.
Mnemonic: GRAIN-LADEN AMERICAN RICE PLANTS
221
L4
歩
HO, BU, aruku, ayumu
walk, rate
8 strokes
進歩 SHINPO progress
歩合 BUai ratio
歩き出す arukidasu start walking
Traditional form is 步. The most complete OBI graph has ‘crossroads’ with ‘left foot’ and ‘right foot’, to represent ‘walk’. KJ1970:156; MS1995:v1:703-4; YK1976:449. We suggest taking the modern graph as ‘foot/stop’ 止 143 (q.v.) and ‘few’ 少 160.
Mnemonic: FOOT STOPS AFTER JUST A FEW PACES OF WALKING
222
L5
母
BO, haha
mother
5 strokes
母性 BOSEI maternity
お母様 okāsama* Mother
母親 hahaoya mother
OBI forms onwards are based on picto-graph of woman 女 37 with exaggerated breasts and nipples. KJ1970:859; YK1976:451; SS1984:780-81.
Mnemonic: A MOTHER IS A WOMAN WITH PROMINENT NIPPLES
223
L4
方
HŌ, kata
side, way, person, direction, square
4 strokes
方角 HŌGAKU direction
親方 oyakata boss
見方 mikata way of looking
The OBI form appears generally to be taken as based on a pictograph of a plowshare. All modern meanings are loan usages. MR2007:395-6; KJ1970:762-3; YK1976:452.
Mnemonic: PLOW OFF TO ONE SIDE – THAT’S THE DIRECTION
224
L5
北
HOKU, kita
north, flee
5 strokes
東北 TŌHOKU northeast
敗北 HAIBOKU defeat
北風 kitakaze north wind
OBI is based on pictograph of two people back-to-back in profile. ‘Turn back on, retreat’ is taken as primary meaning by Ma and Mizukami. ‘North’ is loan usage (Schuessler notes the two words were homophones in early Chinese), while (less likely) Mizukami treats as extended sense on basis that houses in ancient China were built facing south, so the backs of occupants faced north. MR2007:389; MS1995:v1:156-7; AS2007:246; KJ1970:960.
Mnemonic: PEOPLE FLEE, TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE NORTH
225
L5
毎
MAI, -goto
each, every
6 strokes
毎日 MAINICHI every day
毎度 MAIDO each time
日毎 higoto daily
Traditional 每; OBI . OBI views divided, taking the graph as depicting either a mother with hairpin (Ma, Ogawa), or plant, with 母 222 (‘mother’) as phonetic, with associated sense ‘abundant’ (Katō, Yamada, Tōdō); the latter seems the more persuasive. The meaning of ‘each, every’ is borrowed usage. MR2007:220; OT1968:548; KJ1970:756; YK1976:461; TA1965:166-8. Suggest taking elements as ‘person’ /人 41 and ‘mother’ 母.
Mnemonic: EACH AND EVERY PERSON HAS A MOTHER
226
L4
妹
MAI, imōto
younger sister
8 strokes
姉妹 SHIMAI sisters
妹分 imō toBUN sworn sister
令妹 REIMAI your younger sister
Semantic-phonetic compound found in OBI texts onwards . Has 女 37 ‘woman’, and 未 617 (‘immature’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘continuation’ (Katō, Yamada) or ‘small’ (Ogawa, Tōdō). KJ1970:868-9; YK1976:461; OT1968:256; TA1965:732-6.
Mnemonic: YOUNGER SISTER IS AN IMMATURE WOMAN
227
L5
万
MAN, BAN, yorozu
ten thousand, myriad
3 strokes
五万 GOMAN fifty thousand
万事 BANJI all things
万屋 yorozuya general dealer
Formerly 萬. OBI form is based on picto-graph of a scorpion. Already in OBI 萬 was used as a loan to indicate a number (‘ten thousand/large number’), and so, according to Qiu, another graph was then devised for ‘scorpion’, comprising 萬 and 虫 60 ‘insect’. Traditionally (at least from the time of the early 11th century Guangyun dictionary) 万 was seen as being a popular or vulgar equivalent for 萬, but according to Katō, this is a loan use of 万, originally a separate graph (pictograph of type of aquatic plant), for ‘ten thousand’. MS1995:v2:1124-6; MR2007:512; QX2000:177;
