Today’s #kanji is #役. It is listed under its semantic element of #ぎょうにんべん(彳). Its phonetic element is 殳 though 役 and 殳 do not share a sound in Japanese.
娘
Today’s #kanji is #娘, which is listed under its semantic element of #おんなへん(女) and its phonetic element is 良, though 娘 and 良 do not share a sound in Japanese.
婦
Today’s #kanji is #婦, which is a compound ideograph between 女 (a woman) and 帚 (a broom). Today’s feminists may not like the idea but this character was formed ages ago.
夫
Today’s #kanji is #夫, which is a compound ideograph between 大 (big) and 一. This is a for a kanzashi, an ornamental hairpin, which is used in a coming-of-age ceremony.
髪
Today’s #kanji is #髪, which is made of its semantic element of #かみがしら(髟) and phonetic element of 犮. This page has an old commercial film embedded which will help you remember this kanji.
能
Today’s #kanji is #能, which is listed under the radical of #にくづき(月), representing “body.” There seem to be a few different theories how this character was developed.
徒
Today’s #kanji is #徒, which is listed under the radical of #ぎょうにんべん(彳). But according to my 大修館書店漢和辞典, its made of #しんにょう and 土. Do you know what 徒 means then?
息
Today’s #kanji is #息, which is listed under the radical of #こころ in my 大修館書店漢和辞典. According to the dictionary, some say it’s a pictograph depicting an exhalation through the nose. Others say it is a compound ideograph between 自 (suggesting “nose”) and 心 (“inside”).
相
Today’s #kanji is #相, which is listed its semantic element of #め(目) and its phonetic element is 木, which is the original form of 桑. Some say 相 is a compound ideograph between 木 and 目.
祖
Today’s #kanji is #祖, which is listed under its semantic element of #しめすへん(礻), which shows association with “deity (god).” Its phonetic element is 且, which has the meaning of “beginning.”
性
Today’s #kanji is #性, which is made of its semantic element of #りっしんべん(忄) and its phonetic element of 生. The single character can be pronounced in 3 different ways. Do you know them all?
師
Today’s #kanji is #師. It is listed under the radical of #はば(巾) but its semantic element is the left-hand side (ノ and 㠯) and 帀 is the phonetic element, though 師 and 帀 don’t share a sound in Japanese.
妻
Today’s #kanji is #妻, which is listed under the radical of #おんな(女). There is more than one theory on how this kanji was developed. Read on and find out …
客
Today’s #kanji is #客, which is made of its semantic element of #うかんむり(宀) and phonetic element of 各 although the common reading of 客 is different from that of 各.
官
Today’s #kanji is #官, which is a combined ideograph between #うかんむり(宀), representing a house/building, and 㠯, to gather. So what does 官 mean then?
皆
Today’s #kanji is #皆, which is a compound ideograph between 比 and 白. 比 has the meaning of “to line up” and 白 has the meaning of “to state.” So can you guess what 皆 means?
王
Today’s #kanji is #王, which is listed under the radical of #たまへん(玉). 王 is a pictograph depicting a broad-ax, which is a symbol for sovereignty.
係
Today’s #kanji is #係, which is made of its semantic element of #にんべん(亻) and phonetic element of 系. 系 has a meaning of “to connect.” Can you guess what 係 means then?
君
Today’s #kanji is #君, which is listed under the radical of #くち(口) and it is an compound ideograph between 尹 (a ruler) and 口 (an order).
指
Today’s #kanji is #指, which is made of its semantic element of #てへん(扌) and phonetic element of 旨 and it means fingers. Check the name of each finger in your hand here!