忙 - Being This BUSY Is Like Dying in Your Heart

(picture coming later)

Readings & Meanings:

いそが (しい)

ぼう

busy

Common Usage:

忙しい

多忙

Examples:

最近、忙しい？

多忙のため返事が遅くなり申し訳なく存じます。

Translations:

Have you been busy lately?

Excuse me for the belated reply, but I've been busy.*

Bonus:

New radical: Bo 亡. It comes from a Chinese pictograph of a person behind a vertical, sloping screen (check out http://www.kanjinetworks.com/mnetwork/MANG.html#MANG01 if you don't believe me). In other words, the person is behind the veil. In other words, they're dead. This radical is for death.

Look at the left side, though. What's that look like? 小? I know, it's similar, but wrong. 心 simplified and squished to fit on the left is what that is. So, business = heart-death. I can relate to that. But really, when your heart/mind is in turmoil, you aren't in a state to think clearly, and that's what this kanji is trying to relate.

References:

*http://eow.alc.co.jp/多忙/UTF-8/
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/i.htm