器 - I Need a VESSEL To Store Food for Four Mouths and a Dog

Readings & Meanings:

うつわ

キ

vessel, tool、capacity

Common Usage:

陶器

器

器用貧乏

器量

Examples:

高価な陶器を落として割ってしまった。

あの人は器の大きい人だ。

私は器用貧乏で何でも並にできるが、どれも大成しない。

あの店の奥さんはとても器量よしだ。

Translations:

I dropped and shattered a very expensive piece of pottery.

That person has a great capacity for understanding and doing anything.

I'm good at most things, but I haven't really accomplished anything.

That shopkeeper's wife has really good looks.

Radical:

口, mouth, has been quadrupled here to show that there could be many different kinds and shapes of vessels that 器 refers to. 口 surrounds a character that comes from 犬, but don't ask me why. Don't ask me!

Bonus:

器用貧乏 is a great word. I love how the Japanese have an exact match of our "Jack of all trades, master of none" sentiment, summed up in a four-kanji combo.

References:

http://www.kanjinetworks.com/knetwork/KAT.html#KAT19
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/e.htm