浴 - Showering in the Valley

Readings & Meanings:

あ（−びる）

ヨク

(rare) ゆ

to shower, to bask in

Common Usage:

浴びる

日光浴

浴衣

Examples:

お風呂に入る代わりに、シャーワーを浴びる。

日光浴で肌を焼きすぎてしまった。

お風呂に入った後に浴衣を着た。

Translations:

Instead of taking a bath, I'll take a shower.

I got too tan sunbathing.

After taking a bath, I put on a yukata.

Bonus:

New radical (maybe not so new for you guys): "San-zui."　It's the water radical, and it's used in too many kanji to count. Three splashes of water on the left, and you know that your kanji is (closely or loosely) associated with water.

I have no idea why 決 of 決まる (to be decided) has to do with water, but it's got the radical, just the same.

So, take another look at 浴. It's got water on the left, but what's on the right? 谷, that's what. The kanji for valley. I like to think of 浴 as referring to mountain runoff.

Important:

Although a lot of dictionaries translate 浴びる as "to bathe," it really means "to shower," pouring something over yourself, or standing in a cascade of something. Remember, think of yourself in the valley, bathing in the overhead runoff. You are below, the water is above.

However, 浴 has a looser meaning　when used in compounds. It can be used with the meaning of "soaking in," as in 海水浴: you are just staying in the shallow seawater up to your neck.

Extra Bonus:

浴衣 was originally what you wore after getting out of the bath. It later became a "summer kimono."

References:

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/a.htm