得 - GET Some Clams, Go to the Bank

Readings & Meanings:

う（る）

トク

え（る）

acquire, gain

Common Usage:

得点

得る（える）

心得

Examples:

彼は、中間テストでクラスの最高得点を得た。

時代が変わっても質素倹約という武士の心得を忘れない。

Translations:

On the midterm, he got the highest points in the class.

Even if the times are changing, do not forget the knowledge of the simple and modest samurai.

Radical:

ぎょうにんべん is on the left. I don't think we've talked about 彳 before.

It's ironic that the 彳 kanji alone apparently means "stop, linger", because the 彳 as a radical emphatically means "movement, action, go go go." Think of 行く whenever you see 彳.

On the right of 得 you see 貝 in a minimized form on top, and 寸 on the bottom. 寸 means measurement, but it's a symbol of a hand exerting pressure.

Now, what's 貝 doing in this? 貝 as we know it now is kanji for "shellfish." Long ago, in ancient times, shellfish was used as currency. Therefore, 貝 came to be used to symbolize commodities.

(Think of the now-unpopular slang for dollars: "clams.")

Put it all together: Action: shellfish in the hand: receiving goods.

Another way to remember that 得 uses the Gyouninben radical (彳) is to think in terms of going to the bank. 銀行 has that 彳 in there. If you receive money, you should go to the bank.

References:

http://www.kanjinetworks.com/indices/radindex.html
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/node/kanji/e.htm