枝 - Wooden BRANCH in Hand

Readings & Meanings:

えだ

Common Usage:

枝豆

枝

Examples:

枝豆はビールのおつまみの定番だ。

木の枝にマシュマロを刺して焼く。

Translations:

Edamame is a standard snack to go with beer.

Skewer the marshmallow on the branch and roast it.

Radical:

木, obviously, means wood. But 支 is a pictograph of a hand holding a bamboo branch. 支 itself means branch. Huh?

This kanji has an interesting etymology. Apparently, 支 began to take on many different meanings, like "support," "hold," etc., and was used in a lot of different kanji.

Therefore, 枝 was devised to hold 支's original meaning: branch. 枝 is a replacement character.

Bonus:

That's right, 枝豆 is edamame. When you buy edamame, think of these kanji.

枝豆 are soybeans, but are harvested when they are still green and soft.

References:

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