替 - REPLACE Your Husband?!

Readings & Meanings:

か（える）

タイ

か（わる）

replace

Common Usage:

入れ替える

両替

替える

Examples:

新しい畳を入れ替えた。

円とドルを両替する。

円をドルに替えた。

Translations:

I switched in a new tatami mat.

I'm going to exchange yen for dollars.

I exchanged yen into dollars.

Radical:

Here's an oddball radical: 曰, or Hirabi.

I know it looks like 日, but Hirabi's middle line doesn't quite reach the right side. 曰 means "say" and is a picture of a mouth (口) with a suggestion of a tongue in the middle. In 替, though, it's just an action indicator.

(In fact, 曰 was replaced by 日 later on, for simplification. I say, too little, too late.)

On top we've got a doubled husband: 夫. 夫 is the standing figure of any person (doesn't have to be husband).

This kanji then shows one person taking the place of another.

References:

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