Friday, May 2, 2008

肩 - SHOULDER of Meat


Readings & Meanings:

かた

ケン

shoulder

Common Usage:



肩甲骨

路肩(ろかた)

Examples:

肩が凝る。

肩甲骨にひびが入った。

路肩に草が生えている。

Translations:

My shoulders are stiff.

A crack has entered my shoulder blade.

Grass is growing on the shoulder of the road.

Radical:

月 radical, otherwise known as Tsuki. This is a case where the 月 kanji is standing in for the 肉 kanji, and it refers to flesh. When you see 月 hidden in a kanji, remember, it's probably a word for a body part.

The pictograph in 肩 is pretty straightforward. It's a limb hanging from a shoulderblade.

References:

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

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