| Meaning |
hand 
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| Explanation |
Several characters are used for hand:  ,ナ, 扌, 手,ヨ,又. The hand can be seen with the forearm on the right and the fingers on the left.
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Used in these characters:
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右
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JLPT 5Joyo 1 |
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| right hand side
migi, U, YŪ
右
口
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Left: hand ナ/ヨ (Shows a hand ナ with the forearm at the right and three fingers to the left.), right: mouth 口
The hand for the mouth (= you eat with) is the: right.
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左
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JLPT 5Joyo 1 |
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| left
hidari, SA
工
左
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Left: Hand ナ/ヨ (Shows a hand  with the forearm at the right and three fingers to the left.), right: build, work 工 (image of a carpenter's square)
The hand that assists, (=supports with the carpenter's square) is the left.
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帰
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JLPT 4Joyo 2 |
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| to return
kaeru, KI
刂
帚
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Left: knife刂, right: broom 帚 (A hand ナ/ヨ holds a broom 冖巾)
When you change your knife to a broom you have returned.
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書
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JLPT 5Joyo 2 |
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| write
kaku, SHO
日
聿
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A hand ナ/ヨ with a painting brush 丨 (cf.筆) writes two lines = on a paper 日
With a brush in my hand on the paper: That's how I write.
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雪
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JLPT 3Joyo 2 |
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| snow
yuki, SETSU
雨
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Top: rain 雨 (view out of a window 冂 with a cloud 一, that is raining =,=) and below: hand ナ/ヨ (with the fingers to the left)
Rain that you can hold in your hand, is snow.
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当
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JLPT 3Joyo 2 |
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| hit the target, expose, apply, really
ataru, TŌ
小
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Top: small 小, bottom: a hand ヨ
It is as small as a hand, but we hit the target!
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父
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JLPT 5Joyo 2 |
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| father
chichi, FU
父
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A stick ノ in a hand
With a stick in his hand (for punishing): The father!
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友
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JLPT 5Joyo 2 |
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| friend
tomo, YŪ
友
又
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Comprises twice the radical for hand: , 又 as shaking hands
They shake hands because they are friends.
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急
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JLPT 4Joyo 3 |
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| urgent, rapid, hurry
isogu, KYŪ
⺈
心
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From top: an inflected person ⺈, hand ナ/ヨ, a heart 心
The inflected person holds his hand over the heart because he was in a rapid hurry. (and now is exhausted)
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君
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JLPT 3Joyo 3 |
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| you, Mr., lord
kimi, KUN
君
尹
口
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Top: A hand ナ/ヨ holding a stick ノ, bottom: mouth 口
The one with the stick in the hand striking on your mouth, is your master/lord.
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祭
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JLPT 3Joyo 3 |
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| festival, celebration
matsuri, matsuru, SAI
祭
肉
礻
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Top: body/flesh 月 (simplified from flesh/meat 肉), hand or: 又, bottom: show 示 (image of an altar 丁 with sth. 一 on; therefore 'to show')
Flesh is put by a hand on the altar: at the festival (of sacrifice).
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事
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JLPT 4Joyo 3 |
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| affair, thing, matter, fact, case
koto, JI, ZU
亅
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From top: ten 十, mouth 口, hand ナ/ヨ
Ten mouths and only one hand: what an affair!
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有
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JLPT 4Joyo 3 |
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| being, have, own
aru, YŪ, U
有
肉
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Upper left: hand ナ/ヨ, below: body 肉/月
I have a hand and a body: I'm existing!
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緑
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JLPT 3Joyo 3 |
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| green, verdure
midori, RYOKU, ROKU
糸
录
水
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Left: thread 糸 (here: plant fiber), right: extrude 录 (= a pressing hand ヨ lets liquid 水 drop out.)
When plant fibers are pressed the extruding liquid is green.
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郡
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JLPT 3Joyo 4 |
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| county, township
kōri, GUN
君
⻏
尹
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Left: you/lord 君 (The one with the stick ノ in the hand ナ/ヨ striking on your mouth 口, is your master/lord.), right: village ⻏ (If this radical is at the left of a character, it means: hill.)
The lord of the village dominates the county.
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興
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JLPT 1Joyo 5 |
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| interest, entertain, raise, retrieve
okosu, KYŌ, KŌ
臼
同
廾
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Left and right: pressing hands  , ヨ like a mortar 臼, center: same 同 [= All containers 冂 have only one 一 opening 口 and that is the same.], below: table  Here: seen as two turned hands 廾 grasping upwards 屮 from below. Thus four hands are shown.
All four hands have the same interest.
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群
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JLPT 2Joyo 5 |
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| flock, group, crowd, cluster
mura, mure, GUN
君
羊
尹
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Left: you, lord, master 君 (The one with the stick ノ in the hand ナ/ヨ striking on a mouth 口, is the master/lord.), right: sheep 羊 (The horned 丷 animal with a backbone 丨 and laterally protruding due to thick wool 三 is a sheep.)
If you (= the master) have sheep, then (hopefully) a flock.
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妻
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JLPT 2Joyo 5 |
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| wife
tsuma, SAI
女
聿
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Top: broom 十 with hand ナ/ヨ (cf.:brush/pen 筆 or broom 帚), bottom: woman 女
With a broom in her hand is this woman: my wife.
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布
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JLPT 2Joyo 5 |
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| cloth, fabric
nuno, FU
巾
布
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Left: hand , right: cloth/width 巾
The hand checks the width of the cloth.
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婦
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JLPT 2Joyo 5 |
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| wife, woman
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Left: woman 女, right: broom 帚 (hand ナ/ヨ, holding a broom)
The woman with the broom in her hand is my wife.
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兼
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| concurrently, combine
kaneru, KEN
兼
八
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A hand ナ/ヨ and a variation of two rice plants 禾
The hand holds two rice plants concurrently.
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若
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JLPT 2Joyo 6 |
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| young, inexperienced, if
wakai, moshi, JAKU
若
艹
右
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Top: plant 艹, bottom: right 右 (This hand ナ/ feeds the mouth 口.) For the mnemonic think to the character "hard 固": Things 囗 (like: herbs, vegetables, meat) with age 古 get hard 固 - Here however we have the opposite:
The plant 艹 that is put by hand ナ into the mouth 口 is: young.
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糖
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JLPT 1Joyo 6 |
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| sugar
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Left: rice 米, right: Tang dynasty 唐 (building 广, hand ナ/ヨ holding a pestle 丨, mortar 口/臼)
The rice is processed in the building by hand with pestle and mortar into: Sugar.
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律
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JLPT 2Joyo 6 |
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| law, judge, melody
RITSU, RICHI|
彳
聿
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Left: go 彳, right: var. of write 書 (A hand ナ/ヨ with a brush 丨 writes two 二 lines on a paper 日)
Go and write down the law.
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隠
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| hide, conceal, suppress
kakureru, IN
阝
爫
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Left: hill 阝, right: a hand reaches down 爫, hand ナ/ヨ, heart 心
Behind a hill or two hands, the heart can hide.
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縁
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| rim, edge, ties, relation, fate, karma
fuchi, EN
糸
豕
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Left: thread 糸, right: hand ヨ and: pig 豕
If you are bound by a thread at the hand like a pig, you are on the edge, and that is your fate.
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穏
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| peaceful, calm, quiet, mild
odayaka, ON
禾
爫
心
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Left: rice plant 禾, right: hand reaching down 爫, hand ナ/ヨ, heart 心
A rice plant and two hands covering the heart symbolize peaceful calmness.
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嫌
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| dislike, hate, detest, aversion
kirau/i, iya, KEN, GEN
女
兼
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Left: woman 女, right: combine, concurrently 兼 (A hand ナ/ヨ holds two rice plants 禾: combined or concurrently)
(She wants a monogamous partnership:) If women do it in combination, she dislikes it.
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謙
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| humble, modest, self-effacing
herikudaru, KEN
言
兼
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Left: word 言, right: combine, concurrently 兼 (A hand ナ/ヨ holds two rice plants 禾 combined & concurrently.)
Words combined with modesty.
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佐
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| assist, help
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Left: person 人, right: left 左 (The hand that assists, (= supports with the carpenter's square 工) is the left.)
(Normally persons are right-handed and the left 左 hand is supporting.) Persons have the left (hand) for assisting.
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粛
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| solemn, quietly, self-restraint, correct, sternly
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Top: hand ナ/ヨ with pestle 丨, bottom: rice 米 in the mortar 丨丨
When the hand with the pestle works on the rice in the mortar it is a solemn moment.
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尋
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| inquire, ask, look for, seek, (length: 6 shaku =1.82m)
tazuneru, hiro, JIN
寸
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From top: hand ヨ, craftsman 工, mouth 口, skillful hand 寸
The hand of the craftsman, what he says 口 and his skillful hands are inquired (=seeked).
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掃
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JLPT 2Joyo 7 |
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| sweep, brush
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Left: hand 扌, right: broom 帚 (hand ナ/ヨ, holding a broom 冖/巾)
The hand with the broom is sweeping.
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唐
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| Tang-China
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Outside: building 广, below: hand ナ/ヨ, pestle 丨, mortar 口
Buildings in which a hand uses a mortar in the Tang Dynasty. (It was 618-907 AD and a heyday. - Maybe that's why people peacefully prepared food in the mortar?)
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庸
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| ordinary, work, mediocre
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Outside: building 广, below: hand ナ/ヨ, holding a pestle 丨, combined with use 用 [A fence 用 can be used.]
When in a building a hand uses a pestle, it is very ordinary.
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廉
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JLPT 1Joyo 7 |
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| bargain, cheap, honest, clean, suspicion
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Outside: building 广, below: combine, concurrently 兼 (A hand ナ/ヨ holds two rice plants 禾 combined.)
(i.e. terraced [=serial] houses or a condo ="condominium"): Buildings that are combined are cheaper.
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臼
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JLPT -Joyo 7 |
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| mortar
usu, KYŪ
臼
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An image that expresses "to press", with hands from left 'E' and right 'ヨ' - (cf. 緑, 興 etc.)
It works like a double press: the mortar.
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凄
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JLPT -Joyo 7 |
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| superb, brilliant, uncanny, marvelous, horrible
sugoi, SUI
冫
女
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Left: ice 冫, right: wife 妻 (= with broom 十 in a hand ナ/ヨ, this woman 女)
The ice cream of my wife is superb.
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| Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning. |  |
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List of the characters |
List of the radicals
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