The Japanese Radical: 心


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Meaning
heart    心

Explanation Image of a heart with coronary arteries.

Used in these characters:
JLPT 4Joyo 2
to think
omou, SHI
Top: rice field 田 (here: image of the brain), bottom: heart 心
Use your brain and your heart: for thinking.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
heart, feelings
kokoro, SHIN

Image of the heart with with coronary artery.  
JLPT 4Joyo 3
bad, evil, coarse
warui, AKU, O
Top: inferior, Asia 亜 (Where you work 工 together with the center 中 (= China = land of the middle) is: Asia), bottom: heart 心
An inferior heart is something bad.  
JLPT 4Joyo 3
intention, mind, thought
I
Top: sound, noise 音 (Stand up 立 into the day 日 with sound/music [of the clock radio?]), bottom: heart 心
Like sounds of my heart: My intentions!  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
feeling
KAN
Top: (Chinese only:) salty 咸 [gǎn] (The taste is for the person 人 (= ノ & 一) in the mouth 口 like a halberd 戈 such: salty.), bottom: heart 心
When I have a 'salty heart' it is: a feeling.  
JLPT 4Joyo 3
urgent, rapid, hurry
isogu, KYŪ
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)  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
breath, breathing, son
iki, SOKU
Top: oneself 自 (The accented ノ eye 目 as the "self"), below: heart 心
I myself I am and my heart exists as long as I breathe, and my breath lives on in my son.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
sad
kanashii, HI
Top: wrong, false 非 (two wings 羽 in opposite direction), bottom: heart 心
False hearts make me sad.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
love
AI
From top: hand reaching down 爫, cover 冖, heart 心, sitting cross-legged 夂 (or upturned foot)
A hand is reaching down to cover the heart of the cross-legged sitting person: This is love.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
concept, thought, idea
SŌ, SO
Top: mutual, minister 相 (Trees 木 and book shelves 目 refer mutually to each other in terms of their external appearance, just as ministers appear in public.), below: heart 心
The minister has in his heart a concept.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
thought, feeling, desire, wish
NEN
Top: now 今 (The lid into the corner フ: Now!), bottom: heart 心
What is now in my heart, are thoughts and desires.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
without fail, necessarily, certain, inevitable, no doubt
kanarazu, HITSU
Heart 心 with lance ノ
The heart is pierced by a lance - without fail.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
(positive) respond, affirmative, accept, agreement
Ō
广
Outside: building 广, below: heart 心
A building with heart brings a positive response.  
JLPT 1Joyo 5
kindness, favor, benefit, grace
ON
Top: reason, cause 因 (For the fence 囗 around the big 大 person is a reason.), bottom: heart 心
The reason is in the heart, if sb. is such kind.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
ambition, will, intent
kokorozashi, SHI
Top: samurai 士, bottom: heart 心
The samurai's heart is full of ambition.  
JLPT 1Joyo 5
appearance, intention, attitude, condition
waza, zama, TAI
Top: ability, talent 能 (The nose ム, body 月 and claws 匕/匕 prove [at masks of the Nō-theater] the talent.), bottom: heart 心
Your abilities and your heart determine your appearance.  
JLPT 1Joyo 5
virtue, merit
TOKU
Left: go 彳, right: ten 十, eye 罒 with a central pupil ロ, heart 心
(Look around where your loving help is needed:) Go with ten eyes and the heart. That is meritful virtue!  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
Constitution, law
KEN
From top: roof 宀, growing plant , eye 罒, heart 心
Under its 'roof' you can grow and it has an eye on the hearts: The constitution.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
magazine, journal, document, record
SHI
Left: word 言 (sound waves out of a mouth 口), right: samurai 士 and heart 心
Words about the samurai's heart are in magazines.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
window
mado,
From top: hole, cavity 穴 (It is covered 宀 and a narrowing path 八 leads into the hole/cavity.), nose ム, heart 心
A hole for the nose and the heart: That's a window!  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
loyalty, faithful
CHŪ
Top: middle, center 中, bottom: heart 心
In the middle of the heart is the loyalty.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
recognize, appreciate
mitomeru, NIN
Left: word 言, right: to endure 忍 (a blade 刃 in the heart 心 is endured.) [blade 刃 = knife 刀 with marked 丶 blade]
Such words should be endured to gain recognition.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
forget, oblivious
wasureru,
Top: dead 亡 (coffin in cross section), below: heart 心
A dead heart is forgot.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
comfort, console, amuse
nagusami/mu/meru, I
Top: military officer 尉 (A buttock 尸 shows 示 his skillful hand 寸: that's an officer), below: heart 心
An officer with a heart knows how to comfort.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
peaceful, calm, quiet, mild
odayaka, ON
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.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
disease, patient, to suffer, afflicted
wazurau, KAN
Top: skewer 串, below: heart 心
A skewer in the heart is a 'disease'.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
regret, remorse, be sorry
uramu, KAN
Left: feeling 忄, right: feeling 感 (When I have a "salty" 咸 heart 心" it is a: feeling.) [salty 咸 = The taste is for the person 人 (= ノ & 一) in the mouth 口 like a halberd 戈 such: salty.]
Twice feelings of regret.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
mourning, abhor, odious, repugnant
imu/mawashii, KI
Top: myself 己 (Following the winding path I find myself), bottom: heart 心.
My own heart is mourning.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
fear, awe, horror
osoreru/roshii, KYŌ
Top: craftsman 工, common/general 凡 (A table 几/机 with a scratch 丶 is common.), bottom: heart 心
(Out of fear of claims for damages?) Craftsmen are generally, deep in their hearts, very fearful.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
respectful, reverent
uyauyashii, KYŌ
Top: together 共 (Put the plants 艹 on the table together), below: heart 心
We are together in our hearts with respect.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
foolish, idiot, folly
oroka, GU
Top: scorpion 禺 (Pictogram of a scorpion with a body 田, long legs 冂, and the stinger ム), below: heart 心
Who believes that a scorpion has a heart is foolish.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
blessing, do a favor, enlightenment, grace, kindness
megumu, KEI, E
From top: one 一 (here: ground), reason 由 (.. for the seedling 丨 on the field 田), heart 心
The ground is pierced by the first sprout in the field and thus close to my heart: as a blessing.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
rest, relax, relaxation
ikou, KEI
Top: tongue 舌 and self 自 (The accented ノ eye 目 as the "self"), bottom: heart 心
My tongue, myself and my heart need a rest.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
attach, hang, suspend
kakaru/keru, KEN, KE
Top: prefecture 県 (The eye 目 sees in the corner ∟ [of a map] a small 小 prefecture) and system 系 (an accent ノ to emphasize the thread 糸 of lineage), bottom: heart 心
The prefectural system is what, the hearts are attached to.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
sociable, courtesy, polite, kind
nengoro, KON
Top left: var.of wild animal 犭(dog on hind legs), right: not good 艮, below: heart 心.
A wild animal with horns is not good but in its heart it is sociable & kind.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
mercy, affection, tenderness
itsukushimu, JI
Top: 兹 2x mysterious 玄 (part of magnet: 磁, where a upper bracket 艹 holds 玄/糸 hanging stones 石 that behave mysteriously.), below: heart 心
Like a magnet of the heart [without that stone] is: mercy and affection.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
sadness, distress, grief
urei/eru, SHŪ
Top: autumn 秋 (... when rice plants 禾 are burned 火 down), below: heart 心
(Because winter is coming soon:) In autumn, the heart feels sadness.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
spear (of grain), ear(bot.), crest(wave)
ho, SUI
Left: rice plant 禾, right: blessing, favor 恵 (The first sprout 丨 pierces the ground 一 of the rice field 田 and is close to my heart 心: as a blessing.)
The rice plant is blessed with spears of grain.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
be lazy, be bored, neglect, tedium, dullness
okotaru, namakeru, TAI
From top: platform 台 (nose ム above the mouth 口), heart 心
If you only care about smells (= nose), food (= mouth) and feelings (= heart), you are lazy and negligent.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
shame, ashamed, disgrace, shy
haji, hazukashii/jiru, CHI
Left: ear 耳, right: heart 心
(The blood from your heart makes your ears red.) It presses into your ears from the heart: you blush and are ashamed.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
listen carefully, hear
kiku, CHŌ
Left: ear 耳, right: var. of virtue 徳 (ten 十, eye 罒, heart 心; not there: "go" 彳)
Your ear shall do it with virtue (thus as with 10 eyes and the heart): To listen carefully.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
punish, chastise
koriru/rasu, CHŌ
Top: indication, sign 徴 (Go 彳 on the mountain 山 to the king 王, who hits 攵 you for giving an indication.), below: heart 心
Indications for the heart can be a punishment.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
add, append, attach, annexed, accompany, garnish
sou/eru, TEN
Top: fertility 沃 (.. by the water 氵from the sky 夭/天), bottom right: heart 心
(New babies are born?) With fertility in the heart we will add some.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
anger, rage, wrath
ikaru, okoru, DO
Top: slave 奴 (women's女 hands 又 made me to a guy, but also to a slave.), bottom: heart 心
My woman puts the hand to her heart when she is angry.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
endure, stand, bear, stealth
shinobu, NIN
Top: blade 刃 (sword 刀 with a marked 丶 blade), bottom: heart 心
The blade in the heart has to be endured.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
rather, better, preferably, instead, peaceful
mushiro, NEI
From top: roof 宀, heart 心, eye 罒, city block 丁 (Here: a nail as at 'to strike' 打)
(Good work of the roofer:) The roof was built with the heart (= loving work) and the eyes (= careful & clean) and nails, so that it is rather preferable and I am peaceful.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
yearn for, adore, pine, love dearly
shitau, BO
Top: sinking/going down 莫 (The plants 艹 are made by the sun 日 to be large 大 [= as long shadows] at sunset.), below: heart 心 [Watch out: Sunrise is: 旦 or ]
Like a sinking heart: That's yearning.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
composed, quiet, calm, leisurely, distant

Top: person 亻/人 with a stick 丨, hit 攵 (here: beats), bottom: heart 心
At a person with a stick, the beating of the heart is composed and quiet.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
grief, sorrow, trouble, fear
urei/eru, ui,
Variation of love 愛 (A hand reaching down 爫 to cover 冖 the heart 心 of the cross-legged 夂 person: This is love.) with head/forehead 頁 instead of a hand reaching downwards 爫
If there is incomplete love in your head, you are in grief & sorrow.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
consideration, thought
RYO
Outside: tiger 虎 (pictograph, with claws), below: think 思 (Use your brain 田 and your heart 心 for thinking.)
'Tiger-like' thoughts are: considerations.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
love, beloved, long for
koi, koishii, REN
Top: var. of red 赤 (When clay/earth 土 is burned in fire 灬, the pottery turns: red), below: heart 心
A somewhat red heart stands for: love.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
be confused, perplex, deceive, beguile delusion
madou, WAKU
Top: a variation of salty 咸 (which only exists in Chinese: salty 咸 = The taste is for the person 人 (= ノ & 一) in the mouth 口 like a halberd 戈 such: salty.), bottom heart 心 [This 惑 is similar to 'feelings' 感 = A salty 咸 heart 心 is also a feeling 感]
The kanji 'feeling' 感 is lacking a stroke 丿, further 口 and 一 are swapped and this makes me confused.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
grudge, hatred, resentment, jealousy
EN, ON
Top: 夗 (evening 夕, slumped person 㔾), below: heart 心
(With frustration at the injustices of daily life?) In the evening, a slumped person's heart feels grudge and hatred.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
arbitrarily, self-indulgent, selfish
SHI
Top: next 次 (Ice 冫is lacking 欠, what comes next?) [to lack 欠 = The mouth wide open ⺈ of the yawning person 人 is lacking sth.], bottom: heart 心
(My cocktail never without ice!) If ice is lacking, my heart becomes arbitrary and selfish.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
wick (of a candle), core, center
SHIN
Top: plant 艹, bottom: heart 心
Plants have a "heart" (=inner fibers), that is used as a wick.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
twist, twirl
NEN
Left: Hand 扌, right: thought 念 (Now 今 I have in my heart 心 a thought.)
(If you are inattentive, you will injure yourself:) It happens to your hand when you are in thoughts: you will twist it.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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