爪
nail, claw, talon; hoof; "claw" radical
Kanji 2071
nail, claw, talon; hoof; "claw" radical
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Synopsis
Delving into the 爪 kanji introduces you to rich idiomatic expressions about a wide range of things: following in people's footsteps, not showing off, preparing to defeat opponents, saving money (sometimes to extremes), and bearing scars after traumas. This new addition to the Joyo set is a prevalent radical that's useful to know, but the variants can be hard to recognize unless you've learned what they are.
Revision history:
June 30, 2022: p. 6: Added info about 爪痕.
Feb. 12, 2021:
- p. 1: Added “unused now” after the 呉音 (ショウ).
- p. 2: Etymology Box: Added the new Henshall etymology.
- p. 3: Slightly modified the sample sentence about the hawk.
- p. 13: Updated definitions of some kanji featuring 爪 as a radical.
- p. 13: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
- pp. 14 and 15: Slightly altered the 2nd question of the Verbal Logic Quiz, and significantly changed the answer, greatly simplifying the discussion.
July 6, 2016:
- p. 10: Changed the yomi of 琴爪 (koto pick on a ring) from きんそう to ことづめ.
- pp. 10 and 11: Removed 3 broken links
May 11, 2012: Originally published.
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