房

chamber, room; cluster; tuft; tassel; cell

Kanji 1809

Because 房 has many disparate definitions, one can't immediately see how they connect. The key is to think of the small spaces you get by dividing a big space several ways. The heart divides into 4 chambers. An orange splits into equal sections. A prison has many small cells. The 房 kanji covers all these meanings and more, including associations with wives and sex.

Revision history:

June 24, 2021:

• p. 1, Character Profile: Changed the keyword associated with ふさ and added a sound-alike. 
• p. 2, sidebar 1: Changed the definition of 倣 (1798) to “to imitate.”

Jan. 8, 2020:

• p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one. 
• p. 2, Sidebar 1: Added 放 (391) to the list and updated the definitions of the kanji.
• p. 17: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

June 22, 2013: 

• p. 1: Changed the yomi of the radical name from と to とかんむり.
• p. 18: Changed the breakdown of 文房四宝. Also changed "the four treasures" to "the four treasures of the study."

Dec. 15, 2012: Fixed a typo on p. 14 in the photo caption. In terms of the yomi, this is correct: 厳選 (げんせん: careful selection).