柳
willow
Kanji 1898
willow
Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.
Synopsis
Willows play important roles in Japan, lining rivers in several cities (and the streets of Ginza in Tokyo) and frequently appearing in ink paintings. Using pliable willow wood, people make everything from chopsticks and wicker to medicine. Sayings about taking things in stride often include 柳. There's also a link between 柳 and geisha, as well as a connection between willows and ghosts!
Revision history:
Oct. 31, 2024:
- pp. 1 and 2: Changed "plum" to "Japanese apricot."
- p. 10: Changed the definition of 柳川鍋 to "a hot pot dish."
June 22, 2021: p. 1: Deleted a stray punctuation mark.
Jan. 14, 2020: Fixed many broken links. Also:
- p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one.
- p. 15: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
July 13, 2012: Originally published.
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