椎
spine; Castanopsis
Kanji 2070
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.
This kanji yokes two very disconnected topics. With its on-yomi, 椎 primarily represents “spine,” so it appears in terms related to vertebrae, spinal diseases, and disc herniation. But with its kun-yomi, 椎 means “Castanopsis,” a type of tree. In that world we discover delicious nuts that look like acorns and even find our way to shiitake mushrooms, which grow on Castanopsis logs.
Revision history:
Aug. 23, 2024: p. 2: Changed the def. of 桜 from "cherry tree" to "cherry blossom."
June 4, 2021: p. 11: One sentence had "includes/including" twice, so I revised it slightly.
June 12, 2020: Originally published.
Comments