臼
mortar; millstone; hand mill; "mortar" radical
Kanji 1987
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 gives us an entry point into the earthy world of grinding crops. Through 臼 we learn about the mortar and pestle, the original (and best?) way of making mochi (and the basis for a saying about how men and women need each other). The essay also introduces medical terms, including one for "molar." After all, "mortars" in the mouth grind food!
Revision history:
June 22, 2021:
- p. 7: Updated a Sears link.
- p. 9: There was a passage about an etymological interpretation from Henshall’s first book, an interpretation he has now discarded. I deleted those few sentences.
- p. 10: Updated Henshall’s etymology of 興.
Jan. 10, 2020: Fixed several links, which meant deleting some descriptions of what was at the link. Also made these changes:
- p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one, which is much simpler. This meant deleting two of the three Sears images that I had presented.
- p. 10: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
July 17, 2015:
- p. 1: Added "'mortar' radical" as a definition in the Character Profile.
- p. 5: Changed a link from one Wikipedia page to another.
Apr. 5, 2013: Fixed a dead link on p. 10 and a typo on p. 10.
Sept. 19, 2012: Added 7 photos to pp. 9 and 12–14.
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