軸

axis; axle

Kanji 1330

From Earth’s axis to a penholder, from a car axle to the shaft of a feather, 軸 represents entities that are straight and long. In addition, 軸 has fun figurative uses, enabling people to say, “the core of my thinking,” “innovative plan,” “central role,” and “Language is a vertical axis connecting you to your ancestors.” Our kanji is also in terms for “Axis powers” and “axis of evil.” Learn their back stories!

Revision history:

Apr. 16, 2021: p. 2: Fixed a small graphical problem.

May 16, 2020: Originally published.