錠

lock; pill

Kanji 1423

This kanji takes us into the worlds of both locks and pills. See a combination lock with hanzi instead of numbers, find out what "shrimp lock" and "tail lock" represent, and learn how the Japanese historically secured their homes. Also discover how pills can wear "clothing," read about a candy made to resemble medicine, and see why one pharmacist's book is revolutionary.

Revision history:

Feb. 14, 2022: 

• pp. 1–3: Updated the Henshall etymology and the Sears link on p. 2, then slightly revised the etymology discussion on p. 1 and reformatted p. 3.
• p. 10: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Sept. 2, 2016: Originally published.