呂
spine, backbone
Readings
On'yomi
- ロ
- リョ
Kun'yomi
- せぼね
Nanori
- とも
- なが
Meaning
呂 centers on the spine or backbone as a central structural line. The meaning is anatomical and concrete, referring to the vertebral column.
Most common words using 呂
20 of 93- 風呂ふろN5
bath; bathing; bathtub; bathroom
- 呂りょ
bass range (in Japanese music)
- 露天風呂ろてんぶろ
open-air bath; rotenburo; rotemburo
- 呂宋ルソン
Luzon (Philippines)
- 風呂敷ふろしきN2
furoshiki; wrapping cloth; cloth wrapper
- 語呂ごろ
sound (of a sentence); euphony
- 語呂合わせごろあわせ
wordplay; play on words; pun; rhyming game
- 水風呂すいふろ
Edo-period bathtub heated from below
- 水風呂みずぶろ
cold bath; taking a cold bath
- トルコ風呂トルコぶろ
Turkish bath
- 朝風呂あさぶろ
morning bath
- 呂律ろれつ
articulation
- 風呂屋ふろやN1
public bathhouse
- 蒸し風呂むしぶろ
steam bath
- 内風呂うちぶろ
indoor bath; bath for family (not public) use
- お風呂おふろN5
bath
- 風呂場ふろばN2
bathroom
- お風呂に入るおふろにはいる
to take a bath; to have a bath
- お風呂屋おふろや
public bathhouse
- ひとっ風呂ひとっぷろ
(taking) a bath
Study
Etymology
呂 is a pictograph of two connected vertebrae, representing the spine. The modern form retains the image of stacked segments linked by a central line.
Meaning mnemonic
See the two 口 shapes as stacked vertebrae, with the diagonal stroke 丿 as the connecting spinal cord. Together they form the backbone.
Reading mnemonic
For ロ, picture a row of vertebrae lined up like the letter 'R' and 'O' repeated: R-O, R-O — the 'ro' sound cues ロ while the stacked shapes echo the spine.