囏
difficult, trying, be distressed, parent's funeral ceremony, mourning, perilous
Readings
On'yomi
- カン
- ケン
Kun'yomi
- なや.む
- かた.い
- なや.み
- も
Meaning
囏 centers on severe hardship: something difficult, trying, or perilous. The funeral and mourning senses are specific cultural applications of deep distress.
Study
Etymology
囏 is a rare character whose exact historical development is uncertain. It appears to combine a complex left side with 喜 on the right, but the original semantic and phonetic roles of the components are unclear.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side looks tangled and oppressive, while 喜 (joy) on the right is trapped inside. Imagine joy being crushed by overwhelming difficulty, leading to distress and mourning.
Reading mnemonic
For カン, picture a person struggling through a difficult funeral ceremony, holding a can of water to quench their thirst: can -> カン, and the heavy atmosphere of mourning makes everything feel perilous.