徉
wonder, rove, stray, hesitating
Strokes9
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
- さまよ.う
Meaning
徉 centers on aimless movement without a fixed direction: wandering, roving, or straying. The hesitating sense fits as a pause within that wandering, not a separate idea.
Study
Etymology
徉 combines 彳 (movement) with 羊, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of wandering like sheep. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The movement radical 彳 suggests walking, and 羊 is a sheep. Picture a sheep wandering off from the flock, roving aimlessly and hesitating at every turn.
Reading mnemonic
For ヨウ, imagine a wandering sheep saying "yo!" to every passerby: yo -> ヨウ, and the sheep keeps straying and calling out.