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Kotomora

敍

express, state, relate, narrate

StatusJinmeiyō (variant)Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • ジョ

Kun'yomi

  • つい.ず
  • ついで

Meaning

敍 centers on putting events or ideas into words in an ordered way: expressing, stating, relating, or narrating a sequence of events.

Study

Etymology

敍 combines 余 (a phonetic component suggesting order or sequence) with 攴 (a hand holding a stick, implying action). Together they suggest the act of ordering words or events, i.e., narrating or expressing.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 余 looks like a surplus of words, and the right side 攴 is a hand with a stick, like a conductor directing the flow. Picture a storyteller using a stick to point at each event as they narrate in order.

Reading mnemonic

For ジョ, imagine a narrator named Joe who loves to relate long stories: Joe -> ジョ, and he uses a stick to keep the tale in order.