柙
cage, pen for wild animals
Strokes9
Readings
On'yomi
- コウ
- オウ
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
- おり
Meaning
柙 centers on a physical enclosure for containing wild animals: a cage or pen.
Study
Etymology
柙 combines 木 (wood) with 甲, which likely contributes the sound and suggests a hard shell or covering, together expressing a wooden cage or pen.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 木 is wood, and the right side 甲 looks like a barred enclosure. Picture a wooden cage with a cross-barred front holding a wild animal.
Reading mnemonic
For コウ, imagine a wild animal in a cage letting out a low, hollow growl: kou... The sound cues コウ while the animal is trapped in the wooden pen.