cedar, sandalwood, spindle tree
檀 centers on aromatic, durable woods: cedar, sandalwood, and the spindle tree. The common thread is a type of valued wood used for fragrance, carving, or fine objects.
檀 combines 木 (tree/wood) with 亶, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to a type of fragrant wood, consistent with its modern meanings.
The tree radical 木 beside 亶 suggests a special kind of wood. Imagine a fragrant sandalwood tree whose scent is so strong it fills a whole room (亶 can be thought of as a spreading container).
For ダン, picture a sandalwood log being carved into a beautiful wooden stand: stand -> ダン, and the wood is 檀.
decorative portable shrine; float used in festivals
family which supports a temple; parishioner
rosewood; red sandalwood
ebony
Indian sandalwood (Santalum album); white sandalwood
eighteen centers of Buddhist learning (of the Pure Land sect in the Kanto region)
system used during the Edo period where commoners had to register with a temple in order to prove their Buddhist faith
spindle tree (Euonymus alatus f. ciliatodentatus)
chinaberry; Japanese bead tree (Melia azedarach)
genius shows from childhood; the Japanese bead tree is fragrant from when a sprout
mythical founder of Korea
temple supporter
Buddhist center for study and meditation; monastery; temple
fine crepe paper
alms-giver; person who donates to a monk or a temple; dana-pati
one's family temple
Indian sandalwood (Santalum album)
blunt-lobed spice bush (Lindera obtusiloba)
sandalwood oil
eighteen centers of Buddhist learning (of the Pure Land sect in the Kanto region)