畔
paddy ridge, levee
Readings
On'yomi
- ハン
Kun'yomi
- あぜ
- くろ
- ほとり
Nanori
- ぐろ
Meaning
畔 centers on the boundary or edge of a rice paddy, specifically the raised ridge or levee that separates fields. It can also refer to the bank or shore of a body of water.
Most common words using 畔
- 湖畔こはん
lakeside; lakeshore; lakefront
- 河畔かはん
riverside
- 橋畔きょうはん
approach to a bridge
- 池畔ちはん
near the pond; edge of a pond
- 渚畔しょはん
shore; waterside
- 畔唐菜あぜとうな
Crepidiastrum keiskeanum (species of plant in the daisy family)
- 畔菜あぜな
common false pimpernel (Lindernia procumbens); prostrate false pimpernel
- 畦畔けいはん
ridge between rice fields
Study
Etymology
畔 combines 田 (rice field) and 半, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest a dividing line, giving the idea of a ridge that splits fields.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 田 is a rice field, and the right side 半 looks like a dividing line. Picture a raised path cutting the field in half: that ridge is the paddy levee.
Reading mnemonic
For ハン, imagine a hand (ハン) building the ridge between the fields: hand -> ハン, shaping the levee.