縑
fine silk
Strokes16
Readings
On'yomi
- ケン
Kun'yomi
- きぬ
Meaning
縑 centers on a specific type of fine silk fabric. The meaning is narrow and concrete, without broad abstract extensions.
Most common words using 縑
- 尺縑せっけん
small amount of silk (i.e. only one foot of cloth)
Study
Etymology
縑 combines 糸 (thread, silk) with 兼, which likely contributes the sound. The character is a phono-semantic compound for a type of fine silk.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 糸 is thread or silk, and the right side 兼 looks like a hand holding two stalks of grain together. Imagine combining fine silk threads to create an especially smooth, high-quality fabric.
Reading mnemonic
For ケン, picture a bolt of fine silk being inspected by Ken, a meticulous silk merchant: Ken -> ケン, and he only accepts the finest silk.