頚
neck, head
Readings
On'yomi
- ケイ
Kun'yomi
- くび
Meaning
頚 centers on the neck and, by extension, the head as the body part connected by the neck.
Most common words using 頚
- 頚椎けいつい
cervical vertebrae
- 頚髄けいずい
cervical spinal cord; cervical cord
- 内頚動脈内膜剥離術ないけいどうみゃくないまくはくりじゅつ
carotid endarterectomy; CEA
- 刎頚ふんけい
decapitation
- 刎頚の友ふんけいのとも
inseparable friend; sworn friend
- 頚性神経筋症候群けいせいしんけいきんしょうこうぐん
cervical neuro-muscular syndrome
- 頚神経叢けいしんけいそう
cervical plexus
- 頚静脈けいじょうみゃく
jugular vein
- 頚骨けいこつ
neckbones
- 頚鼓動脈けいこどうみゃく
caroticotympanic arteries
Study
Etymology
頚 is a simplified variant of 頸. The traditional form 頸 combines 巠 (likely phonetic) with 頁 (head) to express the neck. The modern simplified left side 圣 is a shorthand replacement.
Meaning mnemonic
The right side 頁 means head or page, and the left side 圣 looks like a simplified neck shape. Picture a head (頁) attached to a neck (圣) to remember 頚 as neck.
Reading mnemonic
For ケイ, imagine a neck so stiff it looks like the letter K: K -> ケイ, and the head (頁) sits stiffly on top.