餬
rice broth
Strokes18
Readings
On'yomi
- コ
Kun'yomi
- かゆ
Meaning
餬 centers on a thin, watery rice dish: rice broth or gruel. It is a specific food term with no strong abstract extensions.
Study
Etymology
餬 combines 飠 (food/eat) with 胡, which likely contributes the sound コ. The character originally referred to a thin rice porridge or broth.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 飠 is food, and the right side 胡 looks like an old moon 月 with a mouth 口 and a cross 十. Imagine an ancient mouth under the moon eating a thin rice broth.
Reading mnemonic
For コ, picture a small child (子, こ) being fed rice broth: 子 -> コ, and the child sips the warm broth.