亦
also, again
JLPTN1StatusJinmeiyōStrokes6
Readings
On'yomi
- エキ
- ヤク
Kun'yomi
- また
Meaning
亦 centers on addition or repetition: something that is also present or happens again. Its core idea is inclusion or recurrence.
Most common words using 亦
- 如露亦如電にょろやくにょでん
existence (as we perceive it) is as mutable and incorporeal as is the morning dew or a flash of lightning
Study
Etymology
亦 is an ancient character originally depicting a person with marks under the arms to indicate 'armpits', later borrowed to mean 'also' or 'again'. The modern form is highly stylized and no longer pictorially clear.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 亠 looks like a lid, and the lower part resembles two marks being added. Picture a lid being placed again on a container, marking it as 'also' there.
Reading mnemonic
For エキ, imagine a sticky note saying 'also' stuck on a bottle of eki (liquid): eki -> エキ, and the note adds the idea of 'also'.