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Kotomora

侷

narrow, cramped, confined

Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

  • キョク
  • ゴク

Kun'yomi

  • たけがひく.い
  • せま.る

Meaning

侷 centers on restricted space: being narrow, cramped, or confined. The given meanings all describe a lack of room or tightness.

Study

Etymology

侷 is a phono-semantic compound: the person radical 亻 suggests a human-related meaning, while 局 likely contributes the sound and the idea of being confined or limited. The exact historical development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

A person 亻 squeezed into a tight office 局: the space is narrow and cramped, leaving no room to move.

Reading mnemonic

For キョク, imagine a person stuck in a cramped room shouting 'kyoku!' in frustration: the invented sound 'kyoku' cues キョク while the person is confined.