叮
courtesy
Strokes5
Readings
On'yomi
- テイ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
叮 centers on courteous speech or polite verbal expression, as suggested by the mouth component 口 combined with a phonetic element.
Study
Etymology
叮 combines 口 (mouth) with 丁, which likely provides the sound. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the structure suggests a phono-semantic compound related to speech.
Meaning mnemonic
A mouth 口 speaking with the sound 丁 (like a polite 'ting' of a bell) represents courteous words.
Reading mnemonic
For テイ, imagine a courteous person offering a cup of tea (ティー) while speaking politely: tea -> テイ.