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Kotomora

咮

beak

Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • トウ
  • ツ
  • チュウ
  • シュウ

Kun'yomi

  • くちばし

Meaning

咮 centers on the beak of a bird, the hard projecting mouthpart.

Study

Etymology

咮 combines 口 (mouth) with 朱, which likely contributes the sound. The character is used specifically for a bird's beak.

Meaning mnemonic

The mouth radical 口 beside 朱 suggests a specialized mouthpart. Picture a bird's beak as a red (朱 can suggest vermilion) pointed mouth.

Reading mnemonic

For トウ, imagine a toucan's beak: toucan -> トウ, and the beak is the bird's prominent mouth.