嫠
widow
Strokes14
Readings
On'yomi
- リ
Kun'yomi
- やもめ
Meaning
嫠 centers on a woman who has lost her husband: a widow.
Study
Etymology
嫠 combines 女 (woman) with an upper component that likely contributes the sound リ. The exact historical development of the upper part is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
A woman 女 under a heavy, complex upper structure that looks like a burden: picture a widow carrying the weight of loss.
Reading mnemonic
For リ, imagine a widow feeling the ripples of grief: ripple -> リ, and the woman 女 at the bottom carries that feeling.