尢
crooked-big radical (no. 43)
Readings
On'yomi
- オウ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
尢 is a radical character that depicts a person with a crooked or bent leg. Its meaning is tied to this image of lameness or deformity, and it is used as a component in other characters to convey a sense of being crooked or impaired.
Most common words using 尢
- 尢だいのまげあし
kanji "crooked-leg" dai radical (radical 43)
Study
Etymology
尢 is a pictograph of a person with a bent or crippled leg. The modern form retains the basic shape: a top horizontal line representing the head or shoulder, a vertical stroke for the body, and a curved rightward stroke for the crooked leg.
Meaning mnemonic
The top horizontal stroke is the person's head, the vertical stroke is the body, and the final stroke curves to the right like a leg that is bent or lame. Picture a person standing with one leg crooked: 尢.
Reading mnemonic
For オウ, imagine a person with a crooked leg saying 'Ow!' in pain: Ow -> オウ, and the bent shape of 尢 reinforces the sound.