彡
three, hair ornament, short hair or fur radical (no. 59)
Strokes3
Readings
On'yomi
- サン
- セン
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
彡 centers on fine, flowing strands: short hair, fur, or a decorative hair ornament. The radical sense is the same visible shape used as a component in other characters.
Most common words using 彡
- 彡旁さんづくり
kanji "three" or "hair ornament" radical at right
Study
Etymology
彡 is a pictograph of fine, flowing strands, representing short hair or fur. The modern three-stroke form keeps that image clearly.
Meaning mnemonic
See the three diagonal strokes as fine strands of short hair or fur flowing together: 彡 is a hair ornament or short fur.
Reading mnemonic
For サン, imagine three (三, さん) strands of hair forming the ornament: 三 -> サン, and those three strokes become the hair ornament.